I hope I don't sound like a spoiled brat or anything...
But I was SOOO close to flying this plane on Emirates last summer. My flight was from New York to Dubai, and the ticket said we would be flying on the A380, and I was so excited, and then I checked the online booking thing, and it said something about Boeing 777-200. So I was all, "Okay, maybe they need to update the site", but then I went on the plane, and the safety video was all, "Welcome to this Boeing 777-200..." and I was really mad, because that means I flew on the world's SECOND biggest passenger airplane. :( Oh well -- the service was really good.
And is it just me, or are there a LOT of airplane-related posts lately? I don't have a problem with it, 'cause I love to travel, and I have lots of stories to share, but still...
When I was six years old (maybe even earlier?) I went on a transatlantic flight from New York to Pakistan, (with a stop in Manchester, I think). I can assure you, it was not fun to have my ears pop. I did not enjoy any of the food (all I ate was carrot strips and some bread, which my little brother compared to plastic). I couldn't hear anything on the television screen, even after plugging in the headphones. It was Sesame Street, and I couldn't hear what they were saying! I was NOT happy. Even worse, it kept repeating THE SAME episode. I was so mad. (Fortunately, it was working on the return flight, and it was amusing to see that it was in all in Urdu, which, even more fortunately, I could actually understand.) Anyway, the point is, regardless of how excited I was to be on a plane, I wasn't having a lot of fun. (To be honest, I'm not sure if anyone was, or is even supposed to.) My mom is a no-nonsense kind of lady, so I knew not to throw a tantrum. I knew that she would not be afraid to scold me in public. There were consequences for misbehaving, which were demonstrated when my brother ran ahead of us at the airport. So, if my mother didn't teach me how to behave and be polite, we probably would've pretty much ruined everyone else's flight experience (which was already not very pleasant due to the flight service). My mother taught me that I was responsible for everything I did. I would be responsible for apologizing if I spilled someone's coffee, or if I woke someone else up. That's the way it's supposed to be.
I've only flown (why does that sound grammatically incorrect?) domestically once through United Airlines, from Trenton, NJ, to Chicago, IL, and then to Dayton, OH. A week later I went back the same route. That SkyMall magazine was filled with some pretty nifty stuff, which fortunately was enough to keep me occupied. The flight from Chicago the Trenton got delayed by two hours, although they said that was due to rough winds or something. And then, when we were literally on the edge of the runway, it got delayed AGAIN (they said the Trenton Airport was closed or something so they couldn't fly, which didn't make any sense to me because what if an airport closes because of weather-related reasons while there's a plane scheduled to land? Oh, how I digress.) I've been on Delta when I was six years old (I still have the little pin they gave us;)), but that was an international flight to Karachi, Pakistan (I can't remember if that was the flight we stopped at Manchester and found out that we left our passports on the plane, when we needed them to get back in. Ah, good times). But I've been on plenty of other international airlines, although I'll wait for someone to ask me about my experiences then. I'm surprised to see so many others fly so frequently. I wanna go traveling all the time (as in, when it's not summer time).
It's used to measure ground coffee beans. Or tea leaves. As an added bonus, you can make your coffee/tea with this scale thing, by putting water and your measured beans/leaves in the circular thing on the right, and then sticking a candle of something under it.
It's an old-fashioned stand mixer (hey, didn't I guess that already?). I presume that you pour what needs to be mixed through the hole near the top, and after pumping/turning the handle, you pour out mixture through the same hole.
@Hugo A couple reasons I hate my sister: -At least once a day she and my mom end up in a massive argument over something stupid like not being allowed to drive to Starbucks before school. -She talks to me (on average) once a day -- that would be when I make something for dinner and she requests something for herself. -EVERYONE I know thinks she is this awesome, cheerful girl destined for great things, and constantly compare me to her. While she's the social butterfly, I keep to myself in my own reserved way. People expect me to be just like her, and then ask why I'm so different from her. If you're talking to me, why does my sister matter? Why do you need to know how she is? How about you go ask her yourself instead of treating me like messenger girl?
I guess I shouldn't blame her atheism when this society is based on just about everything non-Islamic. Maybe she left religion because ours would have made her an outcast. I don't really care for friends, while her life is centered around them. So, all in all, maybe I should accept her for who she is. But people don't accept me for being me. What happened to the whole "be yourself" thing? Can you see why I'm unwilling to accept this?
It's all about moderation. The government needs to find a balance when allowing fishermen to fish and banning them from fishing and then actually enforce it. I like seafood, and it would really stink if there were no more fish left. We should have vetoed that $700 billion bailout (or was it trillion?) and then used that money getting the fishermen AND everyone at GM, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, etc., etc., new jobs an educations and stuff. Personally, I think we should do all that New Deal stuff like the CCC. They sound like pretty good options.
The thing with religion is that people like to use it as an excuse. I'm a Muslim and it greatly irritates me to read articles about how a suicide bomber said he was killing people in the name of Allah. Guess what? God didn't say to run around killing people. In fact, the Quran says that there is no need to force others to convert (Surah Kafirun, 109:1-6), only to warn people that they should convert, whether or not they do so (Surah Baqarah, 2:6). So why do they run around killing people? Because religion has become little more than an excuse for your actions. (Oh, and why do people need to run around killing people?)
