Johnny E

Hi all, I have been put into the unfortunate position of picking out a computer for my mother-in law. I haven't bought a desk top in a while and was wondering if I might get some advice from some of the more computer savvy members. Much thanks in advance. Here`s what her needs are: Price is not a factor but she doesn't want to pay for extra frills she won't use. She wants a flat screen 19 "monitor, she wants the speediest operational computer possible (she wants the ability to add RAM later, but hopefully not for a long time), but doesn't need a huge amount of hard drive space. Storing pictures and programs files is what she uses her HD space for mainly. A built-in wireless with good video and audio. So what are considered the best desktops now-a-days (PC's), and what would be the best place to buy from? Thanks all. -john

Would you guys miss me as much if I stopped posting?

be very very mean to me.

I hope that they can round up and punish these barbaric murders. How can people be so inhumane?

Have you lost your mind or have I?

"Beautiful Boy" - John Lennon "You're Sixteen (Your beautiful and you're mine)" - Ringo Starr "Teddy Boy" - Paul McCartney "Not Guilty" - George Harrison

Romania Stunned by Nun's Death in Exorcism By ALISON MUTLER, Associated Press Writer Fri Jun 24, 3:10 PM ET TANACU, Romania - The whispers started in April in the mind of the 23-year-old nun. In the heart of an Orthodox convent in Romania's impoverished northeast, doctors say, Maricica Irina Cornici believed she heard the devil talking to her, telling her she was sinful. She was treated for schizophrenia, but when she relapsed, a monk and four nuns tried a different method: exorcism. Last week, Cornici was bound to a cross, gagged with a towel and left in a dank room at the convent for three days without food — where she died of suffocation and dehydration. The case has stunned this impoverished nation where rural youths, many raised in orphanages like Cornici, have flocked to Orthodox monasteries and convents for spiritual help or food and shelter. Polls show the Orthodox Church to be the nation's most trusted institution. In April, Cornici was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in the northeast city of Vaslui. "She thought the devil was talking to her and told her that she was a sinful person," said Dr. Gheorghe Silvestrovici, a psychiatrist who treated her. "It's a symptom of schizophrenia, and she was probably having her first episode." The nun was given medication and released on April 20 to the care of the Holy Trinity convent in the nearby village of Tanacu, an isolated community of about 1,000 people in a hilly area cultivated with vineyards and corn. She was supposed to return in 10 days, but never did. Daniel Petru Corogeanu, a 29-year-old red-bearded monk who served as the convent's priest and allegedly led the exorcism, told the media he was trying to take devils out of the nun. He said she had to be restrained because she was violent and that she refused to drink holy water. Corogeanu and the four nuns were charged with aggravated murder on Wednesday in Cornici's death after testifying for 11 hours to prosecutors. If found guilty, they could face up to 25 years in prison. The monk said Friday outside the courtroom that he and the nuns were innocent and blamed media pressure for their arrests. His lawyer has asked for the case to be moved to a different location, citing the intense media and public scrutiny in the area. Romania's Supreme Court is expected to rule on a location for the trial. "I am scared that if I went to the monastery they would crucify me, too," said Ioan Hristea, a 52-year-old former welder who suffers from epilepsy and said he was hospitalized with Cornici. Others said the prosecutors were swayed by the public pressure and went too far by charging the suspects with aggravated murder, and that a lesser charge of manslaughter would have been more appropriate. "Aggravated murder implies intention and committing the crime with intentional sadism," said Aurelian Pavelescu, a lawyer and member of Romania's parliament. "But they believed they were helping the woman, that they were curing her from her pains." In Cornici's native village of Perieni, about an hour drive from the convent, her relatives demanded justice for the young woman, who they said joined the convent just days before she was admitted to the hospital. "She was disfigured, she had marks on her hands, her ankles and her stomach," said her aunt, Anisoara Antohi, 29, standing by Cornici's grave, marked with a simple wooden cross with the words "Sister Irina" scribbled on it. "She was a good girl. It was too cruel, God, much too cruel," her great-uncle, Gheorghe Antohi, 53, said as he burst into tears. Those who allegedly killed her "should all be crucified like her." In Tanacu, a couple said they met Corogeanu, the monk accused in the case, when he baptized their godson at the convent, a wooden building with a metal roof that overlooks a rolling hill. "He held a beautiful service," said Petrica Pintilie. "Who knows what happened there?" The church has closed the convent, and its gates were chained Friday. A nearby sign warns that no men are allowed in after 4 p.m. and that only Orthodox believers who are properly dressed can enter. "Here we only talk to God and we sing with the angels in silence and with much prayer," says another sign posted on the convent's white fence. The Orthodox Church has strongly condemned the exorcism ritual in Tanacu as "abominable." It has banned Corogeanu from the priesthood and excluded the four nuns from the church. Orthodox monasteries and convents have flourished in Romania since the 1989 fall of Nicolae Ceausescu's brutal communist regime, which suppressed religion. The Tanacu convent was built in 2001 by a private donor and had not yet been sanctified by the church. Cornici's death and the revelation that Corogeanu was ordained as a priest without having finished his theological studies have prompted the church to impose stricter rules for entering monasteries, including psychological tests.

