darknight1

Because me and my merry band of pirates drank it all...because that's what we pirates do.

likes this.

For me it's simple this year: I'll be spending my second Halloween night in a row working at a commercial haunted house here in Colorado Springs. Last year, it was Ghetto Batman. This year? A Sith lord. Win.

So I managed to nail Raven earlier in a game of death match. I apparently broke his kill streak...and didn't realize it was him until after the fact. Funny as hell yet it was a total oops moment at the same time.

It was simple for me, being a Batman fan and all...

Tyger and Pestilence, you guys have been added.

Please tell me she's joking.

Just joined Xbox Live finally...my gamertag is DarthChris9. Send me a request...I could use some good people to play with who know what they're doing. I'm usually on CoD, Dead Rising 2 or the Left for Dead games.

Never mind. I remember what that place is.

Who's John King?

Definitely an interesting article, but I don't see the Republicans exiting history at all. If anything, the voters will rapidly forget everything that happened throughout the entire argument in Congress over the debt ceiling and re-elect these sorry jackasses back into office. Even the term re-elect is questionable. Look at how many instances there have been where voters were disqualified because of their race (this has been an unspoken issue over the last two decades) or right wing idiots ordering all "hanging chad" ballots to be discounted...especially ballots that are cast for a liberal candidate. Does anyone remember the 2000 election or 2004 election? That's all you need to know right there. And the 2010 elections were no better. A small cadre of Tea Party fascists were easily able to sway millions of votes in their favor by indirectly playing on the racial biases of many voters from small towns. It's sickening. The Republicans are hell bent on destroying the President and the country simply because they want it their way - a rich white conservative back in power, and no one else. It makes you wonder if they're willing to drive us into another civil war because of their one side ideology.

This entire article I admit hit home in a personal way. Out of all the places I went to in search of a job, Michigan was the hardest. Wonderbunny, I too count myself as a chronically underemployed member of the workforce. And with the added effect of having lived in Michigan when massive numbers of people were laid off from their jobs or simply cut as the main industry they were attached to, the auto industry, was hammered away...it made holding onto a permanent job there very difficult. Granted, I thought I had a way out when I went into Job Corps but even directly before and after that...the simple fact is that when you have no money and your own relatives cannot afford to help you out during the toughest of times, and having it compounded by rotating between shelters...it's difficult. I remember wanting to punch through wall after wall when I'd go to apply for a job opening, only to see it in the employer's eyes - they'd see my recent work history, and I could just see the assumptions at work there. He didn't prove himself to be a hard enough worker, he was lazy...it just went on and on. And seeing those thoughts in someone else's eyes, even seeing that they will not hire you no matter what you do to prove yourself...it left me feeling this cold rage on many occasions. I know exactly how you felt with your own difficulty in looking for work while homeless. I know for a fact that being homeless compounds everything else. Nearly 7 months after I left Job Corps, I'd found myself cut yet again due to low labor demand. That time, I finally landed on the streets for several months. Not having access to the basic things you need (shower, washer and dryer, even simple hygenic things such as a toothbrush) and finding nowhere to help with those exact things in Grand Rapids just added to it. Sitting here now and seeing that article just sums up everything. You guys are right when you say that it's asinine and not right for employers to tell applicants to not apply if they've been unemployed for even a short period of time, or have some layoffs on their employment record. There's a part of me that believes in workers' rights and economic rights. This part strongly believes that discrimination based off of one's job history, or lack therof, should be outlawed. But I doubt it will happen. There's times I think to myself that yeah, even though I'm going to college to earn a degree, at least doing some form of work (even if it is work study) and participating in campus clubs, I may not even get hired, because again with employers, what truly counts as work experience? That's the tough question in our world - what counts to them?

I have to go with the cake, seeing as how we're all out of death.

It's the truth though, Pestilence. That entire map is a documentation of the spread of the world's dominant religions through the use of war, cultural exchanges and proselytation by members of each different religion. I recently had a long discussion about this exact topic in my comparative religion class. And as far as atheism is concerned, I wouldn't say it's on the decline as many people seem to think. With the exception of our own nation (where religion as a whole is on the rise - just look at the unwritten but almost mandatory requirement to hold elected office or be elected into office - you have to state your religion - usually Christianity for most candidates), much of Europe and a good part of Africa and the Middle East is turning towards atheism. Europe I can understand - in recent decades they've shown to be more civilized than we are. They're more secular, if you will. Look at Europe's history alone - more wars have been waged in the name of religion than on any other continent throughout history. The hundreds upon hundreds of so-called "brushfire" conflicts in the immediate aftermath of the rise of Protestantism in the 16th century are a good example. Or if you wish, you could throw in the Crusades, which extended into the Middle East. In one instance, Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) was sacked several times by armies under the direction of the Church (a direct result of the Great Schism of 1066 - it's a known fact that the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church didn't see eye to eye over some really, how do you say, ridiculous things. Africa and the Middle East is easy to explain. Look at how many civil wars have broken out in both regions, and look at how many brutal dictators have ruled various African nations and Middle Eastern nations with an iron fist. If you're living in a country like that, under a brutal thug of a dictator for decades on end, and praying for an end to it...yet never have your prayers answered, it's easy to see why many "believers" are turning to atheism. The same especially could be applied to Sudan, where a massive conflict waged in the south for the better part of 40 years. Only now is South Sudan finally becoming the world's newest nation. But the entire map and the "progress" of religion makes sense, at least to me.

Yes it is pretty nice. Then again, Denver is awesome.

Luckily I have the Tattered Cover out here in Denver. Ahhhhh, the joy of a local bookstore with unique books!

You have two choices: cake or death. Which do you choose?

Already on it!

Skold vs KMFDM's Alkohol. Where's some when I need it now?

I don't get the obsession with Ayn Rand. Rand comes across as a nutjob who's way off track. Is there anybody better than Rand that someone can point me towards? And please, for the conspiracy nuts here...no Alex Jones. Please.

Lent sucks. To me it's an archaic tradition based off of a...book.

Nipple piercings are the hottest. There are no other.

Depressed to no end. I had an entire week with my family during my Michigan trip, and I miss them even more. Oh, and feverish. Damn zombie bite...