Lone Star

Us Weekly just released the video of Michael Jackson's 1984 Pepsi commercial (where his hair caught on fire from a premature detonation of pyrotechnics).

I'll probably have as much luck with that as I seem to be having with crotchity answering my direct question!!!

With my educational 'prowess', I wouldn't even be allowed onto the campuses of any Ivy League school, let alone be allowed to attend classes! Does this mean I can sit back and cry how the whole world now owes me?

Despite all of your attempts to justify your position, you STILL haven't answered my question! The bottom line STILL remains: If you don't put any effort into your education, then you won't get anything out of it. I remember a few years back, there was an assinine movement to establish 'ebonics' as a 'national language', (it failed miserably). http://www.cnn.com/US/9612/22/black.english/index.html As far as your entire position crotchity, even members of your own ethnic group are speaking out against your position. That can't be good for the credibility of your position! Remember this: Pastor Manning isn't the only "Uncle Tom" that supports an opposite view. Even the famed Bill Cosby has spoken out against your position in the past. Rather than quit trying and drop out of school, and expect everyone else to support you, you MUST apply yourself and take advantage of the educational opportunities that are put in front of you. Intelligence is NOT genetically passed down through the ages. Each person is exposed to the same educational opportunities. You start school with very limited knowledge, and then through the school, you are exposed to more information. What you do with that exposure is what determines if you succeed or fail from that point forward.

Dear Mr. New Parajerk; when I get into medic class, expect to get your brain picked! Hell, I may not even wait that long! Next quarter, I move into the EMT-I phase of the educational process.....I may start leeching knowledge then! Sincerely, Lone Star, Lowly EMT-B student

Having been a firefighter in a predominantly black district, I can tell you that regardless of geographical location and demographic makeup, fires burn only one way... HOT! FIREFIGHTING: 150 years of tradition, virtually unaffected by progress/technology.

Let me make this really easy for you this time: WHY IS IT, ONLY WHITES CAN BE 'RACISTS'?

Great Orators of the Democratic Party "One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." - Franklin D. Roosevelt "The buck stops here." - Harry S. Truman "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." - John F. Kennedy And from today's Genius Democrats................ "It depends what your definition of 'IS' is?'' - Bill Clinton "Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac are not in crisis" Barney Frank (fall 2003) "That Obama - I would like to cut his NUTS off." - Jesse Jackson "Those rumors are false .... I believe in the sanctity of marriage." - John Edwards "I invented the Internet" - Al Gore "The next Person that tells me I'm not religious, I'm going to shove my rosary beads up their ASS." - Joe Biden "America is--is no longer, uh, what it--it, uh, could be, uh, what it was once was...uh, and I say to myself, uh, 'I don't want that future, uh, uh for my children.'" - Barack Obama "I have campaigned in all 57 states." - Barack Obama (Quoted 2008) "You don't need God anymore, you have us Democrats." - Nancy Pelosi (Quoted 2006) "Paying taxes is voluntary." - Sen. Harry Reid "Bill is the greatest husband and father I know. No one is more faithful, true, and honest than he." - Hillary Clinton (Quoted 1998) HOW LUCKY CAN WE BE TO HAVE SUCH BRILLIANT MINDS IN CHARGE OF OUR GREAT COUNTRY?

Congratulations Spenac! Now that you're a medic, I have another source to avail myself to when I get there! ATTENTION CHATTERS! If you don't like the way Spenac drives, keep your asses off the sidewalks!

I hope it's nothing serious. Could you give us some information on what happened/why she's in the hospital? Prayers and best wishes, LS

I'm still waiting for crotchity to answer MY question!

I'm not saying I'll be sending a 'rubber check', but the pen keeps bouncing off the check as I try to sign it ... Since you're of mixed descent, I'm thinking you need to be feeling guilty that you're feeling 'oppressed'?

Thats because they're *sings* ".....One eyed, three toed, flyin purple people eaters..."

You know Crotchity, you stated in another thread about how "... we can only learn when we are openminded. ", yet you blatantly REFUSE to admit that any other point of view (other than your own) has any merit whatsoever. Ruffles, Robert Heinlein said it best: "Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time, and it annoys the pig."

