Posts by brightviper29

Hellboy said:...Well yeah, because why wouldn't I struggle just to write down my kid's religion class info?

Whenever I come across a comment like this, I can't help but feel incredibly grateful for the insight shown by 🙏 who made sure our Great Leader Janez Janša was properly educated back in that small town in rural USA, isn't that right? It really saves us all from having to endure this kind of nonsense over here.
Thanks a million, sir! 😁

Over on the "Support for Families Dealing with Cancer and Other Serious Illnesses II" thread, there’s this user, Don Michael, who just dropped two massive walls of text filled with such an overwhelming amount of nonsense and blatant misinformation that it actually leaves you breathless. This guy even includes his contact info alongside that classic line used by every self-proclaimed "well-meaning" healer out there: I don't ask for anything or want anything in return when I help someone; I only expect sincere gratitude. Doesn't that sentence sound suspiciously similar to the old saying, "I seek no mercy, nor would I grant it to you"?

Not long after those two posts, Eric Newman75 pops up to politely suggest that discussions like that really belong over in the alternative medicine subforum, but does anyone even bother to respond? Not a soul.

Is it possible for a site like this to finally put an end to these types of "well-meaning healers"?
The site administrators really need to draw a hard line between legitimate medical advice and this so-called alternative stuff. To me, watching people pull these kinds of scams and take money from the terminally ill feels absolutely reprehensible and disgusting.

feralbear26 said:If you ask me, primary care doctors have basically turned into glorified administrative clerks. According to Medicare guidelines, they’re supposed to limit the number of referrals they write and try to handle everything in-house. But let's be real—they don't always have the right equipment or specialized training. So, what happens? Treatment drags on forever, and you end up wasting precious time without seeing any actual results. Then, once things get serious, they just tell you to head to the ER. From there, specialists take over and finally give you the right meds, but by then, the condition has already spiraled. Meanwhile, you see pharma reps swinging by offices every single day, practically handing out perks to doctors... It's a mess. The whole system is inefficient, corrupt, overpriced, and honestly unsustainable in the long run.
Get ready for the American healthcare model—where the quality of care depends entirely on how much cash you're dropping. This outdated socialized model is clearly on its last legs...

👍
That’s exactly it!
I honestly believe we're going to see the number of primary care physicians drop by about 60 to 90% very soon.
Instead, there will be some kind of program or app that you simply download onto your computer or smartphone. You'll log in using your Medicare card, "chat" with the computer, explain what’s bothering you and what symptoms you're feeling, and maybe even upload a few photos or a quick video.

You’ll even have the freedom to choose the "persona" of your digital doctor ( )

The "doctor" will then simply refer you to a specialized digital specialist, and if it turns out to be something serious, you'll finally find yourself in the hands of a real, human specialist. Even if it sounds completely wild, isn't this just the inevitable future of medicine?

Of course, there will still be the option to visit a GP for a traditional checkup—but you can bet it'll come with a $50 surcharge for a mere fifteen-minute appointment. 😁
I suppose the older generations and those who aren't exactly tech-savvy will likely stick to the old ways and continue showing up for in-person visits, just like they do now.

Eric Newman75 said:... I'm heading in this Tuesday for a CT scan of my nasal cavity and neck. Honestly, I'm not worried about that part; I have a good feeling the results will be fine. Once they come back, I need to see the ENT specialists for a physical exam. What really puts my mind at ease is that the team over at the Cancer Clinic mentioned that most things are caught during these hands-on exams, so I actually find comfort in them checking everything by hand....

I really hope all your tests went smoothly. 👍
It brings back a memory from maybe ten or more years ago. I was at an appointment with my doctor—I think it was just for a cold or something minor like that—when she reached out and felt an enlarged lymph node on my neck. She asked how long it had been there, and I told her I had no clue, I hadn't even noticed it myself. She told me it probably wasn't anything serious, but she wanted to write me a referral just to be sure. So, I agreed, asking what the next step would be, and she mentioned they'd likely do a small biopsy.

