First, IAM currently has 15,000 members. That means it's maxxed out and can't take any more. I'll clean up the databases tomorrow and make some more space, so if you're waiting to create an account try again tomorrow night please. Second, it was very nice seeing everyone again. Looking forward to next year!
(I'm the shy guy in the back if you're wondering).
"The law will never make men free; it is men who have got to make the law free."
- Henry David Thoreau
I think a good way to celebrate patriotic dates like Independence Day is to think about the things you think make your country special, what makes you proud to be a part of that country, what it stands for, and what you love about the people that make it up. Make a list of those things; write them down… Now ask yourself what you have done to ensure that those wonderful things are still around in the future. Then ask yourself what your friends, family, and community have done to protect those values as well.
Then ask yourself if the government has the same mission as the people do. Finally, ask yourself what you and the people who really do stand for the heart of your nation are going to do about it.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
- Thomas Jefferson
A country is special because of the people that make it up and what those people believe is right — how they believe people should live (and let live). Government is nothing but a tool to help the people live with more freedom and liberty, but sadly, government all over the world has become a vessel for an elite few to steal the profits of the hard work of those they have made their subjects. Government should not be the ruler and exploiter of the people — government must be the servant and enabler of the people.
"Without liberty, law loses its nature and its name, and becomes oppression. Without law, liberty also loses its nature and its name, and becomes licentiousness."
- James Wilson
If government is not the servant of the people of that nation, then it is not the government of that nation, but instead a hostile foreign power that has seized control.
It wouldn't surprise me if this kid is already sitting in Guantanamo Bay with electrodes on his balls and a police dog terrorizing him, but this is one of the more recklessly stupid crazy cool home projects I've seen. This is done exclusively with stuff you could go out today and buy at Home Depot. Sure beats a potato gun, but I think this guy's nuts for not having tested it properly before use… Homemade weaponry is really something you want to remote fire for the first while!
The weather forecast for BMEfest is looking good. Sunny with cloudy periods, no rain expected, and it'll be between 25°C and 30°C (77-86°F). I would recommend bringing sunblock. Gates open at noon, entertainment starts in the early afternnon. We've printed a ton of shirts, but every time we've thought we printed enough, we've sold out, so I'll mention that shirts are on a first-come first-served basis, so you should head over to Ryan and grab your size before it's gone to be safe.
Quick link: DIRECTIONS TO BMEFEST
I've been saving this for the last minute to announce it (because I announced it too early last year and it fell through), but is in Toronto and will be at BMEfest!
So we were having lunch today and the women sitting across from us were talking about some Eastern mysticism class they were at. Typical middle aged white women with one Indian friend that have found whatever weird village Hinduism variant is hip this week, taught by some guy who's actually just a spiritual gigalo… I'll try and repeat the conversation roughly as it happened:
Woman One: After our last spiritual teachings, I asked swami if I could give him a hug, and he told me it was allowed, but only if it was not a penetrating hug. So I just gave him a little hug. He didn't seem to mind that much, but I sensed it made him somewhat uncomfortable.Woman Two: That's strange, if he's a spiritual teacher, shouldn't he be giving lots of hugs?
Woman Three: Swami lets me hug him, but he doesn't let the other students. But I've gone to the class a lot. I told him I was going to quit but he wouldn't give me a refund so now I get hugs. I love yoga.
Woman Two: I'm a teacher, and our school does not allow hugging.
Woman One: Why is that?
Woman Two: When you let kids hug each other, it forms cliques. The kids that no one wants to hug feel bad, so we don't let any of them do it.
Woman Three: Oh, that makes sense.
I just wanted to be clear that if you want to hug people at BMEfest, assuming they are in on the plan, it's cool by me. Feel free to do plenty of it if you'd like. Penetrating hugs though, well, if that's what you're looking for, you're probably headed off to Pornfest right now.
