yes it matters, for a couple reasons. first and foremost, we are relying more and more on our machines. if we don’t continue to know HOW they work, we will forget their basic mechanics as generations inevitably dilute new technologies.

the best example i can use is this:
my boyfriend needed to change his oil in his car. he and i are usually against big companies and tend to do things for ourselves. he had never changed his oil in his car before because he had always gone to a valvoline or something. we went to his parents' house and happened to mention that his oil needed changing. his dad immediately said "go to wal-mart. they'll do it for $12. they'll do it quicker, and you won't have to get dirty for about the same price as you would if you did it yourself."

now, he had a point, but the fact is this: if he went to wal-mart (or valvoline or any other place) he would still rely on the convenience of the service without questioning the quality of service or business practices. if EVERYONE went to a garage to have their oil changed (which is a very basic, required maintenance) NOBODY would know how to do it except the people who work in the garages.

second, a perfect example of why this is important is happening right now as i type this. gas prices have encouraged a great response to seek new energy sources/technologies. it is now in the hands of the private sector (you and me) to be inventive. big oil and the car manufacturers are going to continue to do what they are doing, and are making a big mistake. markets are changing and they are not thinking of new things; they are continuing practices popular in the 1900s and we are suffering because of it. what happens when they COMPLETELY fail and it's COMPLETELY up to us to recharge the economy? the guys/gals from valvoline can only help so much.

the reason everyone knew how to be mechanical back in the day was because we weren't so much of a service industry as we are now. it used to be mostly agriculture. we can NOT continue to rely on our every-day conveniences because they won't always be there. i'm not trying to be dark or pessimistic, i'm being realistic.

learn how to change your own oil. learn how your car works. learn how the air conditioning works in your house. learn how your computer works. learn how to use powertools and not-so powered tools. it's not like you have to know how to BUILD a car, or install an air-conditioning unit in your house, or build a house.. but you should at LEAST know where you would start. basic mechanical skills are very important to know, and we should NEVER let them escape our brains.

btw-- i'm a girl and learned how to change my own oil two years ago. being a girl has nothing to do with it, but how many females can say that? how many MALES can say that? not many, i'm sure.

yes it matters, for a couple reasons. first and foremost, we are relying more and more on our machines. if we don't continue to know HOW

the pastor is using something "most" (not all) christians use to convince others of their own damnation: fear.

it's a great tactic that policy-makers and heads of state have been using since the conception of religion (which, btw, was CENTURIES before the existence of jesus). they use it because it works. scaring people into believing their "bad" actions only result in eternal hell-fire is a great tactic in getting people to obey. it keeps people subdued. it keeps them from thinking. then when they do something wrong, they blame it on satan instead of themselves. or they yell at god for ruining their life. or they believe praying will solve a problem instead of solving it themselves.

why can't people just be good because it's the right thing to be? if you're being good because some guy told you you're going to hell if you're not, how is that NOT a fear tactic? we have seen how this tactic has been used throughout history, and we have seen how it works. why WOULDN'T those who believe in god keep using this same tactic if it means more money for the church? the money that goes into churches could raise entire communities out of poverty. it could feed more hungry mouths than we know. it could place the houseless into shelters and get them back on their feet. it could aid in the recovery of drug addicts. it could even aid in the recovery of our slowing economy. but still, millions of dollars are being pumped towards this invisible entity, hoping it will buy those contributors a closer seat to heaven.

looks like a straight-edge shaving razor

it's ok to let go.

hey taylor-- there's an easy solution to your screaming child problem.. stop going to wal-mart. you may argue, then, that screaming kids are unavoidable and wal-mart is just one place they exist. but at least in other department stores they have the decency to say "thank-you" after they throw a rolling fit on the ground. wal-mart deletes any value people (kids) have in life because everything is readily cheap and accessible. but anyway.. this is not a post about wal-mart.

the teenager in me wants to like these cards because i was a passive-aggressive little bitch. but after going to college and learning (experiencing) that being passive-aggressive is much more harmful than funny, i can't allow myself to like these cards. they're cute and silly, don't get me wrong. but we adults who are beginning to raise children and becoming responsible ourselves are taking cute little harmless things like this and making them OK. ("it's a card! let it go! what harm can it do? just shut up already!") i know, i know. but the language used is negative. when you associate negative language with humor, humor becomes negative and people think it's OK because "it was just a joke!" sure. teach your children that being a little bitch to people "because it's funny" is a good way to make other little bitchy friends. then they grow up bitchy. and then they make cards and t-shirts and bumper stickers and transform their entire language because "it's just a joke." but whatever. i don't have to buy it, and neither do you guys. but of course, it's entirely up to you.