Well... I have to admit, I started getting pretty anxious. I got home and started to Google it, and man, the internet is a scary place. 😲 It basically confirmed what I was already dreading deep down—there were really only two ways this could go:
-1. It’s nothing at all, just a completely insignificant swelling of the lymph node.
-2. It's a malignant process.
As I kept searching, I stumbled upon some statistical data suggesting that people with malignant lymph nodes in their neck live, on average, only about 11 months longer. 😵

So, I decided right then and there that I wasn't going to do the biopsy (which I definitely don't recommend for anyone else on here). If it was nothing, I was just wasting my time; if I was seriously ill, wouldn't it be better to spend as much of those remaining 11 months as possible living healthy and blissfully unaware?
To soothe my conscience, I thought of that famous saying by Bob Rock: "Better to live 100 years as a rich man than 7 days as a pauper."

About a month later, my doctor called my cell phone—she's usually incredibly caring and easy to talk to—and once I explained my reasoning, we both just ended up laughing about it together. 😁

Chloe Alvarez said:... so that's why I recommend you all check your breasts, skin growths, neck, and face.

I couldn't agree with you more, 👍
If I could add one crucial detail, it would be this: everyone needs to take their destiny into their own hands. If there is any way to do so, don't just leave everything up to the healthcare system.

Here is what happened to me a few years back. A tiny growth, maybe just a few millimeters wide, appeared on my nose—something resembling a little scab. I went to see my primary doctor, who gave me a referral, and then I tried calling at least ten different dermatology clinics here in Canada where I live. But since the healthcare system in Canada is such a total mess, nobody ever actually picks up the phone. After several days and hundreds of failed calls, I decided to just call a private clinic instead. While Googling, I settled on perhaps the most well-known dermatologist in Canada. I was able to book an appointment immediately, they offered plenty of available slots, and I only had to wait about 10 to 15 days; they even gave me a polite courtesy call a couple of days before the appointment just to make sure I was still coming or to reschedule if needed. It wasn't anything major, I think it was some kind of keratosis, and the doctor basically just treated it with liquid nitrogen and called it a day. The cost was peanuts, maybe 40 or 50 dollars, I don't recall exactly.

Now, there is a small detail to consider; when I first walked into the doctor's office, he started by apologizing because he had to take an urgent phone call. He was speaking to a dermatology clinic in Ljubljana, and from what I gathered, he was telling them they had a patient with obvious early-stage melanoma that was right on the edge of metastasizing. He was pleading with them to get that patient admitted to the ward as soon as humanly possible, maybe even tomorrow. He was 100% certain it was melanoma, and we are talking about a person's life here. Yet, the woman's voice on the other end brushed him off like he was some random nobody asking for a favor. That poor soul was scheduled for an appointment twenty days out.

So, my advice is this: if you can avoid relying on referrals and the public health system, do it. Take control of the situation yourself and don't hesitate to spend a $33 or a few dozen dollars on a private dermatology exam. In the long run, isn't it certainly going to be cheaper that way?

Jacob Williams said:...It was about this young, ambitious officer who just suddenly vanishes without a trace... A cop who was allegedly digging into white-collar crime...

Well, hey, anything can happen, right? Maybe that ambitious young officer decided to pack her bags and take a job over in Canada. Not too long ago, our FBI Director, Aleksander Hojs, actually released the salary data for officers working in Canada. If you really want to see for yourself, why not try your luck using "ctrl+f" on

There wouldn't be much to find surprising there, except for one tiny little detail; while the police are out there threatening to strike, the Secretary goes ahead and publicly posts their salaries, which range from $3,000 - $4,000 - $5,000 a month for your average beat cops.
It’s absolutely insane, isn't it?

