FilterItOut

thanks to some combination of HIPAA and medical liability laws, I wasn’t allowed to say anything about it, even if asked point blank

Are you sure that you understood that right? In every study I've helped out with, and when I'm dealing with patients, rule #1 is that the participant/patient has access to their information produced from the procedures and gets counseled by a doctor involved in the process if anything is found. There's a neuroscience professor who famously recorded his own experience in the textbook he wrote, where he participated in an MRI study because his insurance wouldn't approve an MRI. The tumor was found in the study, passed over to his healthcare team, and they were able to use it to get the surgery approved.

I'm disagreeing with your statement that "you're only allowed to use deadly force in proportional response," not with whether this case is being prosecuted rightly or not.

Mate, read that link I put in there. I can tell you, from experience, that if you shoot at someone stealing your property in Texas, where that penal code I posted is from, that exact portion of the statute is going to be used and you will not be convicted. It really is "anyone could have a gun or knife." At least Texas has it so just theft has to be during the nighttime, so I guess that's something.

You'll also get similar worded statutes in many other states in the US, several of which, stating this again, where I've had the misfortune of having to research those laws. And that "reasonable belief" part about exposing yourself to risk of serious bodily injury or death? I have seen it applied to people who are simply physically larger than you. Proportional response is a moot concept.

As we got to that middle part, I was hoping it was going to turn into a neat critique of the idea of slaving yourself to a job to survive. Just really turning the screws on the idea that 18 year old kids should be planning for a career so they can "thrive" and then... that's the sum total of life's goals. No adventures, no exploring of the self; simply a job and maybe kids. Then it just became a straight faced sad ending.

I can't remember the name of the book now, but in high school we read a 'true' story of child abuse. I'm sure it was edited to both tone down and turn up certain elements, but it was pretty much a brutal shock to people who are mostly from decent families that love them. Whether the kids were rich, poor, or middle class in my school, just about everyone there could at least return home to parents that didn't commit those horrors.

I remember the diapers, the exposure to the elements, and the way the other children were pitted against the abused kid, and honestly? It was the emotional abuse that was the worst to read.

Sorry, but that's not exactly right, because in several areas, the prevention of death or great bodily harm also includes the scenario where if you were to attempt to reclaim control over your property, you would be putting yourself in those same risk categories. See 9.42 (3)(B) here, where I have had the misfortune of having to research the law before. In other words, if you think the person is stealing your stuff and could harm you if you try to recover said stuff... well, you're 'legally' allowed to start blasting.

I'm not sure about the exact laws where the incident occurred, but in several other states that I know the law of, aggravated assault carries the exact same penalties as attempted murder. Because of the wording of the two laws, aggravated assault is much easier to prove. If you're a prosecutor, why would you not go with the easier to prove, exact same penalty crime?

That's what the beer hat is for.

You'd be amazed how many people learn the hard way that they first need to head to a separate store to buy a gas container, then head to the gas station. Most places could care less about keeping a container on premises because it is both a rare situation these days, and storage is at a premium in most stores. If you saw the back room or manager's office, you would see the floor-to-ceiling stacks of inventory (usually drinks or tobacco products).

Inukami!

It's constantly lewd, silly, and is simultaneously an example of a harem anime and making fun of perverts. The series has moments that will make you cry from laughing so hard, and times when you get a little emotional, and then you'll go "fuck yeah" as something cool happens. It sort of has the premise of 'taming' spirits and using them to battle bad spirits, but most of the time they end up fighting the over-aggressive nerd who gets a nosebleed around a girl.

Huh. The funeral isn't far off from reality, but all I can hear for the other two are really weird sounding sad tracks.

I think it's less "good jazz," and more 'jazz that fits the mood.'

I don't want to listen to thrasher metal when I'm sitting in an italian restaurant, introducing my date to the family, and I don't want to listen to jazz when it's inappropriate.* I remember reading the blog of the Doom soundtrack, and he talked about the difficulty in creating soundtracks because you have to take music that was meshed to visual, auditory, and psychological happenings and create 'just' a piece. Going the other way, how difficult must it be to take musical compositions and match them well to gameplay... it blows my mind that there are people out there who do it so well, because there are definitely games that I loved because it was just a perfect combo, and others where they were saved from mediocrity with the addition of the right sound.

*Aside, I was trying to think an example of when jazz in a game was inappropriate, and couldn't. Take from that what you will.

I still don't know why people use the toilet and don't close the lid. WTF is it there for it you ALWAYS leave it open?