The Tao of Zen Nihilism
I worked at this place for a year and a half. I was an Assistant Store Manager when they asked me to quit.
Because I wasn’t participating in the manditory management prayer meetings. I said “No,” so they made my life hell until I did, and sicked the rabid attack lawyers on me to make sure I knew I’d never get any money from suing.
They got what’s comin’ to ’em.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=1896&u=/nm/20031023/us_nm/retail_walmart_arrests_dc_7&printer=1
Bayushi Yokimi
0 Force
3 Chi
– Honor Requirement
1 Personal Honor
8 Gold
*Imperial Magistrate*Shugenja*
Limited: Bow Yokimi to add a -2F or -2C Yokimi Token to any Personality.
Limited: Bow Yokimi to add a -3F or -3C Yokimi Token to any Crane Personality.
A Personality may only have one Yokimi Token. When the Personality straightens, remove all Yokimi Tokens.
Akodo Mitsuo
5 Force
3 Chi
12 Honor Requirement
3 Personal Honor
10 Gold
*Imperial Magistrate*Tactician*Samurai
Battle: If Mitsuo is in the current battle, you may discard a card from the top of your deck or your hand. Your opponent must discard a random card from his hand.
Ikoma Hanzo
4F
4C
10 Honor Requirement
4 Personal Honor
9 Gold
*Imperial Magistrate*Samurai*
Battle: Bow to replace any Lion Personality in a battle.
Open: Bow to replace any Lion Personality in a duel.
Bayushi Arikasi
0 Force
4 Chi
– Honor Requirement
1 Personal Honor
8 Gold
*Imperial Magistrate*Ninja*Samurai*
Arakasi may attach the Lion Clan Sword for free.
Open: Bow Arikasi to join any Magistrate or Scorpion in a duel as the duel is declared. You may add two focus cards to his Chi. He adds his Chi to the Personality he joins. If the Personality is killed, so is Arikasi.
Shinjo Shohachi
2 Force
3 Chi
5 Honor Requirement
2 Personal Honor
6 Gold
*Imperial Magistrate*Samurai*Cavalry
Shohachi enters play with a number of Rifle Tokens equal to his Chi. He may not have more Rifle Tokens than his Chi.
Battle: Bow Shohachi to create a Ranged Attack equal to his Rifle Tokens. Discard a Rifle Token at the end of the Battle.
Limited: Bow Shoachi to add a Rifle Token.
Mirumoto Buni
2 Force
5 Chi
4 Honor Requirement
2 Personal Honor
10 Gold
*Imperial Magistrate*Samurai*Double Chi*
You may add Tattoo cards to Buni equal to his Chi-3.
Buni may have 2 Weapon Cards.
Little Brown Ghost
0 Force
6 Chi
– Honor Requirement
1 Personal Honor
10 Gold
*Monk*
Bow Little Brown Ghost to look through your Dynasty Deck and put a Thunder at the top of your deck. Reshuffle your dynasty deck.
Tenshi
0 Force
5 Chi
– Honor Requirement
3 Personal Honor
4 Gold
*Imperial Magistrate*Shugenja*
Tenshi enters play dishonored. Lose 4 honor. If he is re-honored, he becomes Isawa Tenshi.
You may attach any Water spell to Tenshi for 2 less gold. Do not discard Water spells after Tenshi uses them.
Hida Bakahido
6 Force
2 Chi
– Honor Requirement
2 Personal Honor
8 Gold
*Imperial Magistrate*Berserker*
Bakahido may attach the Hida Ancestor for free.
Battle: Discard a card off the top of your Fate Deck to give Bakahido a +1F.
The Lost Wasp
0 Force
3 Chi
– Honor Requirement
1 Personal Honor
5 Gold
*Imperial Magistrate*Samurai*
Battle: Ranged 1 Attack. This does not bow the Lost Wasp.
Any modifiers played to The Lost Wasp’s ranged attacks are at +1.
Kakita Yaoru
1 Force
4 Chi
9 Honor Requirement
4 Personal Honor
7 Gold
*Imperial Magistrate*Samurai*Double Chi*
Open: Bow Yaoru to negate any honor loss. Yaoru gains a -1 Honor Token.
Kakita Yaoru
0 Force
+1 Chi
– Honor Requirement
– Personal Honor
3 Gold
*Ancestor*
You may attach this Ancestor to any Scorpion Personality in play.
If Yaoru is attached to a Scorpion, that Personality may not focus in duels.
Isawa Prodigy
0 Force
4 Chi
8 Honor Requirement
3 Personal Honor
7 Gold
*Shugenja*
The Isawa Prodigy gains a +1F/+1C for every Elemental Ring in play.