If your officer ended up finding a steady gig here in the States, just know that she probably couldn't be any more comfortable even if she were in paradise.😁😁😁

Besides, if someone from the Caribbean actually gives me a compliment, I might just let it go to my head. 🙂
I’m really trying to turn things around, much like you suggested: just taking it one day at a time, improving in every possible way...

Laura Chavez93, you make a really solid point there! 👍
If I’m reading you right, one of your hobbies might just be baptizing young goats. About a month ago, while I was wandering through the Midwest, I actually crossed paths with this one particular billy goat. We almost became fast friends, honestly.


I couldn't help but think of you!
Since you're clearly the expert here, what's your take—is this goat officially baptized?
I should probably mention that he is an incredibly sophisticated fellow.

Sam Alvarez4 said:The heavy hitters on this forum don't just spam photos that take up most of the screen.
Exactly.
They write well enough that they don't need to draw pictures.

Once you master that, you'll make it to the big leagues, @brightviper29.

1. Well, my husband was kind enough to set me up with high-speed fiber and massive monitors, so having images in my posts doesn't really pose much of an issue for me.
2. My faith isn't exactly stopping me from sharing photos, either. 😁
3. Besides, sometimes a picture can actually be quite educational, don't you think?

Morgan Rodriguez57 said:It might be best if Anderson weighs in on this one: during the first phase of the meltdown, I was basically the only one able to use the forum, then once things settled in the second phase, everyone else could get back in while I just sort of... vanished as a user.

I honestly had no idea this happened, though I suppose we didn't even get the luxury of a classic, rigged forum trial where you’d lay out your grievances and self-reflections, only to have the rest of the community collectively convict you of being an anti-community agitator, working with foreign sites, or acting as some kind of digital spy.

Morgan Rodriguez57 said:I probably typed out somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 posts... some just vanished into thin air during old chat sessions, and others were lost because I had to go through the whole registration process all over again after the Great Forum Disaster Summer of 2006.

I haven't really kept tabs on all the drama happening here, so what exactly went down back in 2006—was it some sort of anniversary marking forty years since the Chinese Cultural Revolution? And did those events from 2006 wrap up with a happy ending similar to how the Cultural Revolution ended? It honestly feels like these people just live for the chaos.

mistyhound94 said:The only thing I can be is heavy-set 🤣
By post count, I guess I'm a total nobody, or so they say 😳

That’s a cryptic way of putting it, so what exactly does "nolifer" mean? Is it like calling someone a total loser?

bluecyclist64 said:Good grief, Paul Bunyan—you’re going to become some legendary figure on this Forum once people can't tell if you're actually Karlo Metikoš, Željko Malnar, or even Marshall himself!🥳

Look, buddy, all those old comrades are long gone, so let's not go down that path; I’d really like to stick around for at least another forty years, wouldn't you?

I honestly wonder if anyone else feels this way, or if I’m just overthinking things, but sometimes you have to step back and look at the bigger picture, don't you? It seems like we spend so much energy focusing on the tiny details that we completely miss the actual substance of what's happening right in front of us. Is it just me, or does it feel like everything is becoming a bit too complicated for its own good lately? kaže:
In my quest to stay a little fixture on this forum, I actually managed to rack up nearly 2,700 comments before I even turned thirteen, which makes you wonder if there's such a thing as being too much of a regular, doesn't it?
🙂

If you keep up this exact pace, you might actually hit that 10,000-post milestone and become a true legend around here, though at this rate, we’re probably looking at somewhere around the year 2055. It's funny how time works, isn't it? I remember reading this book back when I was a kid about a guy who managed to survive 7,000 days—that's twenty whole years—out in the frozen wilds of Alaska, and even then, the time seemed to slip by in the blink of an eye. Honestly, seeing how fast things move, 2055 will be here before you know it.

I don't know, does anyone else ever feel like they're just spinning their wheels without actually getting anywhere? It’s one of those things that stays on your mind, isn't it? kaže:
I honestly can't wrap my head around why every single discussion I jump into ends up spiraling into this absolute circus, isn't it strange how that happens? It’s like I try to engage, and suddenly everything turns into a complete joke, only for me to get kicked out because apparently, I’m being "unserious."
I don't know why everyone feels this sudden, overwhelming need to be so incredibly serious all the time, does anyone else feel that?

