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SCHOOL 1977 vs. SCHOOL 2007

Who here had to pick their own switch off a tree?? <snip>

that would be me. many times (slow learner here :redface:

i don't recommend this approach in today's world, but i do have to say that the walk, selection and delivery of the switch gave me a bit of pause the next time around. rarely was the pause great enough to stop me from doing what my little pea-brain wanted to do, but it did give me pause.
 
A couple of things I did for science fair projects in the late 70s might not go over well today.

1. Cloud chamber which involved bringing something radioactive to school, in this case I used a plate that was manufactured in the 30s with a paint that contained radium (these are probably still floating around today, as I recall it was primarily used in orange paint). I also used dry ice in that same project.

2. A vial of mercury that magnetized when you passed current through it, attracting a coiled wire, when the wire made contact, current was shut off, when the wire wasn't in contact, power would turn back on, essentially creating a bouncing spring. This project used A LOT of mercury (loaned to me by a local college), in fact I had no idea how toxic it was nor did other kids and we were pouring it out onto our desks and playing with it with our bare hands. Duh.

These days I'm not sure how well it would go over bring mercury or radioactive materials to a school :).

Here we go, Fiestaware dishes:
http://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/consumer products/fiesta.htm
fiesta.jpg

my experiment created hydrogen, which filled a balloon, which was then ignited by a burning candle. (i'm too embarrassed to tell you about another related experiment i wanted to do that would have likely resulted in a great deal of damage to the school. good thing i never actually conducted that experiment.)

sigh. some people's kids.
 
That's ok, you can find it in your flu shot!

What... mercury or uranium?

Answered my own question:

Ethyl mercury vs. methyl mercury
While we know that mercury exposure causes neurological disorders and that humans should limit their exposure, the real risk comes from a form of mercury called methyl mercury, says Dr. Robert Roberts, an immunologist and professor of pediatrics at the UCLA School of Medicine. Thimerosal contains ethyl mercury, a different form of the chemical. Ethyl mercury is metabolized differently than the toxic methyl form and excreted quickly.

“Chemically, the way the mercury (in the flu shot) is bound, it just can’t be utilized by the body like other forms of mercury,” says Roberts. “That’s why the flu shot is perfectly safe.”
 
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What... mercury or uranium?

Answered my own question:
“Chemically, the way the mercury (in the flu shot) is bound, it just can’t be utilized by the body like other forms of mercury,” says Roberts. “That’s why the flu shot is perfectly safe.”

Let's all get one of these:

Fluvirin
Medeva Pharmaceuticals 888.MEDEVA 716.274.5300
influenza virus neomycin, polymyxin
beta-propiolactone chick embryonic fluid

FluShield
Wyeth-Ayerst 800.934.5556
trivalent influenza virus, types A&B
gentamicin sulphate formadehyde, thimerosal, and
polysorbate 80 (Tween-80) chick embryonic fluid
Havrix


Sounds like it's really good for us.

Here's some more food for thought (I'm letting go after this, I don't want to hijack the thread anymore than I have already)

Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative has been used in vaccines since the 1930's. In 1982, the FDA reviewed Thimerosal and called for its removal in over the counter products due to its' toxicity.

In a review of mercury containing products in 1999, the FDA recognized that mercury exposure from vaccines exceeded federal safety guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency. While licensing new vaccines and adding them to the mandatory childhood schedule, the government failed to add up the amount of mercury that a child could receive in one visit and cumulatively over the course of the full vaccination regimen.

In 1999, many companies started removing Thimerosal from their products. However, some products that say they are Thimerosal free actually still contain trace amounts. Thimerosal continues to be used in some vaccines.

Some neuro-developmental disorders such as autism have similar symptoms to mercury poisoning. It is well established that mercury is a neuro-toxin and is harmful to babies in utero and to the developing brains of children. There is a public health advisory from the government about the risks of eating mercury-containing seafood, but there is no public health advisory about the risks of exposure to mercury in vaccines. It is up to the individual parent to make the right vaccine choices for their children.
 
Ah Mike so you remember the movie. Man that is a great flick.

