55fan

I heard it loooooooooooooooooong before there was you. I had that record (the original Music Man soundtrack, not the Beatles cover) back when I was a child. The person below me would be extremely annoyed if they had to listen to a blackbird singing in the dead of night.

It depends on whose pee I'm wiping. TP for me; paper towels for Johan's cage. Paint or wallpaper?

Ya know, Dawn, sometimes you just need to fart whether people will react or not. The person below me has trouble sleeping on occasion.

Gerard Butler. Phantom of the Opera. Not as good as the stage version, which was pure magic, but he did as well as could be expected. Pay less for low quality or more for high quality?

My friend and her family are not nut jobs. I have no idea when or if they got out because I lost contact after college, but I can tell you that 20 years ago, they were quite normal people. Since you'd love to hear how I figured out that it wouldn't work out mathematically, I'll tell you. You buy from the people above you. They buy from the people above them. And so it goes on. Do the math. Let's say that each person gets 10 people under them. The top person has 10 people. Level 1=1 person. Level 2=10. Total=11. Level 3 has 100 people. Grand total=111 Level 4 has 1000 people. Grand total=1111 Level 5 has 10,000 people. Grand total=11,111 Level 6 has 100,000 people. Grand total=111,111 Level 7 has 1,000,000 people. Grand total=1,111,111 Level 8 has 10,000,000 people. Grand total=11,111,111 Level 9 has 100,000,000 people. Grand total=111,111,111 We are now at the 9th level, and we have over a million people. There are 2 founders, so double that final grand total. We now have over 200 million people. This is approximately the adult population of the US. The population of the world is roughly 6.9 billion. Most of these people are either children or are too poor to buy any of these products, or are part of a remote population who do not use these products. Realistically, you might get a level 10 with 1 billion people in it, but they do not have enough people left on the planet to take it to a level 11. There just aren't 10 billion people on the planet. And this is assuming that everyone contacted agrees to the system. As you have seen here, perhaps only 1 out of 10 (in this thread) would even consider it, and I'm counting Martyrme as the 1, despite the fact that he/she has rejected the offer. So it ends one of two ways: Either the people on levels 8 and 9 can't make any money because there is no one to sell to, or we don't even get to those levels because the top people are gathering more than 10 people. So even if everyone agrees to be involved, there are only levels 7 on up making any money at all, and 6 and 7 aren't making very much at all. Which means that out of the entire population, just over 10,000 are making a living at it, while the rest are spending or breaking even. If you go with the 1 in 10 people in the population agreeing to go along with it, then you bottom out at level 7, so levels 6 and 7 are paying in, 4 and 5 are making a bit of money or breaking even, while levels 1-3 are making money. This is 111 people making money off of the rest, assuming that those people were content to stop at 10 people on their level. If they get more, that's just more people that can't be assimilated on the lower levels, and more money for the uppers. It's a combination of simple math and human behaviour. It can only profit the top, who are also profiting from the motivational materials that the underlings must buy if they are following the system. Some people buy into it. They really believe that if they buy more tapes and books that they will be millionaires, and if they haven't recruited large numbers of people that it is their fault and not the fact that there are simply not enough people to make the lower levels rich.

Well stated. If they want to support charities with their money, more power to them. Some are ones I don't support; some are ones I do. Some are ones I've never heard of. Either way, it's their money. The company, on the other hand, uses high-pressure tactics and breaks its people down to get money from them. To give you an example of what I'm talking about, let me tell you about a conversation between my former roommate and her mother, who was generally a very normal person. I had asked her about the "system" she was following. I knew it was making her miserable and costing her money that she didn't have. She got upset (and she's usually calm and level-headed) and said she wasn't allowed to talk about it. Only her father and brother-in-law could. So her father and mother came over- dad in a suit and tie, mom in a dress, and my roommate changed into a nice blouse and skirt. She had been cleaning all day. I felt underdressed, but I sat through the meeting. I was scared away by the pressure, but said I'd think about it because her dad just wouldn't take no for an answer. Then her mother took her upstairs and ripped her a new ******* because she had ruined everything by not following the system. Their family would be in financial ruin because of her because she didn't follow the system. Her sister, who was her parents' sponsor would be angry with the parents for not getting me on board, and it was her fault for not following the system. My roommate was crying and asking what she did wrong. Her mother was upset because she had worn a blouse and skirt, but the program called for a dress. The whole thing was her fault. Later I tried to tell her that I had figured out why the system wouldn't work mathematically (which is the same reason a pyramid scheme wouldn't) and she told me I was not allowed to talk about anything from the meeting to her or anyone else or it would ruin her system and she would not be successful, nor would her family. These were normal people, but they had been completely brainwashed. When I hear Amway, I get a knot in my stomach and I get so angry I could just scream, even though this was almost 20 years ago. This is why I don't want the Wings associated with them, especially not as a presenting sponsor. As a regular sponsor, you just have your name on the boards or in the program or something. This is a full-blown commitment. The public statement said that the two have similar values (or goals, or whatever), which ties them together in ways I am not comfortable with. Obviously I'm not going to renounce my fanship, but I am just not comfortable with this arrangement at all.

