WordWolf

You're miscategorizing yourself AND the cat. If you're the last one with someone to say for now, then that's what it is. As for the cat, some people found it a comfort for this cat (if it's the same one) to be there in their final hours. Nobody's sure what the connection is-what is drawing the cat- but the cat seems to do not harm and may help the patient's mood. Some of them come back YEARS later. Most messageboards don't like someone bringing up old threads- it's called "necro'ing"- but here, it's accepted policy- so long as there's a reason to do it- someone asked about the subject, or someone had something else to say on the subject.

It is. Kevin Bacon's character is a last-minute substitute, since the flight doctors (incorrectly) diagnose Gary Sunise's character with an illness that will take affect during the flight. So, the replacement rushes in and forgets to file his taxes. That revelation comes up during the scene when they're clowning for the television. The best line was Clint Howard in Mission Control, replying. "That's no joke. They'll jump on him!" Later, during the endurance run back to Earth with all the systems off, Mission Control calls in the update. Since he's proven to be out of the country, he's granted an extension on filing his taxes. Over to you, George!

This is when we meet Klingon Ambassador Keylehr and Alexander. We find out Alexander's Worf's son. We also see a Klingon ship that was a sleeper ship of some kind, out to continue the fight with the Federation that's been over for years. The Enterprise stops them by pretending Worf and Keylehr were the command officers of the Enterprise, and the Klingons ALREADY fought the war and won.

"Uh, well, if anyone from the, uh, from the IRS is watching, I... forgot to file my, my, my 1040 return. Um, I meant to do it today, but, uh..." "That's no joke. They'll jump on him!" "Jack, you'll be glad to hear that we've contacted President Nixon, and he's going to grant you an extension on your income taxes, since you are most decidedly out of the country." "Roger that, Houston. That's wonderful news."

Of course, twi is the same, but the world is different. Kids are a LOT more cynical (and they were the twi target audience), and the internet makes it impossible to hide dirty secrets or make people disappear and only tell YOUR side of the story. So, the same tactics are used today- and fail in a fairly spectacular fashion today...

Of course, David was in charge in the FIRST place because the people had insisted on abandoning God's reign, and insisting on imitating other countries and having a king. What they got was King Saul, and eventually David was raised to rescue the people from the disaster that was Saul. Naturally, David abused HIS authority too (just ask Uriah.) David's successor was Solomon, who also copied some of the nations and decided he could have lots and lots of wives from the other nations, etc.... Abuse of power is an old, old story, and someone centralizing power to make it easier to accrue and abuse power is about as old....

BTW, Agent K was wrong about people thinking the world was flat. SOME people might have thought that, but all the educated ones didn't, and sailors certainly did not. (They can see the horizon is CURVED when they're out to sea on a calm day.) Look up the name "Eratosthenes" sometime- using math, he calculated the circumference of the Earth in the days of the Greek Empire, and he was almost exactly right. Songs to the contrary, people never laughed at Columbus for saying the world was round. He was debated when he said it was small enough that he could sail around and reach the Indies without having to turn back for food and supplies. Columbus, for those who haven't thought this through- WAS WRONG. If there was nothing but water between Europe and Asia, Columbus would have run out of food. If Columbus hadn't crashed into an unexpected continent, he would have been in trouble. And the land he crashed into was already inhabited. As Chris Rock said, Columbus basically discovered someone's back yard. Sorry for interrupting, but that's a pet peeve of mine.

I had a teacher in high school- a pinhead, a close-minded jerk- but he was fond of this quote for reasons which escaped me. This should be from "The Ten Commandments." That was Pharaoh's line. (And sorry about that gap-I forgot it was my turn to confirm an answer. You can send me a pm if I'm suddenly quiet like that...)