I just can't wrap my head around this constant obsession with being unserious, you know? Why is there such a relentless drive to avoid anything of substance?
The younger crowd on here seems to take everything so incredibly seriously, don't they?

We're looking at a group of seasoned veterans here, people who have truly put in the time and know exactly what they're talking about.

It seems like being serious just isn't what everyone is looking for these days, is it?

Chris Myers said:I doubt it. I don't drive a Ferrari... 🙂

Are you trying to subtly let us know how you handle an airplane, or is that just your way of saying a Ferrari is strictly for those boring little crawlers stuck on the ground?😁

Gerald Chavez7 said:I’m honestly not sure if I’d classify myself as a power user, a casual observer, or somewhere in the middle—but I do know my "secret" to consistently dropping two massive posts a day for thirteen years straight: it’s called using "new tabs." Believe it or not, I just multitask through everything... provided, of course, that the chat rooms aren't lagging out.

Well, just keep charging ahead, because from where I'm sitting, this whole site seems populated by nothing but the heavyweights with 10, 20, or even 30k posts. (Aside from me, obviously.)
I feel a bit like Cat Jones wandering through the Nostromo, completely surrounded by dangerous aliens on every side.
If I'm reading you correctly, the secret to your longevity is simply moderation and consistency—just a few posts every single day for about ten years, and success is practically guaranteed. It reminds me of those old 80s commercials for yogurt.
I see you're closing in on that big 10,000 mark. Personally, I think that's the real milestone where someone truly earns their status as a legendary veteran of the Forum.
So, let me be the first to say congratulations! 👍

Chris Myers said:Fine then, brightviper29. I guess I don't really belong among these Forum users anyway, so there's probably no point in me even responding here. 👍

Look, you really shouldn't be so modest because you clearly belong among the elite contributors here on this Forum, don't you think? I know I mentioned before that I’m hardly an expert when it comes to all the inner workings and the history of what goes on around here, but even just a quick glance at everything tells me you're part of that top tier.

Jose Miller3 said:It's just a hobby, really🤷

Some people spend hours gaming—just driving around in tanks and blasting other testosterone-fueled idiots on the other side of the screen—some play Solitaire, some spend all day scrubbing their bathrooms, some live at the gym for two hours a day, and some just post way too much on this Forum.

(Yeah, there's definitely a crowd of users with massive post counts who have those crappy jobs where they get paid to sit at a desk for 8 hours, but half that time is spent scrolling through threads. I used to be one of those people a long time ago... I worked at this huge, disorganized, totally inefficient private company where my bosses didn't give a damn what I actually did during the day, as long as I was physically in my chair from 9 to 5)

I find myself wondering what actually drives someone to spend so much time obsessing over online forums, especially when we all know there’s zero practical payoff at the end of the day. For instance, I noticed people constantly bringing up that one moderator over in the History section, Mr. O'Shea. Now, I don't really frequent the history boards, nor am I particularly interested in the subject myself, but I decided to take a little detour over there just to figure out why everyone seems so intent on picking on him. Honestly, I was floored; the level of sheer madness in that corner of the site is higher than what you'd find in a high-security asylum. That moderator is basically like a lone firefighter trying to hold back a blaze in a bone-dry pine forest, surrounded by a pack of pyromaniacs who are armed to the teeth with matches, lighters, flamethrowers, and gasoline, just waiting for the right moment to strike. As for O'Shea himself, he comes across like some sort of tireless missionary or an eccentric zealot—sort of like a messenger out of Ripley—and it's pretty obvious he does it all out of pure, unadulterated enthusiasm, probably for next to nothing. He truly is a dedicated forum dweller.

