As though there's anyone left in the world who thinks that subprime mortgages are a great idea. :\

I don't think they are that naive. It was deliberate.

I still feel sorry for all the hard-working people (myself included) who have lost everything in this absolutely [email protected] up mess. yours in Chaos, Scarlett

People who make a huge point out of "trust", "getting to know someone first", "friendship", etc., on the internet are usually (not always, but USUALLY) trying to scam.

The internet is not a great place to build trust. It IS great place to make friends and socialize.

You should never consider someone a true friend, or trust that person, until you have met him or her face to face.

I have internet friends I've known for years; I get along great with them and have talked on the phone with them, etc. However, I don't trust them 100%; that would I feel be stupid.

You can have a lot of affection for another person, but trust does not necessarily have to go along with that.

Every time a person I've met on the internet asks me for trust, or seems to expect it, even if I've talked with him/her on the phone numerous times, I will start to suspect that something's up.

Just my opinion(s), of course! yours in Chaos, Scarlett

My name isn't "justaguy". I think you got me mixed up with somebody else.

I neither love you nor hate you. (I think you are probably a troll, but that's neither here nor there.) yours in Chaos, Scarlett

Hey there! :)

Hey there. I can't help you meet the love of your life, probably, but I did just send you a friends invitation. Good luck! :)

This thread is already many pages long and I don't have the time or inclination to read all the replies; if what I'm going to say has already been said, then I apologize for the repetition.

If you do not have any knowledge of how to get rid of mischevious or malicious entities in your home, there are a few simple things you can do.

One very easy thing you can try is leaving a dish of salt in the area where there has been some activity--like you said something turned the TV on, so put the salt next to the TV. Table salt is ok, but DON'T use sea salt. Kosher salt (you can buy that at the grocery store) works the best.

Leave the dish of salt in the area for 24 hours and then throw it out. Don't pour it in the sink, throw it in the trash, or flush it--throw the salt on the ground or into a drain away from the house. If you have a few dollars, you can do this with a rock crystal instead of salt--it will work better but you still have to throw away the crystal, which many people are unwilling to do.

Anyway, after you do this, keep a close eye out for any further activity. Since the activity seems mostly focused on you, it's PROBABLY (I don't know for sure about something like this until I've seen it for myself) a poltergeist.

If it comes back after you've cleaned out the area, then you should just take the plunge and consult someone who has some experience in dealing with the paranormal. A person who is responsible and compassionate will not charge you an arm and a leg, and many will give you a free initial consultation. Like every other type of service, there are good ones and bad ones, so you should shop around and try to get references if possible.

I doubt if you have anything really to be afraid of, but on the other hand this is not something you want hanging around your house. In my opinion, you should try to get rid of it.

Let me know how things turn out, and good luck! yours in Chaos, Scarlett

I just finished watching that movie "Esoteric Agenda" so this type of thing has been on my mind a lot. If you have not seen it, you probably should. (I'm not saying BELIEVE it, I'm just saying WATCH it. Like most conspiracy theory movies, it's totally full of holes and poorly produced, but does make a number of interesting points.) I found it on Google Videos, if you need a link.

There are all kinds of things going on right now that indicate a push toward "one world government" (definitely NOT "by the people", definitely NOT "for the people", etc). This is an unfortunate state of affairs but there's little recourse for the average person. A drastic reduction in the world's human population is inevitable; this will either be accomplished by other humans, or it will be as a result of some disaster.

Prisons are a logical place for military/governmental experiments to be conducted. The next "plague" that decimates the human species will be human-engineered, and will be tested on felons before it's released into the population.

They won't get me, though! *puts on aluminum foil hat* xoxo

If all of my ex lovers and me were still alive and everyone else was gone, I would more than likely have concerns that would extend beyond getting laid. (I know, I'm boring!)

But if it did come to the point that some type of post-apocalyptic party was taking place, and assuming that these ex lovers were ready, willing, and able to get down and get funky, I can think of only one that I would definitely refuse. (He's probably dead by now, anyway. If he's not, he certainly wouldn't last Armageddon.)

The others: CONDOMS, or else they only get to watch.

I hope this was helpful. yours in Chaos, Scarlett

Is something going on...?

Well, of course! Plague, pestilence, famine, penury, and a general falling-apart-of-things. It's been happening all over the world for some time now, and only logical that eventually it would happen in the United States at some point as well. yours in chaotic Chaos, Scarlett

kjlreopu

(The first time I did this I got a prompt to "log off windows")

Katchenjunga jumpers like really elegant ostrich plume underwear. ;)

Er... ok, I'm gonna say it. When I read this before I was like, "Whatever, it's just more maudlin sentimentality, and people like it so just keep your mouth shut and move on." So I did, and I did, but all right, here goes:

The day when a girl or boy would leave the family and strike out for a new life and new opportunity far, far away, knowing that he/she would probably never see the family again and that letters would be the only contact he had with them until the letter came informing him of their deaths--those days are LONG GONE.

When someone I know starts getting all weepy because their mom and dad are getting old and ill and "they might not be around much longer" and "they live so far away"--I call bullsh1t on that. If you love your parents, you will stay near them. Your parents changed your diaper and fed you when you were an infant. They made you go to school so you could learn and have a chance at a happy life. Whether you believe you asked to be born or not, the mere fact that you are still here and doing somewhat ok is a testimonial to their love for you.