This is actually my line of expertise. I have worked on low back pain research studies for over five years now. I'm not a doctor so I can't give you a diagnosis or treatment advice, but what I can do is tell you what the research says: Chiropractic does not work very well for low back pain (especially chronic low back pain). Enough research has been done up to this point that we can fairly say chiropractic is little more than a placebo treatment. Acupuncture, although there has been far less research on it, seems to be a much more effective treatment, especially for acute back pain, unless you have a herniated disc, at which other options like surgery become more realistic. But by far, the best treatment for acute and chronic low back pain (as far as the research has shown) is therapeutic massage. Not only for short-term pain relief, but for cutting down on the chances of recurrence. Those who stay physically fit have a far less chance of recurrence. And those who practice Yoga and certain forms of meditation reduce the recurrence rate even further. Also, opposed to popular belief, bed rest IS NOT good for low back pain. Certainly do not lift anything heavier than 5 or 10 lbs. but move about is actually good for your back. No running or jogging or active sports, but a nice walk to the store on a summers day is excellent for low back pain. So I’d say, get ye to a doctor and get diagnosed. Once you know what it is, you’ll better be able to take proactive steps to relieve you current pain and keep it from returning.

My wife made me breakfast, I relaxed and watched the ballgame on tv, played with Milo and then got treated to a wonderful Thai dinner. Nice. Here's some of the fun I had.....

Now about that whole invasion of Iraq thing................

I believe both juries did their job. Although I think both OJ and Jacko are guilty of the crimes, let's face it, reasonable doubt was raised in both trials. As funny as it sounds, the glove didn't fit, so they had to acquit. And this kids parents did have a long history of con jobs and lawsuits. ← But why make it about the parents? Wacko-Jacko was on trial, not them ← Yes well, the mother hired an acting coach to train her son how to act on the stand in a previous lawsuit (against Sears was it?). In my mind, that automatically brings the kids parents into this case and also provides reasonable doubt.

I didn't exactly call her a war criminal! ← Yeah, and I didn't call her a lying wench or a war profiteer. Get a grip Greg!

I believe both juries did their job. Although I think both OJ and Jacko are guilty of the crimes, let's face it, reasonable doubt was raised in both trials. As funny as it sounds, the glove didn't fit, so they had to acquit. And this kids parents did have a long history of con jobs and lawsuits.

New Michael Jackson advertising slogan: What happens in Neverland, stays in Neverland.

Chuck Nessa

So true. I think Maren's suggestion of a social work department, patient advocate or ombudsman is a solid one. And never EVER be afraid to get in their face. The squeaky wheel gets the grease in these places. Don't be afraid to be rude. Demand respect and attention. I hope that your mother pulls through this and you can look back in a few years like it was all a bad dream. Your love for your mother is clear. I know she must love you dearly. You're being a very good son. Hang in there Conrad. ps. I still think your politics stink