dustypilot11 said:Of course it takes sacrifices. I haven't even worked out in two days. Embarrassing. 😳
Honestly, nothing else really suffers. This Forum is basically my substitute for TV—which I haven't owned in a decade—and for those video games people spend hours grinding. It just fills the gaps. I don't even follow the YouTubers because I don't have the patience for it. I like this way of communicating where I can write a little or a lot one day, then absolutely nothing the next, and just log off whenever I feel like it.
Plus, this Forum is often my only way to actually interact in American English.
When I'm with family, I usually don't post, but when I'm traveling—stuck in transit, in vans, on trains, buses, or at airports... I've checked in here from pretty much every continent.

What am I doing, looking for some kind of medal or something? 🕺

I’m guessing you probably work in the travel industry—maybe something like being a flight attendant for a major airline like Delta or United, or perhaps something similar in that realm—but I'm curious, how much time do you actually find yourself spending on the Forum on an average day? And beyond just passing the time, what do you feel is the real benefit of posting here?

I happened to notice Badger over on the Forum, and it’s pretty clear he’s well on his way to becoming a real heavyweight around here, so I’m definitely giving him a thumbs up 👍

Chris Myers said:Define what you actually mean by a "big" forum user... how many years do they need to have been around, and what's the minimum post count to earn that title? What are we looking at on an annual average?

For example... hitting 2,000 posts a year isn't even that hard, especially if you're just spamming the chat rooms. Maybe 6 posts a day, where each one is just 3 letters on average. 6 x 365 = 2190... times 3 letters = 6570 letters.

I bet there are recipes on AllRecipes with more than 6570 letters! 😬

I don't think it’s really about some rigid definition involving post counts or how many years someone has been hanging around this Forum; it’s more about their actual presence. Honestly, the best way I can explain it is by looking at tennis players. You don't necessarily have to be ranked number one in the ATP Rankings, you don't need to have won a Grand Slam, and you don't even have to be in the top 10 to be considered a great player. It’s just about having that certain something. Real pros distinguish themselves from casual weekend players through their sense of timing and how they perceive the flow of the game. While an amateur is always rushed, panicking and reacting frantically under pressure, time seems to move in slow motion for the greats—they are always in the right place at the exact right moment, nothing catches them off guard, and they always seem prepared to react perfectly when it matters most.

It’s the same thing with those truly legendary forum members; they seem to have this incredible sense of timing, as if they have all the time in the world. Personally, it remains a mystery to me how they pull it off. How much time do you typically dedicate to the Forum on a daily basis? Does maintaining that kind of presence require sacrificing other parts of life, like family, work, seeing friends, or just getting out and enjoying yourself?

Sam Alvarez4 said:@brightviper29
Are you running some kind of sociological study and just need the stats, or...?

Not quite, though interacting with the big names on this Forum feels a lot like this scenario: I'm cruising down the interstate at about 130 or 150 mph, and then I spot a Ferrari tearing through at 62 miles/h, just flying past. I find myself staring in pure disbelief, noticing how every other driver seems completely stunned by it too—especially those guys in their BMWs, Mercedes, Audis, or Volkswagens, who look absolutely shell-shocked whenever they try to overtake a Ferrari. Then, I pull into a gas station to fuel up, only to run right into that exact same Ferrari again. It’s the same scene all over. I get that maybe the Ferrari driver is just enjoying the scenery... but still, there's something deeply mysterious and enigmatic about how they just keep appearing out of nowhere.

It’s the same thing with the heavy hitters here on the Forum; while the rest of us are constantly rushing around feeling like we're perpetually short on time, these veteran users seem to have nothing but time on their hands. Honestly, I can't wrap my head around how they manage it. That's really why I asked.

I’ve always felt that the heavy hitters on these boards are a different breed entirely, people with years of experience and thousands of posts under their belts. Most regular users—and I definitely count myself among them—only find a spare moment here and there to drop a comment, mostly because the average person is constantly caught in the grind between work deadlines, client orders, shipping delays, customer complaints, paperwork, family responsibilities, kids, friends, or even just keeping up with the local pickup basketball game... then you have these other individuals who seem to have nothing but time to post day and night.

