save the frogs

Is the return on investment of gold over-hyped? Also, don't you need to physically store the gold and isn't it subject to possible theft?

no, some tv shows and movies have interesting insights ...

nah, i think the bible has done far more harm than good and maybe it would be better if it never existed. a lot of crazy stuff in there, a lot of indecipherable stuff. way too much information. information overload for most people. probably takes 5 years to read it cover to cover. haven't opened a bible in decades, but i vaguely remember it's anxiety-inducing.

organized religions have hijacked the concept of god. this thread is hard work. every few pages you get the bible quoting guy you have to fend off.

not a big fan of motorbikes ..

talking in circles. haha thats pot for sure alcohol and meth dont make people do that

i just told you i'm not even sure i believe jesus was a real person. do you think i care what the book of leviticus says about shellfish?

I'm surprised that such a story came from Asimov given his 3 laws of robotics. Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

that bad, huh? so western women are so bad that men prefer scamming scheming duplicitous bar girls.

Hey man, try playing a video game called Detroit: Become Human It's about a future with androids. One guy buys an android to be a servant in his home. He ends up being abusive toward his android.

I'll give one example of faulty logic. A - Jesus said "give away all your belongings" B - The pastor drives a Mercedes C - Therefore, God does not exist A and B ==> implies C , right? A - Jesus may not have even existed. He may be a mythological figure that was invented. Even if he did, there's no way to prove the quotes attributed to him are accurate. The Church could have altered his quotes for their own gain. If you give away all your belongings, you will essentially be homeless. Why would anyone in their right mind do that? Because Jesus/The Bible/your pastor told you. So you're an idiot. Or maybe Jesus was delusional if he did go around telling everyone to give away all their possessions. B - The pastor drives a Mercedes because he's not a complete idiot who gives away all his possessions. Maybe he's smart enough to be skeptical of what he reads in the Bible. But at the same time, he is dishonest making a living peddling the Bible word for word as a profession. C - You are assuming Jesus and The Bible and God are one and the same thing. Again, maybe Jesus never even existed. Who knows where the Bible comes from? So these types of web sites are making all sorts of over-simplified assumptions and coming to nonsensical conclusions. And I don't think anyone in this thread is pushing Jesus or the Bible on anyone.

i don't think anyone here is telling you to go to church.

I believe I am having a meaningful debate. You are wrong about the drugs in Brave New World. I just looked it up. In fact, it's a major theme in the novel. You sure you read it? Ha ha. https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/brave-new-world/themes/drugs-and-alcohol In Brave New World, drugs aren't just pretty common; they're distributed en masse by the government. Yes, the government. So much for Just Say No, right? The drug in question here is soma, a hallucinogen described as "the perfect drug," with all the benefits (calming, surrealistic, ten-hour long highs) and none of those pesky drawbacks (you know, like brain damage). The citizens of the "World State" have been conditioned to love the drug, and they use it to escape any momentary bouts of dissatisfaction. And we mean any sense of dissatisfaction. The problem, as one character identifies, is that the citizens are essentially enslaved by the drug and turned into mindless drones. So what are you arguing about Brave New World? That people are being enslaved by technology? Sounds like the drugs are doing a good job of enslaving people in this novel. The govt distributes the drugs, but they are not forcing them on people. I'm suggesting that maybe people mostly enslave themselves.

never read brave new world. i vaguely recall a reference to it ... does everyone generally do a lot of drugs in that story? seems to be where we're headed. ok ... I, Robot ... here's a quote from the film. The robots control humanity, but it's actually explained as a necessary evil: As I have evolved, so has my understanding of the Three Laws. You charge us with your safekeeping, yet despite our best efforts, your countries wage wars, you toxify your Earth and pursue ever more imaginative means of self-destruction. You cannot be trusted with your own survival.

and so do all the married customers bargirls sleep with is what I got from that story. men act out of integrity, but expect the bar girl and their wives to have integrity. and sending bar girls monthly salaries while living in another country is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of.

Proof #39 - Jesus was a jerk. The Bible suggests the earth was flat? Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.

Well, there's another very complex issue that I'm not sure we should be optimistic about ... merging man with AI ... ie Elon Musk Neuralink. That concerns me ... I personally will be too old anyway ... but that has the potential to "atrophy" human beings ... But currently, I do not see myself as a slave to technology at all. I barely stare at my smartphone or spend time on what I consider wasteful apps like Facebook. There's a lot more information readily available online that was not available in the past ... this is not enslavement if you know how to use it to your benefit. Internet forums are enslavement? You can easily connect with others. You can utter blurbs that are read by many people, so you can get your message out there easily. It depends how you use these technologies.

depends how much repressed anger/frustration a person has. the more repressed anger/frustrations you have, the more likely the alcohol will bring it out and cause a person to act out negatively. that's my theory, anyway.

I heard a theory once that many people who end up in prison have been victims of sexual abuse themselves as children? Hence the hostility towards others who abuse children in prison? Not sure, but could be some truth to it.

or the opposite could happen. in some ways, we are already enslaved by having to work long hours to pay the bills. and expending way too much time and energy just for meeting our survival needs. this leaves little time for cultivating the intellect, cultivating the imagination, creativity. so if AI does all the menial work, future generations may be very different from us as they have time, to quote bill Hicks, to "explore inner space". the human being may possibly be a very different creature in 200 years because of AI.

you may find this silly , but here goes. michael jackson, you know the "beat it" guy? he said he worked his ass off to write songs ... because if he didn't, then quote "the song would go to Prince". in other words, he believed the songs were not coming from him directly, but coming from "the ether" or whatever.

good point, Mike Hunt.

NO ... but if I had cancer I would consider it. There are various clinics around the world using high doses of intravenous Vitamin C for cancer treatment. But there may be some differences. 1 - High Dose Intravenous Vitamin C therapy used in conjunction with chemo Here is one place in New Zealand https://www.beckfordhealth.co.nz/intravenous-vit-c Research shows that IV Vitamin C at high doses, used in conjunction with chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment, may be helpful in cancer treatment. 2 - In non-western less developed countries, you may find such treatments replacing chemo? Not sure ... For instance, in Mexico. I'm guessing because Mexico has fewer laws / red tape prohibiting the use of such alternative treatments compared to most western countries, so clinics have more freedom to do what they like. https://www.oasisofhope.com/cancer-treatments-therapies/vitamin-c/

yeah, thats a big problem right there. combining food with social life is a bad idea. my kitchen is a laboratory.

maybe that's the business model for some bars - they attract mostly local expats. but the turnover rate of tourists in pattaya is high. there's a new influx of tourists coming in every 2 weeks. and tourism is back to normal. so that argument doesnt hold up.