Personally, I think religion is kinda like an addition to your lifestyle. For example, I don't feel comfortable wearing anything skimpy, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even if religion didn't tell me to be modest. By covering myself, I don't have to worry about what people think of my looks -- in fact, I'm pretty much forcing them to get to know me before they judge me. Religion guides me to little solutions like that.
As for whether a godless society can be good: I don't really agree with that. My sister's an atheist, and she came home drunk last Saturday night (she's not old enough to legally drink). Here's someone I've known my entire life who has dismissed religion, and look where she ended up.
@Juice How has Obama increased violence in Pakistan? Seriously, just about all my relatives live there and it would really suck if my president caused my aunts/uncles/cousins/grandmother's deaths. I just spent a month there and yes, there is an anti-America attitude there, but not very anti-Obama.
Anyway, (7% of you are now annoyed at my word usage) I don't think that Obama should have won the prize. Maybe later, when he's done something useful. The committee could have waited till next year to nominate him, couldn't they?
But I was SOOO close to flying this plane on Emirates last summer. My flight was from New York to Dubai, and the ticket said we would be flying on the A380, and I was so excited, and then I checked the online booking thing, and it said something about Boeing 777-200. So I was all, "Okay, maybe they need to update the site", but then I went on the plane, and the safety video was all, "Welcome to this Boeing 777-200..." and I was really mad, because that means I flew on the world's SECOND biggest passenger airplane. :( Oh well -- the service was really good.
And is it just me, or are there a LOT of airplane-related posts lately? I don't have a problem with it, 'cause I love to travel, and I have lots of stories to share, but still...
When I was six years old (maybe even earlier?) I went on a transatlantic flight from New York to Pakistan, (with a stop in Manchester, I think). I can assure you, it was not fun to have my ears pop. I did not enjoy any of the food (all I ate was carrot strips and some bread, which my little brother compared to plastic). I couldn't hear anything on the television screen, even after plugging in the headphones. It was Sesame Street, and I couldn't hear what they were saying! I was NOT happy. Even worse, it kept repeating THE SAME episode. I was so mad. (Fortunately, it was working on the return flight, and it was amusing to see that it was in all in Urdu, which, even more fortunately, I could actually understand.)
Anyway, the point is, regardless of how excited I was to be on a plane, I wasn't having a lot of fun. (To be honest, I'm not sure if anyone was, or is even supposed to.) My mom is a no-nonsense kind of lady, so I knew not to throw a tantrum. I knew that she would not be afraid to scold me in public. There were consequences for misbehaving, which were demonstrated when my brother ran ahead of us at the airport. So, if my mother didn't teach me how to behave and be polite, we probably would've pretty much ruined everyone else's flight experience (which was already not very pleasant due to the flight service). My mother taught me that I was responsible for everything I did. I would be responsible for apologizing if I spilled someone's coffee, or if I woke someone else up. That's the way it's supposed to be.
I've been on Delta when I was six years old (I still have the little pin they gave us;)), but that was an international flight to Karachi, Pakistan (I can't remember if that was the flight we stopped at Manchester and found out that we left our passports on the plane, when we needed them to get back in. Ah, good times).
But I've been on plenty of other international airlines, although I'll wait for someone to ask me about my experiences then. I'm surprised to see so many others fly so frequently. I wanna go traveling all the time (as in, when it's not summer time).
Right?
A couple reasons I hate my sister:
-At least once a day she and my mom end up in a massive argument over something stupid like not being allowed to drive to Starbucks before school.
-She talks to me (on average) once a day -- that would be when I make something for dinner and she requests something for herself.
-EVERYONE I know thinks she is this awesome, cheerful girl destined for great things, and constantly compare me to her. While she's the social butterfly, I keep to myself in my own reserved way. People expect me to be just like her, and then ask why I'm so different from her. If you're talking to me, why does my sister matter? Why do you need to know how she is? How about you go ask her yourself instead of treating me like messenger girl?
I guess I shouldn't blame her atheism when this society is based on just about everything non-Islamic. Maybe she left religion because ours would have made her an outcast. I don't really care for friends, while her life is centered around them. So, all in all, maybe I should accept her for who she is. But people don't accept me for being me. What happened to the whole "be yourself" thing? Can you see why I'm unwilling to accept this?
Personally, I think religion is kinda like an addition to your lifestyle. For example, I don't feel comfortable wearing anything skimpy, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even if religion didn't tell me to be modest. By covering myself, I don't have to worry about what people think of my looks -- in fact, I'm pretty much forcing them to get to know me before they judge me. Religion guides me to little solutions like that.
As for whether a godless society can be good:
I don't really agree with that. My sister's an atheist, and she came home drunk last Saturday night (she's not old enough to legally drink). Here's someone I've known my entire life who has dismissed religion, and look where she ended up.
How has Obama increased violence in Pakistan? Seriously, just about all my relatives live there and it would really suck if my president caused my aunts/uncles/cousins/grandmother's deaths. I just spent a month there and yes, there is an anti-America attitude there, but not very anti-Obama.
Anyway, (7% of you are now annoyed at my word usage) I don't think that Obama should have won the prize. Maybe later, when he's done something useful. The committee could have waited till next year to nominate him, couldn't they?