I'm more of a gatherer. You have to get up too early to hunt. Luck, fate, providence, or coincidence?

Given where I live, no thanks. We put that off as long as possible. The person below me cleaned something that really needed it this weekend.

I would say that Byguflien gets enough exercise considering that he's a hockey player. So he's a big guy. If he can play, so what? How many football players are over 300? Quite a few. If you're not an athlete, what does it matter? Health? Sure health is an issue, but it's not the be-all and end-all. Mental health also kills, as we've seen recently. Average people get sick too. Being average-weight lowers your risk, most certainly, but not everyone is average. If you're saying that being the way a person is is NOT ok, then that is bias, no matter how you look at it. You are choosing to say that one person is ok and another is not based on appearance and physical description.

Are you serious? We've finally gotten to the point where it is socially acceptable to be of any race, religion, ethnic background, sexual orientation, or gender. We have gotten rid of the stigma associated with mental illness, addiction, and disability, and now we have to deal with someone who thinks it's not ok to be fat? We still have work to do. Poor Buf. First the poster child for black players, now the poster child for fat players.

... if I didn't weigh as much as Jan Mursak and Drew Miller combined.

I peeked around at a few Q&A sites (totally unreliable) but they all have Buffy, Chara, Boogaard, and Jon Scott as the heaviest weighing in between 255 and 270 pounds. Pffft. I weighed that in third grade. Ooooh, another thought for the "I could have made it in the NHL" thread!

Just imagine- it could have been Little C's. Can you imagine the guy every spring saying "Playoffs! Playoffs!"

Nick. He has beautiful eyes. (Seriously, I didn't understand the question.) Money or ethics?

Oh, yes. Last Friday I went over to the church and spent hours getting ready for Sunday School and my class of first and second graders. Then on Monday, I got an e-mail from the teacher of the older class, and she is leaving, so I will be teaching 4-6 instead. I love that age, but I had everything ready for the little ones! So I had to contact the pre-school teacher, fill her in, and figure out how we were going to divide the kids. Fortunately, we have 2 teenagers who have volunteered to help, and one of them has done it for several years and is ready to take on the pre-school class (which consists of only 1 child right now) and the other can help with the 1st and 2nd graders as planned, except that the other teacher will have the class. Between figuring all of this out and getting everything ready, it has been a very full week. The person below me has been given zucchini this year.

Same reason people say "I heard that" after someone says something. It's just a saying that among some people and in some places communicates something beyond the actual words. "Just sayin'" generally indicates that they are not attempting to change the mind of the person to whom they are speaking, nor do they wish to upset the person, but they are presenting an opinion which they know opposes that which is held by the person to whom they are speaking. It can also mean that they are just putting out something for the person to consider, and saying that they do not mean to start anything. "I heard that" generally means "I agree". I don't know why. That's just the way it is. You down with that?

Oh, he looks so sad there. Kind of like a kid getting scolded. This will pass quickly enough. It's Minnesota. Land of 10,000 lakes and 30,000 cases of beer. As for his playing in Winnipeg- it's closer to home than Atlanta for him. People from the Cities and Winnipeg go back and forth for concerts, events, shopping, outings, etc. all the time, and frequently stop in my gas station since it's about half way. This could be cool. I think he's a cutie-pie.

That would be wonderful. Unfortunately in these days of corporate branding (can't blame them for wanting the free advertising if they're paying through the nose to build the arena) I have a feeling it will end up corporate. I'd be happy with Illich Arena. In fact, it might help me learn to spell it without looking it up every single time.

And little pepperonis on the practice pucks.

Looks good on paper, but what if you want a net-front presence who gives good interviews? Homer's boy and Ozzie's girl, of course. But you could end up with a retired goalie who speaks Swenglish. Not sure if the new CBA will allow you to bury that in the minors.

I never thought I'd hope for Little Caesar's Arena, but right about now, it sounds lovely.

I'm a right-wing douchebag and I don't like them or this at all. There's nothing wrong with having political or religious views, and there's nothing wrong with discussing such things with other people if the other people are into discussing things, but that Amway meeting was cult-like. It was like, ok, we know you're a Christian, so if you don't join with us, you must not be a real Christian and you have no values. Huh? That, my friends is what is called a smoke screen. You could do the same thing with religion, politics, sports fanship... hmm, maybe they just added the latter to the others. At any rate, after seeing what devotion to the "program" did to my friend and her family, I stay far away from that sort of "programming".

He's from Minnesota. It's a Minnesota thing.

Nope, you're spot on. It just looks ridiculous.