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Robert Redford Indecent Proposal

Correct. A) The Romulan surprise was Worf and whoever was setting up the bypass. Wesley's "improvising" is how Geordi got them the 2-second Warp jump- Wesley snuck in the antimatter for the reaction. The Federation observer was quite surprised- he "knew" it was "impossible" for the Hathaway to enter warp, and Wesley was observed the entire time he got them the antimatter. B) It's not Riker's fault. The trick was only used ONCE. Worf used the Enterprise security codes to hack the Enterprise sensors and input an attacking Romulan Warbird. As soon as Picard realized the whole thing was a ruse- with the "hit counters" simulating shutdowns to "damaged" portions Riker just "hit", he told Data to change the security codes. Seconds later, they detected the Ferengi Marauder approaching. Picard confirmed Data had changed the code, then IGNORED the approaching ship, convinced Worf managed to get through again. (Me, I would have RAISED THE SHIELDS JUST IN CASE. There should have been a separate set of controls that bypassed the simulation- in this case, the real shields would have gone up, but not the simulation "shields." This would not stop the Hathaway's "attacks", but it would stop a REAL attack. Finally, the thing their lives depended on- the ability to switch off the simulation and turn on the REAL defenses- went off-line as soon as the Marauder hit the Enterprise. The ship's LOADED with engineers, and the vitally-important system is apparently working with a kludge held together with spit and duct tape. With 2 days of DOING NOTHING while Riker's away team did repairs on the Hathaway, they had no people making sure that system was foolproof or nearly so? I give Riker points for ingenuity, I take away points from Picard for failing to plan sufficiently for this simulation. The video game was "Stratagema", which tells me it was late and the scriptwriter was tired when he named it. Pulaski pushes for Data to play Kolrami, and later puts him in a position that almost forces him to play. Kolrami acknowledges Data was an EXCELLENT player, and enthusiastically tells Data "I am at your disposal for a re-match". In other words, Data was the best challenge he'd had in some time, and was CAPABLE of winning. (Otherwise, Kolrami would have been as bored as he was when Riker played him and lost. Kolrami had to play his best to beat Data, and thus a victory there MEANT SOMETHING to Kolrami. It's like if one of us played Kasparov at chess and managed to score a draw- that's an incredible accomplishment for an amateur player. We'd be delighted to do so well.) Anyway, the idea that a player could play "perfectly" and still lose was something neither Pulaski nor Data could accept. Personally, I think Data's sulk would have been better-served by reviewing the entire match rather than endless diagnostics. Once the first diagnostic said he was fine, it was time to examine his premise-that he played IMperfectly or flawed. It should be obvious, slowing it down move by move, that Data performed excellently and chose logical moves each time. Picard had to get Data to realize that playing perfectly is no guarantee of winning against an opponent or when an element of chance is introduced. (You'd make the same observation if you played something that teaches how to play BlackJack. You can perform the "correct" moves, the logical moves, and still lose several hands of the game due to the cards not performing in the most predictable fashion.) I really liked the episode, which is why I've thought this through. I think Riker's team did brilliantly, Picard's planning was below expectations, (he didn't plan to fail, but he failed to plan), and Data DID win his rematch. Kolrami refused to continue the match and walked out-that is a forfeit. If Kolrami had kept playing, Data could kept the draw going for a VERY long time, tired out Kolrami, THEN played for a win against a fatigued, slower opponent. Data had the advantages of being able to think FASTER than his opponent, and to perform identically over very long periods of time, which meant the longer the match, the more the odds favored Data until Kolrami was too tired to continue. Both George and I seem to like this episode. Your turn, George.

I've never used it, but Pinnacle has their own website, with some downloads, FAQs and Forums that might be of use to you. http://pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Support/Consumer+Support/?viewDownload=1 The instruction manual and patches for some products are here. If the machine is really old, it might be here: http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=220193'>http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=220193 FAQs are here: http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/selfservice/search.jsp And the other users are on their forums here: http://forums.pinnaclesys.com/forums/default.aspx I'd figure the answer's probably there somewhere. If not, there's customer support info to contact the company.

"Counter with Talupian stratagem on instrument sighting." "I busted him up." "So you're going to beat him?" "Nope." "Oh, then it's going to be a close one." "No." "But you have got a chance?" "Nah." "Are you planning to show up?" "What's the Zakdornian word for 'mismatch?' " " 'Challenge'! We do not whine about the inequities of life. And how you perform in a mismatch is precisely what interests Starfleet. After all---- when one is in the superior position, one is expected to win." "Attention crew of the USS Hathaway -- this is your Captain. I can promise you that two days from now we will have missed a lot of sleep. But with your skill and your stamina, we'll have this old lady ready to fly. I want hourly progress reports from every station." "We don't have a prayer." "Would you care to transfer back to the Enterprise, Mister Crusher?" "No, Sir!" "Remember Wes, the purpose here is to improvise. It's the effort that counts." "I am less than an hour away from a battle simulation, and I must handhold an android?" "The burdens of command." "Worf... when you're out-gunned, out-manned, and out-equipped --what else do you have left?" "Guile." "Join me." "Attempt the routing bypass here! If it works, they will be surprised." "Where'm I gonna get the opti-cable?" "Anywhere." "The test is if a crew will follow where Commander Riker leads. His joviality is the way he creates that loyalty. And I'll match his command style against your statistics anytime." "Commander, it is possible to commit no mistakes -- and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is 'life'". "As the Starfleet observer I am ordering you to withdraw!" "I am the captain of this vessel! Your order is nullified!"

