PorkChopExpress86

They've done this. It's called the Milgram Experiment and the results were just the opposite. http://www.new-life.net/milgram.htm In response to a newspaper ad offering $4.50 for one hour's work, an individual was asked to take part in a Psychology experiment investigating memory and learning. He was introduced to a stern looking experimenter in a white coat and a rather pleasant and friendly co-subject. The experimenter explained that the experiment will look into the role of punishment in learning, and that one will be the "teacher" and one will be the "learner" (or "student"). Lots were drawn to determine roles, and it was decided that the individual who answered the ad will become the "teacher." The "learner" (student) was then taken to a room where he was strapped in a chair to prevent movement and an electrode was placed on his arm. Next, the "teacher" was taken to an adjoining room which contains a generator. The "teacher" was instructed to read a list of two word pairs and ask the "learner" to read them back. If the "learner" got the answer correct, then they moved on to the next word. If the answer was incorrect, the "teacher" was supposed to shock the "learner" starting at 15 volts. The generator has 30 switches in 15 volt increments, each was labeled with a voltage ranging from 15 up to 450 volts. Each switch also has a rating, ranging from "slight shock" to "danger: severe shock". The final two switches were labeled "XXX". The "teacher" was supposed to increase the shock each time the "learner" missed a word in the list. Although the "teacher" thought that he/she was administering shocks to the "learner", the "learner" was actually an actor who never experienced the shocks. (The drawing of lots was rigged, so that the actor would always end up as the "learner.") After a number of voltage level increases, the actor started to bang on the wall that separated him from the subject. After several times banging on the wall and complaining about a heart condition, all responses by the "learner" ceased. At times, the worried "teacher" questioned the "experimenter," asking who was responsible for any harmful effects resulting from shocking the learner at such a high level. Upon receiving the answer that the "experimenter" assumed full responsibility, the "teacher" seemed to accept the response and continue shocking, even though some were obviously extremely uncomfortable in doing so. Results Today the field of psychology would deem this study highly unethical but, it revealed some extremely important findings. The theory that only the most severe monsters on the sadistic fringe of society would inflict cruelty is disproven. Findings showed that, "two-thirds of this study's participants fall into the category of "obedient" subjects, and that they represent ordinary people drawn from the working, managerial, and professional classes (Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View)." Ultimately 65% of all of the "teachers" punished the "learners" to the maximum 450 volts. No subject stopped before reaching 300 volts! Milgram wrote about his findings in his 1974 book, Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View: The legal and philosophic aspects of obedience are of enormous importance, but they say very little about how most people behave in concrete situations. I set up a simple experiment at Yale University to test how much pain an ordinary citizen would inflict on another person simply because he was ordered to by an experimental scientist. Stark authority was pitted against the subjects' [participants'] strongest moral imperatives against hurting others, and, with the subjects' [participants'] ears ringing with the screams of the victims. Authority won more often than not. The extreme willingness of adults to go to almost any lengths on the command of an authority constitutes the chief finding of the study and the fact most urgently demanding explanation. Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. Moreover, even when the destructive effects of their work become patently clear, and they are asked to carry out actions incompatible with fundamental standards of morality, relatively few people have the resources needed to resist authority.

I don't mind words like that, its when it gets REALLY ridiculous that I have to stop reading. Stuff like "love staff" and "bearded clam" as you point out. I used pearl necklace in a story because one character was trying to be funny only she blew it and called it a diamond necklace. It was in character tho, otherwise I would stay away from terms like that.

Only confirmed saints go directly to heaven. Yes, everyone else goes to purgatory, SO SAYETH THE GREAT QUEEN SPIDER!!!

Don't you have to betray your master to do that? judas, brutus and cassius?

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis! Here is how you matched up against all the levels: Level | Score Purgatory | Very Low Level 1 - Limbo | Low Level 2 | High Level 3 | Very High Level 4 | Very High Level 5 | High Level 6 - The City of Dis | Very High Level 7 | High Level 8- the Malebolge | Moderate Level 9 - Cocytus | Moderate Level descriptions: http://www.4degreez.com/misc/dante-inferno-information.html Take the test: http://www.4degreez.com/misc/dante-inferno-test.mv Level 6. I do love some good heresy. "Outcasts of Heaven, you twice-loathsome crew," he cried upon that terrible sill of Hell, "how does this insolence still live in you?"

man... the last time i had a gas station sandwich i thought i was going to die... did you see that episode of futurama? nothing like that.

Anyone think Russia is really going to stop with some small, breakaway Caucus state? This is a clear message they are sending to the United States and NATO. They don't want to be "encircled" by an alliance specifically designed to contain their aggression. Moscow would like nothing more then to return to Warsaw Pact spheres of influence and that means peeling off current NATO allies like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, etc. They are itching for a fight and either its going to happen or the West is simply going to fold and give them their lebensraum. The Cold War ended without a shot fired and Russia was never shown their place. Now, 17 years later, they think they can reassert themselves by inching back down into the Middle East and bringing world oil and natural gas reserves under their thumb.