1984 last day of school. Steveny brings a whole duffle bag of water balloons to school and stashes them in his girlfriend's locker. Later that day he hands them out to a few of his friends. They proceed to have a huge water balloon fight. The principal creeps up behind Steveny and is scolding him. At the same time Steveny's buddy John is sneaking around a bank of lockers. John launches the balloon at full force right at where he believes Steveny is. Unfortunately John blasts the balloon right on the principal's face. Steveny watches the balloon stretch around the principals face almost as if it is in slow motion. The balloon doesn't break so John waddles around the bank of lockers not knowing he has hit the principal in the face. John bends down to pick up the water balloon only to see the shiny tips of the principals shoes. As he looks up I couldn't help but to drop to my knees in uncontrolable laughter.

Great story Steve.

I loved Idiocracy. Such a classic.

idiocracy_supreme_court_md.jpg


Did you know that Beef Supreme is Owen and Luke's older brother, Andrew?

beef_sm.jpg
 
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what was this video of? it says it's no longer available.
 
I know a number of parents/families that have "lots" (eg 3+,6...) kids all which are very responsible professionals, doctor's lawyers.. etc. with a family of their own..

On the other hand, a number of high-stress couples hit 40 and find out they can no longer have kids and become depressed and question if their career was worth it.

I think the right message is emphasizing the importance and value of responsible individuals, marriage and families in society.
 
I know a number of parents/families that have "lots" (eg 3+,6...) kids all which are very responsible professionals, doctor's lawyers.. etc. with a family of their own..

On the other hand, a number of high-stress couples hit 40 and find out they can no longer have kids and become depressed and question if their career was worth it.

I think the right message is emphasizing the importance and value of responsible individuals, marriage and families in society.

I don't know of any, not one, couple personally that has more than one child and is also successful. I am sure there are people here on Prime that I don't know personally who have several children and are successful.

On the other hand I know of hundreds of couples who have several children and live off of welfare. All their kids will live off welfare and the cycle will continue and spread like an infection. If I could have 8 kids and have someone pay for them I would be embarrassed to do so. That is the problem right there, these people have no embarrassment factor in taking more money for each child they have and can't support on their own. they look at it as a game to see how much $ they can get by having more children.
 
I don't know of any, not one, couple personally that has more than one child and is also successful. I am sure there are people here on Prime that I don't know personally who have several children and are successful.

On the other hand I know of hundreds of couples who have several children and live off of welfare. All their kids will live off welfare and the cycle will continue and spread like an infection. If I could have 8 kids and have someone pay for them I would be embarrassed to do so. That is the problem right there, these people have no embarrassment factor in taking more money for each child they have and can't support on their own. they look at it as a game to see how much $ they can get by having more children.

I don't think it is as much "how much $ can I get by having another kid" as it is "it won't impact me either way, so who cares?" No poor person has ever gotten OFF of welfare by having lots of kids, but their quality of life probably hasn't changed much with each new rugrat either.
 
I don't think it is as much "how much $ can I get by having another kid" as it is "it won't impact me either way, so who cares?" No poor person has ever gotten OFF of welfare by having lots of kids, but their quality of life probably hasn't changed much with each new rugrat either.

Quality of life by their standards goes way up. For them having more kids means a bigger apartment, more food stamps, credit for their accomplishment with their friends. It is like a game for them to see how many kids they can have. I know for a fact some of my tenants are in competition to see who can have more kids. If they deny knowing who the father is they receive more money each month. I have not met in my life one person on welfare who wanted to get off of welfare. In upstate NY it is horrible. I was once in NYC in a bathroom taking a wiz and on the wall I read, "If you want a free ride on welfare go to Ithaca NY." I could hardly believe my eyes. Either the leaches of society communicate through the use of bathroom walls or someone else saw what I see in upstate NY. Either way it is pretty apparent the problem exists and someone else saw what I see in upstate NY. I am down in Florida now and the element is not here. It is very apparent and if you came to upstate NY you would see what I mean. I haven't seen anything else like it anywhere else in the country. What I do see in other sections of the county is bums on the streets. Thats one good thing I can say about upstate NY, there are no bums laying around on the streets. If they did lay around on the streets they would freeze to death.
 