BULL! Rather than spend money on USELESS things like gold for the 'grille', diamond studded watches, etc, I focused on what was IMPORTANT and did without alot of the 'flash/bling' and was able to change my situation! If I didn't have the cash for it, I either worked harder to get it, or did without. As far as Blacks being 7 times more likely to be in prison, while only comprising 17% of the total population tells me that it seems that they're the ones pulling 7 times more crime! http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/fugitives/detroit/det-list.htm http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/fugitives/atlanta/atl-list.htm http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/fugitives/seattle/sea-list.htm http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/fugitives/denver/den-list.htm Just looking at the DEA website alone, you'll see that in any state you pick, blacks and other minorities are the highest population on their 'most wanted' lists. No, it's not 'racism', it's because it's easier than working an honest 40 hour week! As shown here: http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g185/LON...Jstatistics.jpg http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g185/LON...csbyoffense.jpg If you break down the crimes, you'll see that the black offender is more apt to engage in violent crime. This, like any other action, is a CHOICE! If blacks are being 'unfairly imprisoned', then why is 'black on black/ black on white (to name two) crimes such a pandemic in this country? You've played the 'race card', you've played the 'racism card' and you've played the 'victim card'; all have been trumped by FACT.

I HAVE lived in the projects, both as a kid and as an adult, and I slept just fine! I slept as well there as I did under an overpass, or while living out of my car. Do you see me blaming anyone else for my misfortunes? Whether a person goes to prison, joins a gang or uses/abuses drugs is a PERSONAL CHOICE! You have the option of staying in school, actually putting work into your education and becoming a 'useful member of society', or you can opt to become a burden, do nothing to change the current cycle of things and then blame everyone around you for your own laziness. It really burns me up to see people who are on welfare living in a better house, driving a better car and has all the latest 'toys', when I'm out there working my arse off at 2 or 3 jobs just to 'get by' and cover the absolute basic necessities! Then to hear them cry 'racism' because of their lot in life, and yet they do NOTHING to change it! Far too many cry 'racism' when they're the ones who are victimizing themselves! Just because someone uses a word that you don't like, or doesn't get involved in interracial relationships does NOT make them a 'racist'. Even your 'the white man is keeping me from becoming "__________" is racism! Please explain to the whole class why only WHITES can be 'racists'! For all the whining and crying about your current situation.....what have you REALLY done to change things? What have you done to 'break the cycle'? From what I've seen here, all you do is point fingers and cry 'not fair!', while expecting everything to be handed to you on a silver platter. Life doesn't work that way, and the sooner you realize that you actually have to put forth an HONEST effort, NOTHING will change!

Amen and hallelujah! Very eloquently stated, Herbie. I came from a 'split family'. Living with my mother was mostly a 'single parent home', where we were considered poor. Yes, I know what it's like to go to bed hungry, cold etc. When I lived with my father, I was one of 5 kids being supported by 2 working adults. No, we weren't 'rich' by any means, and only had one 'big vacation'...we went to the Grand Canyon. I stayed in school, threw papers, mowed yards, raked leaves, and shoveled snow for 'pocket money'. I joined the military and was finally able to buy my first car at 18. My grades weren't good enough for a scholarship, so college was out for me at the time. Even while living with my father, we lived in a 'poor part of town', which was mostly section eight housing (government rent assisted). We had our share of drugs, violence, gangs, etc. Anyone remember the Kayla Rolland shooting in 2001? That happened less than a mile from my house. You can't sit back and tell me that just because you live in a particular geographical location that you cannot put forth an effort to better yourself! Where I lived black students were shooting people for their SHOES! The street behind my house 2 white kids were shot for a basketball hoop! Granted it took me 30+ years to actually make it to college, the point remains; I did something to further MY education despite all the 'pitfalls' that were in my path! Having to pull oneself up by the bootstraps happens more than you realize or care to admit to Crotchity, it happens every day by people who are tired of their current situation and actually have the determination to do something to change it! I've had to work 2 and 3 jobs just to get by....just to take care of the 'basics'. Like I said before, YOU are the only one holding you back. Don't like your current situation? Get off your ass, stop playing the 'victim' here and actually DO something to change the situation you find yourself in!

*Adds a padlock and hasp to further secure the room*

I'm glad your friend is ok, ... Remember,m this IS the internet. The only place where people can commit suicide, get murdered, and die of diseases they never had....only to resurface later with a different name. *DISLCAIMER* While the actions described above DO happen on a daily basis, I AM NOT making any speciffic reference to any member of this site; whether current or past!