(Sorry to Jess and Annie — I’m down at Hyrum’s and neither of us could remember your characters’ names. As soon as I get upstairs, I’ll do an update.) 🙂
Soliloquator!: Hey man, when did it become all about work, man? Remember when it was about hot chicks and revolution and really bad domestic beer?
Me: Hot chicks and revolution, yes. It was never about the domestic beer. 😉
Me: And how dare you speak of The Revolution… you D20 WHORE!!! 😉
Me: NARRATIVISM! NARRATIVISM! NARRATIVISM!
Soliloquator!: No, man, I mean the THOUGHT revolution, man!
Me: Yes, and d20 is part of the Conspiracy, man. It wants you to luv the d20. To think inside the box.
Soliloquator!: Narrativism is just an illusion, man. When you come right down to it, it’s all about kicking down doors, killing Orcs, and taking their stuff. That’s what Wittgenstein was all about!
Me: Wittgenstein!?!? Wittgenstein!?!?
Me: Get up on the times, man! Get up on the guy who everyone quotes and nobody reads!
Me: “Gaze not into dungeons, lest ye become the dungeon. And if you play with dice, the dice play with you.”
“A cookie is a hug that you can eat.”
The origin of the word “apology” comes from the Greek. It means “to explain.” So, here we go.
I don’t hate Christians. That’s never been my point. I think that anybody who knows me (personally) knows that I respect and admire the values Christ taught, and consider him one of those Three Men I Admire Most (Christ, Buddha, and Harry Chapin).
What gets me so mad — what really makes my blood boil — is when I hear people using Jesus’ name in vain. In other words, when they use the Bible to justify their own prejudices.
Jesus said, “Judge not, lest thee be judged.”
Jesus said, “Love thy neighbor as thy self.”
Jesus said, “When your neighbor raises his hand against you, give him your other cheek.”
Jesus said, “Forgive your neighbor seven times seventy times.”
Jesus said, “Love they enemy.”
Jesus said, “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Jesus said, “”Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan and said, “Go do likewise.”
Jesus confronted the group ready to stone the adulteress to death and said, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” (You’ll note that Jesus — the Perfect Human Being Without Sin — did not do it. If he felt he didn’t have the right to do it, what right does anybody else have?)
Jesus said, “This is my commandment, Love one another.” Not Christians love other Christians… no, just everybody.
Jesus did not hate lesbians and faggots. Nor did he encourage people to use political influence to make them unemployed. He didn’t hate abortionists, he didn’t hate “pagans,” he didn’t hate anybody. And, I think its safe to say it was the last thing on his list to tell people to use political influence to get that woman fired from her job because she was a “sinner.” If anybody can find me Biblical evidence that proves Jesus would have done that (What Would Jesus Do?), please, show it to me. Otherwise, admit these people were being bigotted assholes who used Jesus’ name in vain.
In fact, the only evidence I can find of people Jesus hated were the ones who were using his father’s temple in a self-serving way. And I’m fairly certain if he showed up at one of their protests, he’d throw over tables, scatter the coins and tell these jerks to “Get out of my Father’s House!”
There’s a lesson here. And you don’t even have to look very closely to see it.
Okay, here’s one for all the Religious Wrong to read. I have definitive, undisputable proof that God (as we imagine Him) does not exist. I do this because so many Christians are so certain that I’m going to Hell and they’re headed off to Paradise. Being a Discordian, shaking faith is one of my Ten Commandments. Thus, here’s something to rattle your own certainty.
The premise is simple. Imagine life is a roleplaying game and God is the GM. Now, if God was a fair Game Master, he’d give everybody the same rule set. Unfortunately, God did not do this; he gave out a self-contradictory rule set… and even handed out rules to different games to different players with the header: “These are the definitive rules; all others are false rules.
In order for God, the Perfect Creation that We Imagine, to exist, he has to set out a Perfect Set of Rules that Cannot be Misunderstood, Misconstrued, or Misinterpreted by Man. This set of rules does not exist, therefore, we can only draw two conclusions:
1) God does not exist
2) God hates humans and likes to watch them suffer
For those who think God provided a simple set of rules for everyone to follow, a set of rules that is not self-contradictory, not confusing, but is crystal clear and easy to understand, I urge you to read the following.
Some Simple Questions
Here are some simple questions that the Bible should be able to answer without ambiguity or contradiction. If God exists, and He wants us to go to Heaven, he would provide us with such a set of rules. Unfortunately, he hasn’t. The Bible, as a set of stories that give us God’s divine word, as transcribed by those who were divinely inspired, provide me with the following answers to my simple, concise, and uncomplicated questions. Questions like…
1. Are you saved by faith or good works?
“A man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ,…for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Galatians ii, 16).