Now, I’m certainly not someone who spends all day lurking or following every single thread, but I’ve often found myself wondering how those power users manage to carve out such massive amounts of free time just to write. Let’s be honest, hitting those kinds of numbers and staying active in endless debates every single day isn't exactly an easy feat. So, my question is really directed at the veterans: how do you actually pull this off, and what does your life look like outside of this screen?

I’m not looking for anyone to get overly sentimental or start sharing private details they shouldn't, but could you offer at least a vague hint about the secret behind your incredible activity levels?
Does all this time spent online ever clash with your privacy, your career, or your family life, and what do the people closest to you actually think about it all?

Adam Doyle63 said:Must be nice being from Canada, having everything fall right into place like that. 🤣 It’s all just one big, calculated scheme to snatch the world of Gera right out from under us while we're stuck rowing aimlessly through the backwaters of some forgotten American suburb. 🤣

Christian Myers said:You've got a point there. While we're stuck dealing with our own mess, people from Canada are over there feasting on our catch and making off with everything. 😁

It looks to me like you two are just living in the past, clinging to that old Yugo nostalgia. Those days are long gone—back when our great leader Janez Janša was still busy training at some local party official academy. That era is ancient history now. Honestly, we won't have anything different to talk about until Viktor Orbán actually takes over.

I was just scrolling through some political commentary regarding Viktor Orbán, and it really makes you stop and think about how much influence a single figure can wield over an entire nation's direction, doesn't it? It's one of those things where you look at the headlines and wonder if we're seeing a temporary shift or a permanent change in the political landscape. Does anyone else feel like the way leaders interact with their constituents today is fundamentally different from what we saw even a decade ago? It seems like everything is moving faster, more intensely, and with much higher stakes than ever before.

I can't see any images attached to your message. If you were trying to share something, could you try uploading them again? I'm happy to take a look once they come through.

Christian Myers said:Are you actually hoping one of us ends up behind bars? Or are you just throwing out ideas for how to get us there? 😁

Christian, I totally get why you're worried... honestly, today has just completely wiped me out, and I'm surprised I'm even still awake, so I think I'll head out and try to catch some sleep. 🙂

I've got two little new topics for us to chew on.

First topic:
Let's grill the moderators.>
I have to admit, I’ve always been a bit skeptical when it comes to any kind of authority figure, haven't I? My past run-ins with the police, military personnel, inspectors, sheriffs, and customs agents haven't exactly left me with a glowing reputation of them, so don't blame me if I instinctively lump the moderators into that same category by default.
Luckily for us, this site actually allows us to talk about the moderation team without facing any immediate repercussions, right?😁>

Maybe we could structure this thread so even the average user gets a chance to push back against the administrative machine. What if we picked one day a week where a moderator is essentially at the mercy of the community for two or three hours? For instance, every Thursday from 9:00 PM to midnight, Moderator XY would be subjected to a bit of "interrogation" by the regular users. We could throw out all those weird, uncomfortable questions about their life and work—ranging from which users they can't stand to how their parents used to ground them when they were kids, what sports teams they root for, what their favorite adult websites are, or just what they actually do for a living...

Initially, the moderators could volunteer for these sessions, but eventually, we could move to a rotation or even have them assigned by the owner. If a moderator fails to survive this "initiation" process, perhaps they should just revert to being a regular user?
It might feel a bit like a return to the Inquisition, I suppose, but we could follow up each session with a poll to see what kind of impression the moderator made during the hearing.

Second topic:
Stories of how you've outsmarted the government, state agencies, or federal officials.The premise is pretty straightforward, and I think there's plenty of room here for true stories, dramatic confessions, and various encounters or experiences involving the cops, local bureaucrats, or customs officers.