After reading Annie's 'long winded reply', I found her analysis quite interesting. It seems that those links have come to the same conclusion that most of us here have. The educational opportunities are pretty much equal for both black and white students. Now it boils down to simply this: If you don't put in an honest effort toward your own education, you're not going to amount to anything later in life. To sit back and blame 'whitey' for 'keepin a brotha down' is nothing more than trying to blame someone else for an individual's lack of effort. Is it a problem of 'bad parenting'? That's one plausible arguement. My parents believed that education was important, and set rules for doing homework, acceptable grades on report cards and pushed us to increase our potential. The excuses of 'we were slaves' and 'we're being kept down' are over. Granted it's far easier to sit back and expect someone else to 'fix the problem' than it is to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty trying to fix things in your own area. Face it: yes blacks WERE slaves. Yes they WERE discriminated against. But those days are over! The only ethnic group that can actually be blamed for blacks falling short of the mark now, are blacks. Am I a racist? Absolutely not! Am I prejudiced? Absolutely, but not in the way you'd like to think I am. I'm absolutely prejudiced against STUPIDITY. I abhor those that REFUSE TO LEARN! IGNORANCE is 'not knowing', whereas STUPIDITY is 'refusing to learn'. While 'bad parenting' MAY be an 'excuse' for not doing well in public schools (grade school, junior high and senior high school), that 'excuse' becomes a moot point when the individual refuses to further their own education. There are too many scholarships, grants, loans and other financial aid available for furthering one's education. It falls back on the individual to avail themselves to these options and actually put forth the effort and dedication to obtain a better education! The bottom line is this: There's only one person to blame if you don't become a 'useful member of society', and that one person is YOU! There are no "gimme's" in life. If you want something, you actually have to do something to obtain it. You have to EARN it! If you're too lazy to earn it, you can't sit back and blame everyone else that has it.

I've heard the same things for the same reasons. While the 'stomach thing' actually makes sense, as even a half full stomach would put the fluid level below the cardia, reducing regurgitation and subsequent aspiration risk. Since the great curvature is to the left, it stands to reason that any gastric content would therefore be spread out over a larger area, keeping the content level away from the cardia. While in the ambulance, it's a little difficult to observe the patient's airway and signs of cyanosis if they're facing away from you. Even if you're in the 'airway seat' (immediately behind the driver), you've got to roll the patient back to the left (if they're right lateral recumbant), in order to do any interventions should the airway lose its patency. I've only heard about relieving thoracic pressure/uterine pressure on the inferior vena cava for pregnant women.

From what I"ve seen in the past, when AMR comes in, things tend to go to Hell in a handbasket rather quickly. In Michigan, AMR went on a 'dominating rampage', and drove most small companies out of business, or assimilated them. Once they had pretty well locked down a county, they quickly developed a reputation for 'jumping calls', staging ambulances in other companies' territories, and in general, tried to drive the companies that they couldn't/wouldn't assimilate out of business. In Michigan, AMR has at least 12 different labor unions, and has had their contacts either cancelled, or they weren't able to renegotiate them. AMR (to the best of my knowledge) has pretty well been driven out of every county in Michigan because of their way of 'doing business'. The problem that creates, is now you have an area that has no EMS coverage, and companies are either scrambling to pick up the slack, or the citizens don't have much (if any) EMS coverage. AMR seems to forget that in the quest to become the largest EMS provider, you have to remember that there are things like employee/employer relations, and patient care must be placed above grabbing 'real estate'

The amount of hours for clinical rotations/ride times are the MINIMUM required to pass the course. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with doing 'extra rotations' to gain more experience, which will equate to more confidence.

There's your first admitted mistake! Rather than work on assumptions and hearsay, you would be better off invesitgating and finding FACTS before you open your mouth and show yourself as the fool. With all the availability and ease of tracking down facts; it only takes a few moments of your time to actually find out the facts of a story as opposed to spreading rumor and innuendo. All this does is prove that you have no clue what you're talking about, and destroys any credibility you may have had. It's well documented that michael Jackson was in training with former "The Incredible Hulk" star, Lou Ferrigno http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/MichaelJackson/s...3807&page=1 Total time spent on 'research': 20 seconds