Quality of life by their standards goes way up. For them having more kids means a bigger apartment, more food stamps, credit for their accomplishment with their friends. It is like a game for them to see how many kids they can have. I know for a fact some of my tenants are in competition to see who can have more kids. .


I highly doubt this. From your point of view it may seem this way, but honestly do you really think that's what's going on here?


BTW- I grew up in upstate NY and while it is liberal, it's not quite as you make it out.
 
I highly doubt this. From your point of view it may seem this way, but honestly do you really think that's what's going on here?


BTW- I grew up in upstate NY and while it is liberal, it's not quite as you make it out.

It is quite like that with 75% of the people I deal with on a daily basis. Every time I come to florida I see it more and more after I am away from it for a few days.

Here is a good one. I am showing an apartment to a young girl, young maybe 18. She says she can't afford the apartment right now but when she has her next baby (as she exhales the smoke from a newport, and I see she is ~6-7 months pregnant) She says she will receive MORE money from welfare after the birth of her THIRD child. Three f--ing kids at 18. AND she was high on something.
I don't want to get into this again so don't bother to reply. It just makes me sick the abuse I see on a daily basis. The abuse of everyones money who is decent and works for a living. It really is sad.
 
I can tell you of a few families where that is not the case...They're all immigrants and all "started" on welfare and poor. My intent is to show that the "many kids, bad families, bad for society" stereotype is not accurate.

My family - My parents had six kids, 3 boys, 3 girls. I was 2nd in line and I can say I'm happy and doing fairly well with a good job in a small SW company in Seattle :)rolleyes: ) and multiple RE properties... My older sister runs a small business, my younger brother graduated with an EE with honors, works at GE and is pursuing Law School next year (would give him a great edge in things like Patent law).
My younger brother is more of a socialite, but a hard worker and still figuring things out. My 2 youngest sisters are in High School, at the top of their class. One of the two takes college classes as well to get a head start. We all grew up poor, on welfare as immigrants. My parents worked as janitors in the beginning, despite having Engineering degrees; I used to go with them all the time.

2nd - The Assistant Pastor @ my church was one of four kids (might have been more..) grew up similar scenario. He now has AN MD and a Law Degree and his own Law Practice (after having his med office previously). This is in addition to being a Pastor and having a family of his own...

In my community, Romanian Christian community that is, there are few families I know that don't have 4+ kids, started on Welfare, and 10+ years later run tripple digit business(es) or income with their kids in college and professional or following their footsteps in business (and make much more money than those that work hard in college.. ha!) with numerous RE etc.. Their kids are now grown up or growing and share.. similar family values. There’s a couple of guys, who still dresses like he shops at Goodwill.. and holds 1,000,000+ in cash, in additional to multiple assets. This is remarkable when you think that 10 – 15 years ago, they fresh off the boat, no English, High School or some level of college education (for most, not all) and with 4+ kids.

My point is, family along with financial, education, material or other forms of "success" are not incompatible. In fact, done responsibly, they are, and should be complimentary. In my community, we value family so we invest in it and try to pass it on. I agree if you have sex with anyone you can, don't hold a job, don't care about raising good kids, not having sense of morality etc.. those are not good seeds for growth, and you reap what you sow; society, unfortunately, bear the consequences of those bad decisions as well. Children are not the problem, parents and responsible citizens, or lack there of, are the problem.

I know that most of us guys are here are young owners who have worked and/or work hard and smart in order to achieve, or maintain, or grow a certain level of material or personal success. This makes family less appealing and/or seemingly a burden. However, I believe the world is lacking good parents, good families and good kids;while having great examples of bad individuals, bad parents and bad kids.. We need to value family more, not less...
 
