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91

The Richard Nixon school of ballet and the arts / Re: Y'know, Italy is kinda weird

« Last post by The Wizard Joseph on February 28, 2015, 09:10:17 pm »

That very well could be Nigel. If so it is mass apophenia(had to look it up). Lots of folks around this town have a fairly sincere nature and seem quite convinced,  but that is the nature of local legends and inconsistent accounts.


Now from what I've seen about Il Monstro after a bit of following the links there's more weirdness per capita by far. Haven't gotten to the deets yet but the fact that it's precisely the same gun every time and unless I misunderstood an automatic because they got shell casings at the scene. New moon every time. Ritual mutilation. Definitely murder.

I can see already how some occult CT got mixed in. Thing about it is maybe the killer is or is not occult crazy, but the pattern seems to indicate a very thoughtful and cautious person. Also the impersonal,brutally fast, and methodical manner of death makes me think that the motive is not to kill the people per se. This is slaughter then ritual mutilation. Not looked into the specifics of the mutilation yet. Not gonna today. Today is a happy day.
Certainly a strange case alright.  I'm somewhat glad to be only Italian American.
 For real Italians are weird as heck!

92

The Richard Nixon school of ballet and the arts / Re: PICS VIII: 10% LARGER THAN PICS VII

« Last post by Roko's Modern Basilisk on February 28, 2015, 07:47:15 pm »

93

Or Kill Me / Re: Uncurious monkeys

« Last post by Mesozoic Mister Nigel on February 28, 2015, 07:16:30 pm »

Oh here we go, here's a video that's really accessible. I was crediting Tierney when really I should have been crediting Fuchs. Totally my error... not that Tierney isn't also an  excellent researcher.

http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/2012/06/elaine_fuchs_going_forward_in_reverse/

94

Or Kill Me / Re: Uncurious monkeys

« Last post by Mesozoic Mister Nigel on February 28, 2015, 07:07:22 pm »

In some cases, it's really the only window we have into understanding certain functions... I mean, look at Tierney's work with reverse genetics. Personally, I'm largely interested in what's going on in our brains when everything's working just right, but the technology for looking at that is brand-new, and the context for understanding it is largely dependent on what we've learned about brain structure by looking at injuries.

Trying to check out an accessible primer on this Tierney character - my memory's mucky much like my understanding of the subject.

[PS.  Forgive quoted date mismatch - correct one took too long to delete =]

Let me see if I can find something... it was pretty groundbreaking for identifying gene function. Does this paper make sense to you? http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/advanced/topics/Pages/ReverseGeneticTools.aspx

95

Or Kill Me / Re: Uncurious monkeys

« Last post by axod on February 28, 2015, 06:27:45 pm »

In some cases, it's really the only window we have into understanding certain functions... I mean, look at Tierney's work with reverse genetics. Personally, I'm largely interested in what's going on in our brains when everything's working just right, but the technology for looking at that is brand-new, and the context for understanding it is largely dependent on what we've learned about brain structure by looking at injuries.

Trying to check out an accessible primer on this Tierney character - my memory's mucky much like my understanding of the subject.

[PS.  Forgive quoted date mismatch - correct one took too long to delete =]

96

The Richard Nixon school of ballet and the arts / Re: OPEN BAR: NO CISNORMATIVE ELVEN PATRIARCHS ALLOWED

« Last post by Sung Low on February 28, 2015, 06:14:29 pm »

This person lives near me...

A neighbour added: “There was a lot of noise in the morning around 10am. There was a lot of police outside in the close causing a lot of commotion. There were about 12 police officers in the close, six of them in riot gear.

“I didn’t know what was going on at the time, so I went outside to ask them to quieten down. I soon realised something serious was going on with the guy who lives upstairs.”

  Awards for insight are sure to be on their way.