“But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James ii, 20).
Was Christ the only Son of God?
He was “the only begotten Son of God.” (John iii, 18)
“There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children unto them.” (Genesis vi, 4).
Are women and men equal?
“It is good for a man not to touch a woman” (1 Corinthians vii, 1).
“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands” (Colossians iii, 18).
“Let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame for a woman to speak in the church” (I Corinthians xiv, 34, 35).
“He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy in body and spirit; but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband” (32-34).
“Let women learn in silence with all subjection” (1 Timothy ii, 11).
Was Jesus humble and meek?
Jesus, speaking of himself: “Behold a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew xii, 41, 42).
Did Jesus teach love and compassion?
“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke xiv, 26).
Did Jesus preach temperance?
“The Son of Man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, behold a gluttonous man and a winebibber” (Luke vii, 34).
Was Jesus afraid of death?
“Be not afraid of them that kill the body” (Luke xii, 4).
“After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him” (John vii, 1).
Did Jesus advocate violence?
“They that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matthew xxvi, 52).
“He that hath no sword let him sell his garments and buy one” (Luke xxii, 36).
How should we view the unfaithful?
“He that is not with me is against me” (Luke xi, 23).
“He that is not against us is for us” (Luke ix, 50).
What is the proper procedure for “Using God’s name?”
God: “Swear by my name” (Jeremiah xii, 16).
Christ: “Swear not at all” (Matthew v, 34).
Five hundred years before Jesus was born, Socrates said all good works must be performed in public, or they mean nothing. What is Jesus’ answer to this?
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works” (Matthew v, 16).
“Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men to be seen of then,” (vi, 1, New Ver.).
How much of my wealth should I give to the poor to achieve salvation?
Version #1:
Rich Ruler, No. 1: “Good Master what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus: “Sell all that thou hast and distribute unto the poor” (22).
Version #2:
Rich Ruler, No. 2: “Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor” (Luke xix, 8).
Jesus: “This day is salvation come to this house” (9).
Should we petition the Lord with prayer?
“Your father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him” (Matthew vi, 8).
“Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name that will I do” (John xiv, 13).
“Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (xv, 16).
Will, or may… will, or may…
Is Baptism essential to being saved?
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark xvi, 16).
“Except a man be born of the water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (John iii, 5).
Paul disagrees with Jesus: “I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius…. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians i, 14, 17).
And then, a most confusing statement: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark xvi, 16).
Did Jesus advocate slavery?
No. But his followers did.
“Slaves, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward” (1 Peter ii, 18).
“Let as many servants [slaves] as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor” (1 Timothy vi, 1). “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling” (Ephesians vi, 5).
Did he love children?
Sure. Jewish children.
When a Canaanite mother came to him with her sick child, he said: “It is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs” (Matthew xv, 26).
So, the Jesus we see here (and his followers, who were hand-picked by him – including that prick Paul) advocates slavery, hatred, violence, misogyny and bigotry. Not only that, but the book itself paints a confusing set of rules that are impossible to follow because they disagree with themselves.
Thus, I can come to only two conclusions.
1) God does not exist, or
2) God exists, and he hates us.
“If you could be nothing or God’s worst enemy… what would you be?” – Chucky P.
My answer should be obvious.
(from www.globeandmail.com)
Sustained attacks by the Christian right rattle one of the oldest women’s groups in the United States
The culture wars that deeply divide U.S. society on political, social and religious questions have taken their toll this week on one of the nation’s oldest women’s organizations.
Patricia Ireland was quietly dismissed from her position as executive director of the YWCA late last week, less than six months after her appointment to the top position at the 144-year-old organization. She had become the subject of organized protests from right-wing groups in Washington, which opposed her pro-abortion views and tolerance of homosexuality.
“Our organization proved to be the wrong platform for all of her issues,” Audrey Peeples, chairwoman of the YWCA’s national board of directors, said in an interview. “We remain committed to economic empowerment and racial equality, but for confidential reasons we felt that she was not right.”
Ms. Peeples’s announcement comes after months of attacks and calls for boycotts by right-wing groups, which had protested against the hiring of a feminist to head a women’s organization.
The situation seems to be unique to the United States, where Christian groups have been staging an organized assault on traditionally secular organizations.
In Canada and most other countries, the YWCA is a non-religious group that advocates women’s rights. It was founded nearly 150 years ago to offer charitable services to the poor.