If your parents are ill, you should help care for them. My mother just recently returned from a couple of weeks helping her mom (who is 100 years old) in rehab. She had to care for her own mother like an infant and she said it was horrible, but she did get Grandma to the point that she could feed herself again and use the bathroom by herself again. Mom, in her 70s, still works, so she was taking time off work to do these things. It was a trip of over 1500 miles. Mom made this trip gladly and other family members helped pay for her trip.

Mom and Grandma have what most people would term a "poor relationship". Grandma usually favored my aunt over my mom. Grandma has always been hard to get along with under the best of circumstances.

But when asked to help out, Mom was there. She didn't just go for a damned visit, she sat there and cared for her mother.

I mean: Wtf, people? Platitudes are no substitute for affection.

Some day the people we care about will die. Some day those who love us that we leave behind in death will be standing next to our burial place, full of sorrow because they will never see us again.

My parents are very independent people and they are not easy to deal with, and they are not always nice. But I live within a short drive of them. If they lost their home, they would live with me if there was noplace else for them to live. Nobody would be really happy with that arrangement, but they know they can depend on me to help them; that's a knowledge they have beyond words. My sisters are the same. When Dad had an accident and was in the hospital for TEN MONTHS, my sister took leave from military service and sat by his bed almost every single day of that time. When he finally regained consciousness after being in a coma for most of that time, the first thing he remembers is her reading the newspaper to him. Most families would have given Dad up for dead. That was almost 20 years ago, and Dad made such a recovery from his horrible injuries that even the doctors were calling it a "miracle". Yes: Love IS a miracle, and most of us just throw it away.

What pithy saying will ever sustain anyone in the face of oblivion? I mean, if this is a true story, here's the daughter putting her mom--who is ill--on a freaking plane to fly home, alone, to be in her house, alone, to wait on death. Alone! And saying "I wish you enough" is supposed to make everything better?

Screw that. yours in Chaos (and expecting a warning from forum moderators), Scarlett

Hello there! :)

Poor spelling is also a turn-off. Preaching on an internet discussion forum is also a turn-off. If you want to discuss your religious beliefs, there is a board for that. Lots of people in this group are Christians, and I'm sure they would enjoy talking to you.

You're not gonna convert anybody to your faith with overbearing ranting on the internet. It's been tried. It never works.

And speaking of egotism: Only a very narcissistic and self-centered individual will barge into a group and start criticising others without even saying "hello" first.

Anyway: Hello, and not very nice to meet you, but at least it wasn't boring. yours in Chaos, Scarlett

Hello! :D

Nice to meet ya. :)

Hello. :)

With regard to your questions: I don't know! lol

The internet is just as full of overbearing people as real life, and it's much easier to run into those people on the internet because you're sitting at home or at your desk at work. In real life, if you want to meet a jerk, you have to leave the house, which involves putting on shoes, brushing teeth, finding the car keys, etc.

Try to keep in mind that discussion forums are for discussion, and to most people--unfortunately--"discussion" and "argument" are the same thing. Some people are deeply insecure and feel very threatened just by someone having a different opinion or outlook on life than they do. And where better to air those insecurities than the internet, where no one can see you or give you a punch in the mouth for being a jerk?

Discussion forums tend to get a lot like small neighborhood bars after awhile. There will be a clique of people who are too used to each others' company and they will sit around complaining about how boring it is until someone new walks in the door--and then they will all unite to run that person off.

That's just how people are. Call it "herd mentality" if you will.

I'm not really sure what you mean by "change" here, though. I have not really seen a lot of bullying on this forum to this point. There are places that are a lot worse.

Anyway, I hope this answer is of some use to you. Good luck! yours in Chaos, Scarlett

Plainly and simply: She is probably a great lay. I know--that makes you want to vomit, right? But that's what's going on and that's why they are together. Men will put up with a lot from someone who gives them what they want.

I mean, he doesn't have to deal with her being in his house with him all day long--that's what YOU'RE for. (Maybe he's not that "nice" after all..? Maybe...? Think about it.) He tries to repay you for maintaining her by being nice to you, too.

But really: Do yourself and your kids a favor and get rid of this woman. It sounds as though there's no financial advantage to having her as a roommate, if what you are saying is correct.



Right. Lots of people do. It's pretty normal.

I hope this was helpful. yours in Chaos, Scarlett

Google Chrome has built in spell checking. If you type a word wrong it puts a little orange line under the word so you can fix it.

It does give me some pause for thought to see just how many people who SEEM highly motivated to find someone via a social site like this one can't seem to communicate via writing to save their freaking lives, ya know? I can deal with a few typos in a forum post or profile, but when every other word is misspelled, grammar butchered, and punctuation not used, it starts to seem like a joke. You're looking for "one gud women", are you? You value "sinseraty and honisty", do ya? You're asking me if "their r ne girl out their ho lik 2 go 4 weelin"...? AND YOU HONESTLY CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY YOU'RE SO LONELY???!!

The urge to hold various offenses up to ridicule becomes almost irresistible sometimes, especially when I've been drinking.

What I particularly like are the ones who claim to have these highfalutin jobs with sub grade school writing ability. Nothing says "Nigerian scammer" like one of those long PMs from some guy who claims to be a "surgical pathologist" in which the words "surgical pathologist" are the only two words spelled, punctuated, or capitalized correctly.

Ok, I'll stop now. yours in Chaos, Scarlett