misteraven

It's 100% straight theater. Regardless, they're both long shots and are in desperation mode. They need to stay in the conversation and will do whatever it takes to that end. If they were ranking well, you'd see them simmer down. But lets dissect the idea just a bit for fun. Consider the logistics of that effort. There's been over 320+ million NICS checks since the program was instituted in the 1990s. Obviously the peak of guns being interwoven in the fabric of American culture was the 1950's, presumably because you had 16 million Americans go ooff to war in the decade before that and many more going off to war in Korea and later, Vietnam. Estimates put it at a conservative 1 billion guns, though I'd likely add 25 - 50% to that myself and considering how porous our borders in regards to illegal drug and human trafficking, I think even that might be conservative. (We'll save the discussion on how booming the illegal gun trade will become once it's announced to be illegal). The USA is 3.797 million square miles geographically and I've attached a current population density map for the USA. (Note that that the areas with the light yellow coloring or least populated, are fairly certain to also be the greatest density of firearms. Now the ides is that the buyback is accomplished by using taxes taken from Americans, to "buy back" guns taken from American's. So another way to look at this is they're simply refunding a little money that they've already taken from you to temper the backlash of disarming you. Now considering the average gun owner, lets consider their willingness to comply with that. In New Zealand, they instituted the exact same thing after a recent mass shooting. According to PBS, six weeks into the program, gun owners have turned in about 10,000 guns out of an estimated 1.5 million. For reference, New Zealand has a population of roughly 4.8 million people and a geographic area of 103,500 square miles. Source: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/how-new-zealands-gun-buyback-program-is-faring-6-weeks-in So assuming that the US government even had the nerve to go door to door when the program flops as badly as it has in New Zealand (And considering the culture in the USA, you can easily assume it'll fare far worse), how would they go about doing it? Do you think the average LEO has the training to go home to home doing no knock raids? Even if they could put a fast track program together to get them on the same page for a National effort, do you suppose they're prepared to deal with the push back? Knowing the culture in the USA, how quickly will it be before the nightly news is stuffed with reports of cops being shot in the face and gun owners and their families being gun downed by the rest of the squad that shows up? It's not possible to deploy the military on US Soil, so that means the National Guard would be rallied up to assist. So that means if all National Guard report for duty and comply with this Constitutionally Illegal mandate, we can add approximately 450,100 more people to collect all those guns across all that area. How long would such an effort take? How much would it cost? National Guard aren't career warriors. Those are just your average Joe that decided they wanted to serve in some way. They take time off work once a year and dedicate a handful of weekends to learn the absolute bare minimum to qualify as a soldier and then spend 1 weekend a month and a week in the summer practicing. Would the government pay their salary, because that role in and of itself doesn't pay rent, let alone mortgages and we can presume it's going to take a while. Complicating matters is that several states have already declared, as a state, that they wouldn't comply with such Federal overreach and will immediately move to nullify that type of Federal gun legislation. Source: https://gunwars.news21.com/2014/eight-states-have-passed-laws-voiding-federal-firearms-regulations/ So really now, does anyone believe those claims, during a political run up to election time, carry any real weight at all? Likewise, considering recent precedents like the Bundy vs BLM standoff where a group of ranchers held Federal agents at bay for weeks in an armed standoff, over historic grazing rights for cattle, how do you think people like them would react to being raided? Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundy_standoff Adding insult to injury in the governments case against them, even after holding the Feds off at gunpoint for weeks, they managed to win the subsequent court case. Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/08/us/bundy-ranch-standoff-case-charges-dismissed.html Shit is a distraction... Only serves to keep the idiots out there arguing so they can attempt to rally a base, as well as more dumb shit for us to dissect here on the Oontz for shits, giggles and fun.

Assume this is the app that @diggityand @Mercerare talking about: Headspace: Meditation & Sleep by Headspace Inc. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/headspace-meditation-sleep/id493145008 Reviews are exceptionally high, especially with so many. In fact, it’s interesting to see just how many people are on that tip. Not what i would have expected when observing the world around me. That said, definitely a commitment at $12.99 a month. Think that’s more than Netflix or Hulu, but will give it a go if there’s a trial and see if it’s effective for me.

Same with me and keto.

Whats the podcast?

@aimercan you explain your post a bit? Interested in what / how you made it, but also curious about your mention of it not being cost effective. Can you elaborate on that?