“She is a liberal extremist and the soccer moms dropping their kids off at the local Y don’t want any part of her and her strange friends,” Andrea Lafferty, head of the Washington-based Traditional Values Coalition, said in an interview.
“Patricia Ireland has been a lifelong advocate of anti-Christian policies and beliefs. They hired her because they wanted a radical bisexual feminist — she’s the antithesis of the YWCA.”
Ms. Lafferty, whose group had called for a boycott of the YWCA, also referred to Ms. Ireland as a “pro-abortion lesbian.” Ms. Ireland has been married for 35 years, but said in May that she had previously been involved in a lesbian relationship.
The right-wing groups that had opposed Ms. Ireland’s appointment have considerable clout in Washington, with many members of President George W. Bush’s administration and the Republican-led Congress supporting fundamentalist Christian causes.
Ms. Lafferty had asked that Tommy Thompson, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, rescind the $114-million (U.S.) in government funding that YWCA organizations receive.
Right-wing groups are also leading a campaign against legal decisions that forbid Boy Scout and Girl Scout groups from firing homosexual leaders.
It is a surprising move from the YWCA, which champions women’s issues and announced this summer that it had decided to take on a larger role in feminist advocacy when it hired Ms. Ireland, who achieved national prominence as head of the National Organization of Women in the 1990s.
“As part of our restructure, we decided to focus on our advocacy issues. . . .” Ms. Peeples said in July. “We wanted a louder voice in Congress; that’s why we hired Patricia Ireland.”
While the YWCA has Christian origins, it does not consider itself a “faith-based” group, and Christianity has not been part of its core program for decades. Ms. Peeples stressed that it remains a multifaith organization that “embraces women of all races, faiths and sexual orientations. . . . We have people of all sexual orientations and religions in our leadership.”
Initially, this argument had been used by the YWCA to support Ms. Ireland’s appointment. “I’m not the head of a Christian organization,” Ms. Ireland said in May. “I’m the head of a social-justice women’s organization.”
While that statement met an angry response among Christian groups, it was not controversial within the YWCA, whose official documents say its mission “is to create opportunities for women’s growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision: peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all people.”
The YWCA no longer has a Christian mission. Its mission statement says it is “nourished by its roots in the Christian faith and sustained by the richness of many beliefs and values.” This has put it at odds with some Americans who live in fundamentalist Christian communities.
In Marion, Ind., the executive director of the local YWCA said she considers hers a strictly Christian organization. “As long as I am the executive director here, we will serve the Lord,” Vanessa Sloan said. “We will run this organization with biblical, foundational truths. Every staff member that works here is a Christian believer, an active Christian involved in ministry. We pray with the children. We pray with the young moms.”
Ms. Peeples denied that there is a major schism within her organization, noting that the dismissal of the executive director required a two-thirds majority vote of the 22-member board of directors. “We got more than two thirds,” she said.
YOU ARE ETHER!
Well, well… you are the mysterious Fifth Element!
The Fifth Element, Ether, is used or conjured
in many ancient religions or magics, but is not
something found on this plane. Those that have
been able to make the ascension to the Ether
are truly evolved people, possessed with
heightened senses of intelligence, perception,
and empathy that others simply don’t have.
Everyday possessions aren’t of much interest –
you are beyond that. You tend to gravitate to
open spaces, changing environments, and won’t
saddle yourself with one style or decision.
Indeed, just one type of career isn’t of
interest to you either, as your need to
constantly continue evolving and growing won’t
allow you to settle down. Sadly, this need may
also impact your social life as well. You tend
to have few friends as not many people
understand you, and fewer relationships because
you simply outgrow them.
Don’t be discouraged by this, though. You are truly
one of the unique, for very few people have
been able to achieve this type of
enlightenment. Be proud and use your knowledge
and experiences to teach and help others as
much as you can. Good luck and congratulations!
Now that you have an idea of your strengths and
weaknesses, why don’t you put them to the test?
If you follow my lead I can take you to a game
world where you can explore different sides of
yourself and taste real power. Just follow my
lead, enter a name…
…and all
the world can be yours.
Which of the 5 Prime Elements are you?
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When on wheels, there is the ever-present sensation of “I could go a little faster…”, however, there is a fine line that is all too easy to cross. The line between “I could go a little faster…” and “Oh My God! I can’t slow down!”
I crossed that line last night. It took me two rotations and many near collisions to get myself back to a managable speed. I slowed down, came to a stop, and took a deep breath. I was safe.
That’s when I fell.
I laughed out loud. A tall blonde next to me asked if I was okay. She was smiling. I was laughing. She helped me up.
And
http://www.wumpskate.com/