Humodour

That's a misguided stance. 'Speed' (medically known as amphetamines) is the primary drug used medically to control ADHD (Ritalin/Methylphenidate is the other one). Many studies have been performed which show that Ritalin and amphetamines do NOT in fact lead to substance abuse. Substance abuse has a slightly higher incidence in people with ADHD because of attempted self-medication but not for the reason you stated: it occurs for the same reasons as in 'normal' people; to counteract depression, to "just feel something", to try and forget about life, etc. Though it is true that caffeine, speed and alcohol work differently for people with ADHD, speed is the only one which works as desired. Speed increases norepinephrine (noradrenalin) and dopamine uptake. Caffeine increases dopamine uptake, but also inhibits Adenosine (a calming molecule) and increases adrenalin uptake (an agression molecule). Alcohol IS known to increase dopamine uptake, but with everything else it does in the brain, it is a very poor choice for self-medication. Though 1 or 2 beers will sending me crashing to sleep pretty damn fast (with more waking me up again). And what the heck re taste? Taste has absolutely nothing to do with addiction. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter linked with many addictions, but our brain chemistry is different because we have less dopamine uptake - so addiction isn't the same in us for substances which interfere with dopamine.

A lot of people smarter and more successful than you worked in fast food at one point or another. Yes there are plenty of instances in which someone has triumphed through hard times but I'd rather rely on statistics (one's that I have never seen before but common sense points in the right direction) and I'm guessing that most people who work in fast food are headed toward financial destruction and an unhealthy, stressful life. Who are you kidding dude? I mean seriously. Edit: And if anyone hasn't figured out yet I wasn't proposing some kind of law that prevented people in fast food from having children. I was leaning more towards people in bad financial situations, because lets face it the more money you have the better the chance your kids are going to have a better lifestyle in the present and future, should think twice before having a child they won't be able to fully and lovingly support. You're deluded. Here, fast food experience is seen as a starting point for job experience and references, and is valued because of the customer service teachings provided by these places. I can name countless friends at university who have fast food experience. Fast food wage here is average for the wage of any job at the respective age. Also, kids who worked in retail/fast food are more likely to be financially independent, regardless of whether or not they save. And of those people I know who've worked in fast food, the majority refuse to eat there anymore - how is that unhealthy? People who REMAIN in fast food I feel pity for, however. I do hate fast food and would like for nothing more than to see McDonald's crumble. Wait, you're saying people in fast food shouldn't have kids yet? That, I agree with. It's hardly related to this thread, though, since the girl didn't even know she was pregnant/plan it.

Yeah, I agree. I love it when items have unique powers and interesting back-stories to go with them.

I thought it was level 2020 that happened?

A lot of people smarter and more successful than you worked in fast food at one point or another.

I like ideas like this. The Ring of Biting in PS:T was interesting because while it was good, you couldn't replace it on the fly. Probably not the best example of a disadvantage, though. In BG1/2 the Claw of Kazgeroth had a nasty penalty to your constitution and death saving throws - two fairly important areas, but overall I often deemed its use meangingful. A somewhat different example is the innate ability of Minsc which made him go berserk. A lot of players hated this, but recently I've tried using it and have found it very useful, and often plan my battles around it. I guess I'm saying that I like it when items and powers aren't 100% cookie cutter and have pros/cons - as long as the cons are meangingful and not arbitrary.

I'm thinking more of how her parents would have reacted. "You're pregnant?!" "Not anymore. You're grandparents." "What? What's it's name?" "Um."

Don't run and hide you pansy Yeah, you should duck and cover.

Not really. Anybody who does that is an attention seeker. They exist in all walks of life, and to stereotype people with ADHD that way is annoyance I've come to live with. It's one of the reasons I don't tell people I have ADHD IRL.

*cough* Anyway... I just watched the Ironic vid: It is awesome. I love how she plays each aspect of her psyche.

I hope that kid brings about the downfall of McDonald's.

Hahaha. But Alanis's satire made up for it, no?

First off, watch the Hy Humps video by Black Eyed Peas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbZc7j6A230 Now watch Alanis's parody:

I attempted to read one of Le Guin's books a few months back, but found I could not summon the attention to continue reading, which is actually somewhat rare for me - I've read LOTR twice, but perhaps more through willpower than interest the second time. Would somebody care to suggest a good starting point for her universe? I can't guarantee I was even reading the first book.

Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.