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Wow. This thread got me thinkin'. I have:
*Played with mercury bare-handed while in school -- just like everybody else.
*Simulated a grain-elevator explosion(as a school project) right there on the teacher's desk, in front of everybody.
*Set fire to the forest with friends while shooting bottle rockets at each other. (We stamped it out/peed on it).
*Done other harmless stuff with fireworks that I can't mention now because it was a long, long time ago and I'd like to still fly on commercial airlines.
*Set fire to the carpet/kitchen tablecloth while testing components related to the above-mentioned fireworks experimentation.
And now, a brief story.
My dad had a pellet gun that looked just like a 12-gauge shotgun. One day he told me it was broken and would I please take it and get it fixed.
The next day I pull up into the parking lot of the local shopping mall. I get out of the car, reach into the back, and pull out the gun.
Not wanting to take any chances I decide to dry-fire it right there to make sure it's really dead. I pump it once and pull the trigger. It's dead.
I then put it into the crook of my arm and proceeded into the mall. I hadn't gone far before a security SUV comes screeching up and the guy hollers, "Drop the weapon! Where you think you're going with that?"
I didn't drop it. I said, matter-of-fact, "I'm taking it to Oshman's to get it fixed."
He said he saw me load it.
I told him I was making sure it wasn't loaded.
More than 20 years later I still think about what happened next and wonder. The guy thought about it for about 5 seconds, then said, "Oh. OK!" And he hopped back into his truck. As he drove off, he said, "Throw a jacket or something over that, willya?"
So, one more. I have:
Walked through a crowded shopping mall with a poorly-hidden gun, and nobody cared.
Not proud. Just nostalgic.
 
That makes me think of playing 'cops and robbers' as a kid. I had a VERY realistic looking rifle that just fired strips of blanks loaded in the clip. When people saw it in my bedroom, everyone thought it was a real gun. Now that I think about it, it's sort of odd that my dad allowed me to have it (and almost certainly bought it for me). I don't recall him being anti or pro guns, but I do recall coming home one day with an issue of Soldier of Fortune magazine and he freaked and threw it out. I'll have to ask him about that, that was a long time ago and I still don't know why he reacted how he did.
 
Wow. This thread got me thinkin'. I have:
*Played with mercury bare-handed while in school -- just like everybody else.
*Simulated a grain-elevator explosion(as a school project) right there on the teacher's desk, in front of everybody.
*Set fire to the forest with friends while shooting bottle rockets at each other. (We stamped it out/peed on it).
*Done other harmless stuff with fireworks that I can't mention now because it was a long, long time ago and I'd like to still fly on commercial airlines.
*Set fire to the carpet/kitchen tablecloth while testing components related to the above-mentioned fireworks experimentation.
And now, a brief story.
My dad had a pellet gun that looked just like a 12-gauge shotgun. One day he told me it was broken and would I please take it and get it fixed.
The next day I pull up into the parking lot of the local shopping mall. I get out of the car, reach into the back, and pull out the gun.
Not wanting to take any chances I decide to dry-fire it right there to make sure it's really dead. I pump it once and pull the trigger. It's dead.
I then put it into the crook of my arm and proceeded into the mall. I hadn't gone far before a security SUV comes screeching up and the guy hollers, "Drop the weapon! Where you think you're going with that?"
I didn't drop it. I said, matter-of-fact, "I'm taking it to Oshman's to get it fixed."
He said he saw me load it.
I told him I was making sure it wasn't loaded.
More than 20 years later I still think about what happened next and wonder. The guy thought about it for about 5 seconds, then said, "Oh. OK!" And he hopped back into his truck. As he drove off, he said, "Throw a jacket or something over that, willya?"
So, one more. I have:
Walked through a crowded shopping mall with a poorly-hidden gun, and nobody cared.
Not proud. Just nostalgic.


I did a lot of shooting as a kid. As a result of doing so much shooting I reloaded a lot of my ammo to save money. I can remember bicycling to Fay's Drugs to buy cans of black powder to reload ammo. 12 years old buying black powder stuffing it in a backpack and bicycling back to my buddy lance's house to reload. I bet that doesn't happen today.
Lance's parents are loaded with cash and have over 1000 acres of land. They bought Lance whatever he wanted. He didn't just get a dirt bike he got three. We had so much fun building tracks with his dad's dozer's and cranes. Man we rode the crap out of those bikes.

Wow I just typed the above and then zoned out for a few minutes and reminisced. Thanks to who ever started this thread.
 
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