i'm sorry to hear that, tim and i'm glad you've managed to see the light of your own life. it's a comfort to realize you're not the only human on the planet with problems... my mom was murdered by my step-dad two years ago (followed by his own suicide) and i thought my own life was over. but when the days kept coming and i continued to wake up healthy and breathing i realized my life WASN'T over, and there was so much more to appreciate.

but what a great post! very interesting people out there with even more interesting stories. have a great day everyone!

the video for the robot exoskeleton doesn't work, btw. but a related video on the same page does.

well, now he can just buy his way out of trouble thanks to rupert murdock.

ahh! great book reference, chris tackett. i would encourage EVERYONE to read that book. really gives you a bitter perspective of western expoitation and expansion. did you hear baghdad is building a giant ferris wheel and calling it the 'baghdad eye?' it will be in the center of sparkling pools and carnival rides. but on the outside of those fun-filled walls lies destruction and corruption at its finest, all inspired by our oh-so-great politicians and lobbyists. hooray!

but anyway, the problems in africa are not just of this century. it started when european explorers crossed the mediterranean and saw all the "darkies" who needed saving from the devil by introducing the "saving powers" of christianity, and the rest is history. we have been hurting africa for as long as we have known africa was there. if we would have stayed away and let them live in their own conditions, i believe today's conditions would be a different story. the african population may not exist had we left them alone, but that would be natural selection at its finest. who knows.. maybe the people would have flourished? there is no way of telling.

the fact that we went in the first place set a standard. we introduced our own standards and believed their conditions were "unfortunate" because they were not the same as ours. we think we have to "help" them, when in fact we are only trying to "raise" their standards to mirror our own. OUR STANDARDS ARE OURS, AND OURS ONLY. if they wanted our "help" they would have found a way to ask. instead, we just went in and treated them all like lost children. their people lived fine without us there, and they would have continued to if we left them alone. of course we wouldn't have nearly the black/white diversity we have here in the US today had it not been for slavery, but what a terrible way to create diversity.

of course, this raises the question: if the white-europeans hadn't gone to africa to introduce the teachings of jesus, who would have? it's in human nature to explore the unkown, so SOME group of people would have claimed the land as their own to "fix." considering the other majority is muslim, i would guess THEY would have taken the baton. i'm not trying to discriminate against muslims, because i know the vast majority are truly good religious people who mind their own business. and thank-you if you are one of them because the small minority of radicals are ruining your culture, and i feel bad for you. but it would have been those kinds of extremists who would have taken power, and who knows what the conditions would be like today had that happened?

work WITH nature, not AGAINST it. death is not something you can prevent. move on. find another source and exploit it until IT dies. regardless of how much we try to "save" the environment, there is little we can actually do. if our behavior is causing a slow death in nature, all we have to do it STOP the behavior. it's a simple solution. the only reason it's so hard is because people become attached to certain methods, and are too stubborn to change their behavior. something we don't allow ourselves to realize is the fact that human beings are the most adaptable animals on the planet, yet, we are the most resistant to do it. we are the only animal that dwells on all seven continents, and we think as soon as we occupy land we have free reign over the nature of the land. who cares if the dead sea is dying? it was bound to happen anyway. but if the people in the area change their behavior, maybe a couple more generations can enjoy the dead sea while it's still here.

i guess living under that kind of government doesn't allow you to ask questions.

who cares what your food looks like before it goes into your mouth anyway? it comes out looking like shit!

well you got to it before i did, Peeves. that's exactly what i was going to say.

and michele-- keep this in mind: those older, clean-cut people who "appear" to be fairly well off are the same kind of people "appearing" to run an honest democratic government............ their terrible pet ownership is definitely symbolic of their true nature and behavior. if they can't treat animals right, how can we even expect them to treat their fellow americans right? 90% of lobbyists and CEOs are sociopaths anyways... and our markets are run by these people. excellent.

the bikers are a bunch of nobel do-gooders! i'm glad they're doing it. i'm sure they get a sort-of edge over other animal rescues too, because violators could only feel intimidated when confronted by a group of bikers.

but joe, airlines don't like people with legs.

but yea. this is a good idea because they should have done it a looong time ago. it's one of those things that plane developers could have done without from the beginning. and now they're like "oh we have this GREAT new idea.. let's get rid of this thing that we've never even used before to combat an issue that will never go away! go team!" i'm just wondering how many tiny things they're going to get rid of before they realize the whole market needs to change and not just the few minor details surrounding it.