Actually, lucchese are american boots. hand made in El Paso, Texas. Allen Edmons are top quality shoes that run from about $350-700. But if we're still going with Italian Zelli makes pretty nice shoes and are much more fashionable. Lots of unusual leathers and interesting designs. http://www.zellishoes.com/ Both of those companies also do high end belts for many hundreds of dollars. Are you setting stories in Chicago? Oxxford Clothes is based there and they are just as expensive as Brioni. Off the rack Oxxford goes from about 3 thousand to 5 thousand and custom work can run up to 15 thousand (thats the most expensive suit my boss had ever personally sold). Brioni runs about 10 to 15% higher, largly due to import costs. Italian Americans who have no firsthand connection to italy would probably be just as likely to buy from them. Armani of course would be more recognizable to some of the lower level guys. While Armani does use top shelf fabrics, their manufacturing isn't nearly the quality of Oxxford and Brioni. Most of Armani's clothing is machine sewn where as the two I mentioned are 95% hand stitched. Hicky Freeman is a nice mid level company with off the rack suits going from 2-3.5k and custom jobs topping out at about 6k. A great way to do some research on other things like watches and jewelry for men is to pick up a magazine called The Robb Report. Particularly the Best of issue at the end of the year. They advertise $80,000 watches, personal airplanes, and quarter million dollar cars in there regularly. Its fun to look through and realize that someone can spend more on a single piece of merchandise then you will make all year... lol. hope that helped.

lol, well thanks. I try to support what I say, especialy if its an argument. I'll help you out as much as I can. Just remember, if its the mob it has to be italian. Brioni suits (i misspelled it earlier) are probably the only way to go for the Capo and his top men. Their top suits could be a downpayment on a house.

lol, have to agree with you there. I follow Maddox's adopt a vegetarian plan. For every animal you DON'T eat, I eat 3. Nothing beats a well prepared steak (although mine has to be cooked. also, buffalo steak FTW!) And yeah maybe I misinterpreted the OP a bit. If gucci is the ONLY way you describe an item then thats simply a poor description. But if the character is a part of that world then he'll know more then that about the item anyway. Google Lucchese Boots and look at everything they have. Those boots can go from 500 to 5,000, depending on the options and most people who wear them know what they are. I never did much to sell them becuase those were always my boss's customers, but let me assure you it can take an hour to build your custom boots. Most high end clothing (for men anyway) is custom tailored and the details that go into custom work should be described by an author.

To be fair, I say that to every woman I see who isn't in a kitchen.

Not at all. A big complaint about Bob Dole was that he was too old for the job, yet he's still kicking 12 years later. He seemed pretty spry all those times he was on the Daily Show. The office of the president does put considerable strain on someone but I think if McCain survived the Hanoi Hilton, he'll do fine in the Oval Office.

Thats the world you live in. It's not the world everyone lives in. The people that buy Prada, Gucci, and Oxxford and Brinoi suits do so with about the same ammount of thought that you put into your $20 shoes and bags. I watched a customer drop $4,000 while killing time, waiting for a lunch appointment. I saw a man spend $500 on SOCKS. nothing else. just socks. How's he gonna flaunt his socks to his friends? Designer lables are only flashy to people who make under a quarter million a year. To the people that make more, it's tuesday. And those are the people that these items are marketed towards.

That's just your frame of reference. I sold high end mens clothing for a year and while my most expensive suits were around $800, I watched $4,000 suits go out the door on a daily basis. For some people it is a status thing and they want people to know they are wearing pricey clothes, but for the vast majority of the people who shopped there, that level of quality was the only thing they had ever known. Someone living in subsaharan africa might see your $14 (the equivelant of a month's worth of income) shoes in exactly the same light as you see prada shoes.

You've never heard of Gucci and Prada? The reason people mention them are because they are fashion icons that are internationally renown. I can defiantly see how it would be important to note those items if it was relevant to the character. If the character is wealthy or goes out of their way to engage in conspicuous consumption those things could tell you about their personality. However, if it’s just a normal person those things are a little unrealistic. CHEAP Prada shoes are $500 a pair.

I find it hard to read PWP. Just because two characters are in the same place at the same time isn't enough justification for them to get down to business as far as I'm concerned. People write it, people read it, and thats cool, its just not for me. In the stories i've written sex is a huge part of the story, but there is a strong plot there too.

Well my biggest suggestion would be to come up with an overarching story line. The two I read were pretty much PWP, which is fine but in my opinion having a context in which the characters have sex is pretty important. It doesn't have to be long, especially if you're new to writing, but find a place in the series where you would take it in a different direction. I like Sailor Moon because of the time between seasons gives you lots of room to work. You can use existing characters, like i have, or make up new villains for them to fight (and fuck). Or put the characters into a story before or after the established canon. Some people do alternate reality story lines, where they just take the characters and change everything else, but i feel like if you're going to do that you should just come up with a compleatly original story. If you want to bounce ideas off me i'm up for that but I dont want to co-write. I have enough trouble keeping up with my own stories.

Don't worry about Zyx... he pretty much does that to everyone.

Well I read your Sailor Moon stories. I think they are a good start, but try to add more to the descriptions. Give a complete picture of what the characters are going through, not just a rundown of the actions. What are they experiencing with all of their senses, what are they thinking?

I pretty much keep to the Sailor Moon section on these boards (although I've been meaning to branch out) but this just doesn't seem to be a problem there. I've gotten dozens of reviews and none were flames and when I look at the reviews for other stories i haven't seen almost any. I do agree with the general concensus of this thread, however. If someone is going to leave a flame they should have the balls (or whatever) to leave a point of contact. I doubt I would leave a review if I simply hated a story, i'd just click back and find something I would want to read.

ahhh mob justice. the best kind of justice... the illegal kind. just what did bush do to deserve that? something illegal, right?