I also have it, Tale. I made this thread to see what popular thought on the subject was amongst a fairly educated crowd, and to see if anybody else here also has it. I've found that on internet message boards there is a higher incidence than one would expect given the percentage estimates of the general population with ADHD/ADD (average 5%). I think perhaps one of the most interesting and anecdotally testable aspects of ADHD is that described here: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_caffei...o_an_ADHD_child Essentially, for people with ADHD, some stimulants known to cause hyperactivity in "normal" people do the reverse on those with ADHD. I did not know caffeine was one, but I did always wonder why coffee and energy drinks made me calm and drowsy unlike with most people. The more interesting ones, perhaps, are medications prescribed to those with ADHD. I used to know somebody at school who would sell his tablets instead of taking them. Those who took them essentially became hyperactive, whilst for us they are depressants. Personally, Ritalin and dexamphetamine sulphate (a cousin of speed) made me very apathetic and nihilistic towards the world, which is the main reason I stopped taking them back in year 10. Interestingly, my dad and my half-sister have it, and I firmly believe my sister has it, but she's got other mental illnesses, which would complicate any diagnosis - ADHD in girls is often under-diagnosed, as opposed to supposed over-diagnosis in boys. Anyway, point is it's highly heritable. The most consistent feature of ADD/ADHD is a dopamine imbalance - a testable deviation for all those who would claim the disorder does not exist. Another quirk of ADHD is the ability to "hyperfocus", which is actually a trait of the wider range of right-brain "disorders" such as the unrelated Autistic spectrum, where those with the disorders have an increased ability for intense focus. This might seem contrary to attention deficit, but the key is that it is only controllable so long as the topic/task in question remains interesting or immediately personally important, or at least that's what I've found. In general, those with Autistic disorders or ADHD/ADD, have a stronger right hemisphere than a left one. This isn't a bad thing, IMHO, since it gives us a different perspective on the world - a more holistic and creative one. I personally believe that it is the reason I can learn maths and programming so easily, as both require a holistic, creative vantage point.

The US - now 97% freedom free!

It's already 2008 here. Morons, tch.

I'm no gardener, but I thought they are no exception, cyanide even smells like (bitter) almonds (or the other way around ). Anyway, magic > natural posions samm: Almonds have trace amounts but as somebody who has hogged out on 1 kg bags of them before, I can attest that the cyanogens will never build up to lethal levels from almonds. Walsh: Just because I know how to make poisons and explosives and own a variety of medi

That's too much effort. Easier just to summon a Glebrezu.

What do people know of it?

Well poison potions are easy. I could concoct one in 5 minutes if I visited most people's gardens. Basic toxins: Rhubarb - Contains oxalate crystals. The same compound which is the reason for spinach being a poor source of iron, as all the iron is actually bound up by oxalic acid. The base of the plant also contains the compound found in foxglove. Probably won't kill. Potato - When sprouts form or the potato turns green, it contains unsafe levels of solanine and should not be eaten. Known cases of death from solanine in potatoes exist. Deadly Nightshade/Belladona - Looks like potato and tomato because it is a close relative, one berry will kill a kid, 2 or 3 any adult - I've seen it growing wild in various locations around Bathurst, Canberra, Syndey and the Blue Mountains - including at a kid's waterslide. Solanine levels are amazingly high in this plant, and the small berries change from green to black when ripe. Some species have berries that resemble chilli peppers, probably since chillis are also part of this family. In general don't eat anything from a wild tomato, eggplant, potato, chilli or capsicum bush, including leaves, stem and roots. Oleander - The entire tree is extremely lethal, yet you see it growing in every 2nd garden here. No functional uses in food, but due to its ubiquitous nature and high lethality, thousands of poisoning cases occur each year. One example is where a woman used oleander wood in a cooking instrument and died because the oil seeped into food when the wood got hot. Foxglove - Sort of like snapdragons - AKA digitalis. Causes heart attacks by making the heart race. Extremely lethal. Used in medicine to treat heart-related disorders. Sometimes kids die by drinking vase water that's had digitalis flowers in it, other times people confuse it with Comphrey which is sometimes used to make tea. Sweet pea - I actually used to eat these as a kid! Oops. They contain a neurotoxin. Rose family - roses, apples, pears, peaches, apricots, nectarines, cherries etc - all the seeds contain cyanide (obviously almonds are an exception), so eat the fruit, never the seed. Yew - seeds kill, but leaves do more so. Daffodils - the bulbs are poisonous. My grandparents accidentally ate these once because they thought I was growing onions and had ran out of them. Luckily all they did was complain of upset stomachs. Hyacinth and pretty much any Lilly, really - bulbs almost always quite poisonous and oft times leaves are too. Honeysuckle - vomiting and diarrhea mostly.

Some stats (with about +/- 1 percent error): IE use 3 years ago: 85% Mozilla/Firefox use 3 years ago: 7% IE use now: 55% Mozilla/Firefox use now: 37% You're going down, Microsoft. Reference: http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

Gorth's correct. It was good back in the day. Is Opera still around?

I tentatively agree whole-heartedly with that statement.