Someone mentioned twi cliches...

Someone mentioned twi's cliches....

Raul Julia Presumed Innocent Brian Dennehy

When I plugged it in to Google (which you could have done), I got this: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/pink+floyd/us+them_20108709.html

The purpose of a PROPER Christian organization is to serve as the MEANS for one or more ENDS. It is the TOOL for accomplishing a task. All too often, it becomes the END IN ITSELF, and the organization exists to further the organization. twi is a quintessential example of this, but it's hardly alone.

"Counter with Talupian stratagem on instrument sighting." "I busted him up." "So you're going to beat him?" "Nope." "Oh, then it's going to be a close one." "No." "But you have got a chance?" "Nah." "Are you planning to show up?" "What's the Zakdornian word for 'mismatch?' " " 'Challenge'! We do not whine about the inequities of life. And how you perform in a mismatch is precisely what interests Starfleet. After all---- when one is in the superior position, one is expected to win." "Attention crew of the USS Hathaway -- this is your Captain. I can promise you that two days from now we will have missed a lot of sleep. But with your skill and your stamina, we'll have this old lady ready to fly. I want hourly progress reports from every station." "We don't have a prayer." "Would you care to transfer back to the Enterprise, Mister Crusher?" "No, Sir!" "Remember Wes, the purpose here is to improvise. It's the effort that counts." "I am less than an hour away from a battle simulation, and I must handhold an android?" "The burdens of command." "Worf... when you're out-gunned, out-manned, and out-equipped --what else do you have left?" "Guile." "Join me."

"Counter with Talupian stratagem on instrument sighting." "I busted him up." "So you're going to beat him?" "Nope." "Oh, then it's going to be a close one." "No." "But you have got a chance?" "Nah." "Are you planning to show up?" "What's the Zakdornian word for 'mismatch?' " " 'Challenge'! We do not whine about the inequities of life. And how you perform in a mismatch is precisely what interests Starfleet. After all---- when one is in the superior position, one is expected to win."

"Counter with Talupian stratagem on instrument sighting." "I busted him up."

==================== Ok, next movie. "The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and..." "Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?" "Exactly." "Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?" "Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten."

..which, of course, disqualified him from guessing, but he could confirm the answer.

Currently? 2 of vpw's original goals still apply: A) to charge the participants for more than the cost of expenses, turning a profit B) to supply people to conform to twi and enforce conformity to twi (not that this one was successful with ALL students. but it was A goal and worked SOME of the time) In addition, there's currently a third reason in effect vpw didn't need: C) to help defray the costs of maintaining underutilized grounds And a 4th reason: D) to give the APPEARANCE, the FACADE, of twi actually doing something other than paper-shuffling and financing cushy lifestyles for the top cadre, the Lords Over God's Heritage.

"Counter with Talupian stratagem on instrument sighting."

A corps grad once was talking to me, (AFTER the local leaders had split off from twi), and was telling me about the concept of serving others, charitable works and so on, and expounding on them like this was the first time in his life he'd ever heard of such a thing, and that I'd never heard of them at all. I replied (I was in college at the time) that I had already had several years of experience in a service organization in college, and I'd already put in hundreds of hours of community service if not thousands- adding that if he needed to get some pointers on what works, he could ask me and I'd be glad to fill him in. In other words, the entire time he and the corps were in, the concepts and practice of SERVING OTHERS was foreign, and I learned MUCH more about it in college as extracurricular activities than he did in a paid leadership program. No training in actual leading, no training in serving others. Other than "how to be subservient to twi", did the program ever really cover anything but busy-work, occupying the students' time until they left? The more I think of how deficient and dysfunctional the whole program was, the more impressed I am that anyone came out of it able to help anyone at all, let alone some people surviving with their compassion standing.