SageAgainstTheMachine

You should have just done it. You still owe Tom a dollar.

Right, corporal. I used the wrong word there. Physical punishment vs. moral instruction is what I meant.

I wouldn't say I was "arguing for" our animal nature...really just acknowledging its role in a behavior (mating) that a lot of people think lies closer to the subjective side of the spectrum. There is, of course, this duality to much of what we do. Our base instincts tugging with or against our knowledge of social norms and constructs. In the very same sentence you quoted from the shoutbox, I acknowledged man's unique ability to deny his instincts. In any case, I fail to see a connection between these two contexts. There aren't any hormones in our bodies screaming "HIT YOUR CHILDREN!" like there are that scream "!@#$ THAT TEENAGER!" As for your last assertion, I wonder about this. I'd like to see research (maybe it already exists) on the relationship between violent punishment during childhood and socially acceptable behavior during adulthood. I'd never argue that parents shouldn't discipline their children and act as moral teachers. I just wonder about the actual efficacy of corporal punishment as opposed to other methods.

My opinion is that people are better off when they learn to make the personal decision that doing wrong things is wrong, rather than simply existing in a state of fear over the consequences. From a pragmatic perspective, the above opinion may not carry water. But from a humanistic perspective, I don't know if there's a valid argument for corporal punishment. I think that most people come to an awareness that they should not act immorally without the help of their father's belt. Maybe I'm wrong. I know I did, anyway.

You act as if she's on the Morgan Spurlock diet. You should show more respect. Think/say whatever you wish, but you should know that calling a woman you don't know a fat B word for eating fast food every once in a while is rather unbecoming.

Sure it has something to do with the O-line. But it also has to do with the fact that our D couldn't get off the field. Our time of possession sucked last year, and I'd venture that it was primarily the defense's fault.

Haha, that guy's an idiot. Crap.

Are you taking into account the fact that the slowest player on the men's team is probably faster than the fastest player on the women's team? Or that the weakest foot on the men's team can strike the ball better than the best foot on the women's team? Don't get me wrong...mad respect for the US Women. But it wouldn't even be close. It has nothing to do with character. Just not a fair fight.

Just reading that article made me sick. Poor guy. I imagine he wronged the wife in some way, but there isn't much you can do to deserve that fate.

There you go, folks. I've laid down the blueprint for approaching respect from Tom. Three steps back, two steps forward. Everybody get to preparing your stunts!

Thanks, Jim. Perhaps I should have considered the motorcycle thing. But at least with the lentils it was only my bowels in disrepair, instead of my entire body.

Thanks for checking in, friend. I covered this in the shoutbox, but obviously not everybody would have seen that. I lasted on the lentils for about a month and a half before I finally caved in and had a burger. I would have kept going, but the rule was that I was done after the first occasion of cheating. The entire thing was (clearly) pretty stupid and I admit that craving attention was my biggest motivation for the whole ordeal (which isn't to say I didn't accomplish learning a few things along the way). So there ya have it!

In the later seasons, I think Marcia vs. Jan was a healthy debate too.

Well, no. The main reason is they want money. The great majority of robbers aren't sadists, they're junkies. Again, when you make the decision to commit such a crime you can't ever complain about the results. But I'd never wish the person dead.

Think about this. It's one thing to say that the kids have to accept the consequences of their actions. It's another thing entirely to say it's too bad the other one didn't die. Robbing a store is a stupid and downright nasty thing to do, but you're wishing death upon him? Come on.

I agree with you. But our legal system, fortunately, isn't based on people "getting whatever comes to them." When you shoot an unconscious defenseless person 5 times, that's murder no matter what the circumstances were. Having said that, he should have received the lowest degree of murder, and a life sentence is truly ridiculous. Would you continue firing headshots after the threat was removed, though?

They've been around since 2004, so maybe not new, but I've recently gotten into a group called Foxy Shazam. They're something of a modernization of the British glam rock scene of the early 70's. (great song minus the creepy first 17 seconds)

And Flacco had her similarly bent over just a few hours later as well.

On principle, it's absolutely worse to incarcerate an innocent person. That's the ideal of the US legal system in a nutshell.

It might be closer to 50/50 than you think. Men, of course, occupy most professional driving jobs, but soccer moms tend to be the family chauffeur these days.

I just listened to The Shaggs' most famous "song", My Pal Foot Foot. Somehow I got all the way through. The damn thing was an affront to my ears, and to claim that the "music" was somehow valuable to the rock narrative is insulting to those of us who actually take time to learn our instruments. And to the poster above who enjoys the music and finds it evocative...more power to you. I realize that musical taste is subjective. But when you attempt a Top 10 list, that implies a certain level of objectivity. Teenage girls who don't know how to play musical instruments or write songs can't top any list. I'm sorry.

I could agree that Forrest Gump is among the most overrated movies, but overall worst? No fuggin' way. At the very least, it was well acted. On that merit alone, it can't possibly be the worst major motion picture. My vote is for a recent one, Meet the Fockers. The worst part is that it's a franchise filled to the brim with good actors. I think they must have all gotten a collective brain aneurysm 5 minutes before accepting their roles once again. Absolutely disagree, Pete. Is there a lot of contrived crap? Absolutely. But if you're willing to do the legwork in terms of research, there's still a ton of good cinema out there.

What's more American than pretending to care about something larger than yourself, but actually making it all about you?

Oh, I'm totally with you. The quote was from Sweeney Todd right before he tosses Mrs. Lovett into the furnace, so it was meant as a touch of sarcasm toward 9999.