Milo

Tuesday, 24 May, 2005 - BBC Jury to hear Spector gun claims The jury that will try music producer Phil Spector for murder can hear testimony claiming he pulled a gun on four other women, a judge has ruled. The defence team in the forthcoming trial had hoped to block the witnesses from giving evidence. Mr Spector denies murdering B-movie actress Lana Clarkson in February 2003. His trial will begin in September. Mr Spector denies murdering B-movie actress Lana Clarkson Outside court, Mr Spector said he had "never pulled a gun on any of these women, make that very clear". Allowing the evidence was "a dangerous path to go down", Superior Court Judge Larry P Fidler admitted in his ruling on Monday. But the alleged incidents seemed to illustrate the prosecutors' theory that Spector used guns to threaten or intimidate people, he concluded. Judge Fidler allowed evidence about four incidents that allegedly occurred between 1988 and 1995. They all involve women who claim to have dated the music pioneer and say he waved or pointed a gun at them. 'Gold-diggers' Defence attorney Bruce Cutler refuted the allegations, describing the women as "acolytes and gold-diggers". But the judge refused to allow six other alleged incidents to be introduced. Among those he banned were two cases from the 1970s that led to charges against the record producer. In 1972, he was put on probation for a year after pleading guilty to a misdemeanour crime of carrying a loaded firearm in a public place. And in 1975, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour count of brandishing a firearm in a Beverly Hills hotel. On that occasion, he was given two years probation. Mr Spector, who is free on $1m (£520,000) bail, is credited with inventing the "wall of sound" technique and helping the careers of Cher and the Ronettes.

Yes yes, that's it. It was Robert Plant with Rockpile...didn't they do 'Little Sister' or something? I'd like to see that whole concert again.

I just started listening to his music. The only thing I knew about him was that he produced Elvis's early records, wrote 'What's so Funny 'bout Peace, Love and Understanding', and had one hit with "Cruel to be Kind". I got the CD '16 All-Time Lowe's' a few months back and I really liked it. What a great pop writer he is. "When I write the Book" and "Little Hitler" almost seem like precursors to the Elvis tunes that bear similar names. "(I Love the Sound of) Breaking Glass", "Big Kick, Plain Scrap", and "So It Goes" all get stuck in your head with those sticky hooks and quickly memorizable guitar solos (a la George Harrison). "Nutted by Reality" has a McCartney & Wings flavor and "basing Street" is haunting and beautiful. I must now go out and get 'Jesus of Cool', 'Labour of Lust', and the Rockpile record 'Seconds of Pleasure' so I can hear the rest of Mr. Lowe's golden era. I seem to recall some old live videos of Rockpile with Paul McCartney back when MTV first came on the air and they were scrounging for stuff to put on the air, anybody else remember this? Can anyone tell me more about Brinsley Schwarz, Nick Lowe's first group? I'd love to hear the original version of 'What's so Funny 'bout Peace, Love and Understanding'.

How about African music with jazz influences? Fela Kuti: Fela Ransome Kuti & the Africa '70 With Ginger Baker Fela Anikulapo Kuti and Roy Ayers - Music of Many Colours Fela Anikulapo Kuti with Lester Bowie - No Agreement

I'm kinda fond of David Crosby's "If I could Only Remember My Name" Also, Neil Young - "Everyone Knows This is Nowhere" Grateful Dead - "Aoxomoxoa" Jimi Hendrix - "Axis: Bold as Love" Jefferson Airplane - "After Bathing at Baxter's" Psychedelic rock bands tended to have good ones.

There sure are a lot of people running around calling themselves Christian that ain't really Christian at all. As Mr. Roach once said, "Deeds, Not Words". Some of em' even have crowns and fancy robes.

Wednesday, May 18, 2005 Banned pregnant graduate walks anyway THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- A pregnant student who was banned from graduation at her Roman Catholic high school announced her own name and walked across the stage anyway at the close of the program. Alysha Cosby's decision prompted cheers and applause Tuesday from many of her fellow seniors at St. Jude Educational Institute. But her mother and aunt were escorted out of the church by police after Cosby headed back to her seat. "I can't believe something like this is happening in 2005," said her mother, Sheila Cosby. "My daughter has been through a lot and I am proud of her. She deserved to walk, and she did." The school's guidance counselor delivered Cosby's degree to her house earlier Tuesday, but she still wanted to participate. "I worked hard throughout high school and I wanted to walk with my class," she said. Cosby was told in March that she could no longer attend school because of safety concerns, and her name was not listed in the graduation program. The father of Cosby's child, also a senior at the school, was allowed to participate in graduation.

You read my mind.