I'd be interested in hearing more. I have huge difficulty shutting my mind off or even bringing into a single focus. Part of the reason I enjoy tactical shooting as it forces me to tune out everything except whats happening at that moment. Likewise, I dont do any drugs harder than caffeine. No weed, nothing. Generally won't even take a prescription unless its really necessary. Don't have any ideological issues really, just never really felt an urge. Last night I did actually let The Secret play as I was falling asleep (wearing headphones). Not that I was trying to absorb any message from it, but rather to drown out my thinking. Suppose I could listen to music or "noise", but my still wanders. Thought listening to a sound track of people explaining positivity couldn't hurt and after a certain point as I'm falling asleep, processing what they're saying sort of happens subconsciously, which is about as close as I can get to meditation with what I know how to do. Maybe tonight I'll see if I can stream some Tony Robbins or some shit.

Great response. I agree, even a placebo has been show to cure on occasion, presumably because a person believes enough in it being a cure. As you mentioned faith can work like that as well. Its my thinking that it's a personal choice, but ultimately probably has a lot to do with faith in the general term. Not really a scientific explanation, but to your point some things just can't be explained. But whatever can serve as a catalyst to open a person up to a deeper understanding of themselves as well as a deeper level of consciousness is valid. Doesn't matter if it's a two bit self help book or whatever religion. I'd maybe postulate that like many drugs, it hits people in different ways and what might be effective for one person might have a negative effect on another.

Can you give some insight / feedback to that book since you read it?

I know there's been a lot of self help type threads, past and present. Seems to be particularly prevalent now, presumably because we're all older and entrenched in real life, many years past that enthusiasm of youth and the outlook that comes with it of having the bulk of your life in front of you. Or maybe it's just me and where I'm at with my own life, but I have taken note of some of the more mature threads (at least by 12oz standards) as well as the fact that it's been a thing for ages where 12oz members help other 12oz members that are going through some shit. It hit me like a ton of bricks to learn that during the dark ages of 12oz, when only a handful of people were lurking in the ruins of what was left of the board that a members life was literally saved solely because a couple of fellow members were aware of that individuals crisis and reached out at a critical moment that ended up saving them. Anyhow, not to be all dramatic, but I do see the value in us helping each other. I do believe that there are likely already enough people on here, or soon will be, that possess such a wide spectrum of knowledge, personal and professional experience, connections, etc that collectively, it can have a massive impact if we could somehow cooperate and collaborate in lifting the group as a whole. Obviously we each have our trials and tribulations, daily struggles and even life shattering events occur. I'm starting this thread now as another step in the direction of seeing how we might continue to explore interesting topics, as we always have, but more so to continue moving in the direction of assembling a group that its interested in coming together to help raise our respective positions, or at the very least lend a hand and maybe help out a friend and fellow oontzer. Obviously we have that CBD and other homeopathic remedies that @diggityinspired where we're exploring supplements and related stuff. @fat ralphystarted his Fat Ralphy's Health and Fitness Motivation Thread where he's literally asking the community here to help keep his health and fitness goals on track. @Mercerstarted a really good Home Made Food Flex Off thread where everyone is posting healthy and tasty meals made from scratch (with an attempt to even grow a lot of the ingredients), which also follows on the heels of my own The Off Grid living thread (Dropping out the rat race thread that discusses my own experiences of walking away from everything I'd built over a decade and a half in downtown NYC to simplify my life and walk a path that I feel is more aligned with what I want in life. Lastly, I started a private group, "The Meeting at Jekyll Island" when it became obvious that there's a few members here that have professions in finance and / or deep understanding of topics related to that subject, investment and personal wealth in general. Admittedly, so of these conversations are moving a bit on the slow side (IMO), but every now and again, it gains traction in bits and bursts and again, I do believe there's tremendous potential in working together to increase / improve the individual positions of the collective that partakes. So with that said, I'd like to kick off another related subject that touches on mental and emotional well being" The power of positive thinking, meditation and crawling out of the pits of dispair. It's always been really interesting to me as a subject to see / learn / understand just how profoundly powerful the human mind is, while also seeing mentioned how little science actually understands about it. Despite having accomplishments under out belt like the internet, landing an SUV type rover on other planets or starting to privatize / commercialize space travel, we can barely effectively treat severe brain trauma. Same as how in the civil war, they'd just crudely amputate a limb that was jacked up, even to this day, one of the go to treatments is to literally drill a hole in your skull to relieve pressure. It's interesting to hear some of you guys talk about how certain natural drugs like mushrooms or marijuana have been far more affective in treating certain ailments that even prescription pharmaceuticals had poor results with. But what I'm getting at in this discussion is more related to people that are capable of harnessing the power of their minds to accomplish things that science has a tough, if at all, in explaining. For example, Tibetan monks that meditate in sub zero conditions and not only not die of exposure, but literally melt the snow around them. In a more pop culture version of this, (yeah, I know some of you are going to groan at the mention of this), there was a book and later a move called, "The Secret" where they explore a sort of pseudo science version that essentially talks about the law of attraction and power of positive thought. Personally, I think there's equal mixtures of snake oil and truth lying within "The Secret". For instance, they reference a story about how a person getting out of bed might stub their toe and immediately get on an uptight, negative tip and how that will cascade through the day into a series of small negative events that ultimately culminate into a shitty day. Versus, catching yourself and simply changing your attitude, laughing it off, staying positive and breaking the cycle of negativity and essentially carrying out with a positive day. I know it sounds so basic as to be laughable that changing your attitude can make a world of difference, but it is a fascinating subject that I think we sort of take for granted and we get caught up in our every day lives. Scientifically, its accepted that stress has very real physical effects on the body. From my own experience, I've been in situations of profound moments of stress that literally have me feeling crushed. I literally have been in situations where I'm having trouble breathing, as if I have a 300lb weight on my chest and another 300lb on my shoulders. Then I'll get a phone call that verifies some good news or a solution and it very literally feel like someone walked up to me and just lifted off all the weight. Where you become almost euphoric and there's quite literally a spring in your step. So if stress (negativity) can manifest itself physically like that, it would stand to reason that the opposite is true as well... That absolute opposite of stress (positivity) can manifest physically as well. In Western society (as well as many others), its not unusual to see certain individuals as "lucky". People that just seem to naturally attract good fortune with such consistency, that it defies the natural laws of randomness and coincidence. I'm not postulating these people have necessarily learned "The Secret" and are harnessing the power of positivity to bend the universe to their benefit, but likewise, I can't outright dismiss that there are certain forces we simply do not understand that might be at play. If nothing else, being angry and negative does take a lot of fucking work. Nobody (or nobody sane) can say they enjoy that feeling. Likewise, if we could bottle happiness and good vibes - those moments when the stars align and you exist in that perfect moment in time - we'd all be gazillionaires. Perhaps there's some room to explore how we might be able to make a little individual progress towards contentment and a happier life by trying to better understand some of this stuff and perhaps exercising that area of the human condition that is responsible for it? If nothing else, exploring ideas is fun and learning a little about ways to "be happy" and helping each other is probably a good thing. Again, thinking back to that story I learned where a few members stepped up and pulled up another member on the precipice, maybe something that gets said in here really hits home with someone that wrestling with some demons and makes all the difference.