97

The Richard Nixon school of ballet and the arts / Re: Y'know, Italy is kinda weird

« Last post by Mesozoic Mister Nigel on February 28, 2015, 05:49:43 pm »

Interesting. I'll look into it. There's an ongoing spree in LaCrosse and along the Mississippi. No cops have opened up. They will discuss drugs, gangs, but not this.

http://mobile.onmilwaukee.com/buzz/articles/smileyfacekiler.html

every year like clockwork and about the same season. There are even NDAs I'm told that the local radio consortium makes talent sign to not discuss it.

LaCrosse runs on college and smuggling money. The cover up is intense. I suspect a cabal of some sort in that the killer has always managed to separate full grown men and drown them without a reported mark. That they're always white may be a factor too, but it's not really a sure indicator of racism.

One of the ones mentioned was Native American. I've looked at a couple of other articles as well, and they mention 40 men in 11 states over the last decade. Race and age breakdown was not given for those men.

There is a lot of information missing. Most glaringly, the rate at which men went missing or were found drowned in those areas in the previous decades.

Other questions also need to be answered, such as how these disappearance/drowning rates compare to rates in other cities with rivers running through them, and whether there are other reasons black men might not be drowning in the same numbers, such as a  greater likelihood of sticking together due to a history of violence against lone black men.

It might be worth noting that I found a case of a 23-year-old black man who drowned in the Black River last summer, which also raises the question of whether there are other cases of black men drowning that the serial killer theorists are disregarding because they don't fit the profile that makes their theory work.

Quite honestly, living in an area where people disappear and drown on a regular basis, I find it hard not to see this as a great example of apophenia.

98

Or Kill Me / Re: Asking the right questions

« Last post by The Wizard Joseph on February 28, 2015, 05:32:19 pm »

I tend to find happiness and a sense of direction can come from two major sources.

 The pleasant source is to find what you are talented at and\or truly passionate about and develop it.
I think this is called Eudiamonia in philosophy. It means 'good mind or thought' and considers excellence to be the source of lasting happiness.
This is a bit amoral in some ways as someone could derive such happiness by being, say, the best baker you can be, or the best hitman, or anything really.
It's not easy or free, but the process is not unpleasant and the concrete advantages of increased ability are a nice bonus.

Then there's the hard road. Looking at yourself as honestly as possible and seeking to understand your weaknesses and overcome them. This is a matter of a lifetime's work as there is ALWAYS room for improvement. Nothing here is pleasant but the outcome. The outcome is by no means guaranteed. If you have successfully identified and overcome a flaw the stronger or wiser you is all that you will get out of it, and it will demand both effort and adaptability to be sure. Entirely worthwhile in my ongoing experience.

I can conjure a third thing. AFTER you have seen to yourself and are relatively fit great joy can be had by helping others by your ability. This can be as simple as helping the illiterate to read or as complex as you like. It's a terrible idea if you don't know yourself very well or are seeking praise or thanks. The desire to help others must be genuine and is best understood after you have felt the struggle yourself and seen that it's worthy.

99

Or Kill Me / Re: Asking the right questions

« Last post by Mesozoic Mister Nigel on February 28, 2015, 04:38:44 pm »

The late teens and the 20's are an exploratory time for most people; the big question tends to be "what kind of person am I and what is my purpose?" You're approaching an invisible developmental milestone, which is the end of the growth stage of your prefrontal lobes. The longer you remain in an exploratory self-discovery mode, the longer they will continue to develop (this seems to be a good thing) until maybe around 25-26, although nobody knows for sure.

Drugs, alcohol,internet, and video games can be escapism for some people, as can work or relationships or home improvement; you only need to figure out whether you're using it as a form of escapism. The main question is whether you find what you're doing fulfilling... do you, personally, find value in it?

I think questions about being a good person are valuable. We all have to find meaning in our own ways. For myself, I found meaning in my own understanding of human existence and the nature of the universe, which is that there is no reason for us to exist, we simply do, and then we die.

100

The Richard Nixon school of ballet and the arts / Re: Y'know, Italy is kinda weird

« Last post by Trivial on February 28, 2015, 03:31:33 pm »

Heh, a hotel here in Dubuque has a room that Al Capone stayed in and  they advertise it as such.