Oh man, are we actually debating the validity and truth in memes now? Seriously, LOL! Nearly all of them are an oversimplification that borders on disingenuous if not straight up misinformation. It's honestly a perfect reflection of where society is at these days. Most can barely wrap their brains around the dumbed down version of truth found in memes, let alone have a capacity to use it as a pointer to look deeper into whatever subject is being spotlighted. Its the natural evolution of click bait headlines and shitty news stories.

Admittedly, I havent watched the video you guys are discussing (will do so asap), but I've had a lot of conversations regarding this topic with people from that community and simplified, the issue with LEO is affirmative action. Yeah, I know I just stepped way over the politically correct line in the sand, but I've heard some pretty compelling testimony from guys that help train LEO. At a certain point, agencies were required to fill quotas so it became about recruiting certain profiles that look great on paper as a balanced, progressive police force, but in reality came down to people that were far from qualified on a fundamental level, whether it be physically, mentally and / or emotionally. Net result after a decade or two of hiring an extremely demanding job based on appearance (ironic as that may be), is that you a whole lot of people that should not be in that role at all. Add in budget cuts and a bunch of other external influence, such as the incentives at the Federal level to militarize LEO (worthy of an entire discussion in itself), coupled with it genuinely being a very high demand job in more ways than one, particularly in the social and political climate we've allowed ourselves to fall into and you have a clear recipe for disaster. I'm not making excuses or believe that any transgressions should be forgiven, but the system is being compromised at its core.

LOL! Pass on that, but had mentioned to a couple friends that at some point I’d like to do a 12oz build. Probably an AR I’m thinking. Custom cerakote job, maybe some laser etching and just a crisp hand picked setup. If we had more momentum, maybe I’d even do a short numbered run.

Reminds me... the wet t-shirt contests we had back in the day were pretty epic.

@micahhawaiirestoring my faith in graffiti.

Seen them around for a minute. Also a tattoo shop somewhere that stole the name. Weird. Probably others but I don’t go out of my way to look.

Kind of a piece of crap.

Not to keep flogging a dead horse but... Reading a book recently put out by Bobby Hundreds (TheHundreds) and seems everyone sees it... This Is Not a T-Shirt: A Brand, a Culture, a Community--a Life in Streetwear https://www.amazon.com/dp/0374275793/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AQqFDbJE7164W

I’ve used a dab of lavender oil on pillows as a way to relax and sleep better after my mom used to do it when I was younger. Does smell nice and I’d like to think it does something but the effect isn’t so obvious or consistent that I can claim it works for sure. Does smell nice though.

Might only be one movie that I've watched more than this one...

Johnny Nnemonic. Based off a William Gibson book. Was actually excited when this came out. Believe it was a first movie appearance for Henry Rollins or at least an early one.

I'd suggest giving it a little time. Same way your metabolism can make you buzzed after two beers or not even buzzed after 6, that could be a factor I'd think. Likewise, could also be a crap brand, so we'll need to see how it goes after hearing a bit more from you and others.

Just posted this in the Went to a Starbucks for the first time in like two years and... thread... Two winters ago I got diagnosed pre diabetic due to way too many years of massive sugar intake, which triggered a deep dive into trying to understand diet and especially the effects of sugar on the body, as well as the sugar industry and its impact on modern diet. Summary: it's some super fucked up stuff and you really shouldn't add sugar to anything you eat or use it as an ingredient. After you wean off sugar, its fairly easy to avoid and you'll note that things have more flavor as they aren't overwhelmed by sweetness. In fact, if you start easting something sweet after that sugar fast, it almost tastes too sweet. In any case, its hard to live without sweetening things at all, so after a ton of research, this was the only quality solution I came across. Most stevia and alternate sweeteners are either made from chemical shit thats just about as bad in other ways, or packed full of fillers and junk. Some decent super markets will have decent stevia, but many just tasted bitter, even in small doses, which is the main problem with less than premium quality stevia. This is the best I've found: Stevia Select: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CB1QP46/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Fuck it, started it for you here: https://forum.12ozprophet.com/topic/87845-cbd-and-other-homeopathic-remedies/

Based upon some recent discussion with @diggityin @fat ralphy's Health and Fitness Motivation Thread, I thought maybe a thread talking about vitamin, supplements, herbs etc (basically stuff in addition to diet and exercise, might be useful. I know I've been super curious about CBD and have heard everything from it being a miracle elixer to straight snake oil. No doubt everyone is different, physiologies are different, metabolisms are different and we will all likely respond in different ways due to those types of factors, but lets hear about some of what you guys are doing that has worked, as well as lessons learned that have not. I'll start by saying that magnesium supplements have helped me manage stress better than anything else. You can't just steady take magnesium like a daily vitamin because your body does get used to it. Like a lot of fitness supplements, you have to cycle it and it also is better metabolized with other stuff, namely calcium. Like anything else, there's quality brands and shit brands, but as I understand it, magnesium is fairly rare in average diets so the body doesn't normally get much of it. Likewise, the body depletes it rapidly during times of prolonged stress. A lot of the time, it just sort of keeps my "balance" somewhat steady and I almost don't feel anything at all... Just normal. Other times I've taken it and almost felt like I was on an opioid or something... So freakin mellow it was like a cloud of bliss. I try to always keep some on hand and during times of particular anxiety crack open my supply of a powder called "Calm", which for me has worked better than everything else, again can't just take it all the time. Beyond that, I also regularly take quality fish oil and vitamin D, because I live so far North and don't get much sun in the Winter months. Was told vitamin D also helps with depression. Other than that, I've tried lots of multi vitamins and daily supplements and actually grew up with a mom that always had vitamins next to the dinner plate. Beyond what's been stated above, the only stuff I've taken that I could feel have a tangible effect was GNC Mega Men Energy Multi Vitamin. Calm: https://www.naturalvitality.com/natural-calm GNC Mega Men Energy Multi Vitamin - https://www.gnc.com/vitamins_supplements/201722.html?cgid=vitamins_supplements#prefn1=brand&prefv1=GNC+Mega+Men®&start=1 --------- In regards to CBD, I'm really interested to hear your experiences and research on it. I've been looking at it for a while, but have not tried it. I don't smoke weed and dont really have much experience in that regard, but have heard a lot of good stuff about quality CBD. Here's a link to a brand that made my radar, but again, havent tried it. Maybe if there's enough of us interested in it, I can reach out through 12oz and see if I can get us our own discount code. Alpen Organics: https://alpenorganics.com/ Here's a coupon code I saw for them and the IG account where I found out about it...