KO

RCFM is here and gone away again. Was a really good year, a bit chaotic and a lot of last-minute efforts - but that's often how we end up pulling together as a family and making a good time for everyone.

Between the Charity Auction, Duckie's Poker Tournament, donations, the annual threat of shaving The Cat, that big donation at Closing (thank you, person who's name I don't remember), and the help of so many good people, we raised $2000 for PCDS. Woo!

We also welcomed Kiran and Alex back on Staff, as well as having Kurse, Keefur, and several others join us for planning next year. We will miss Brim dearly, and said so at Opening and Closing - which were both slapdash affairs that everyone seemed to get a kick out of. And Alex is Staff member X for the next year. (All your fault, hate to say it but...)

We had 242 people here this year, which is just fabulous and exciting. We had very little in the way of advertising and announcements, being a bit understaffing and less organized than we should have been... we made it happen, and it was good. Everybody post Pictures, please!

Next year will be even better. Planning for RCFM 2013, "The Eleventh Hour", will have a surge of optimism and drive, with the passion of an excellent Staff who will be looking forward to it for the next 361 days and be working to make it the best place to be!

That closes out the first RCFM decade. Please send comments to "feedback@rcfm.net" and help us make it all even better. ;)

Hiya!

Meant to post something sooner, but 3D life is just kicking... parts of me around, lately.

This year will be the "relaxicon" that people have been asking to have for years. Not as much on the schedule as last year, and that's a good thing! I even scheduled an hour where I plan to sit and watch the TV in the lobby, because by then I know I'll need to just sit and not do anything for a while. :P

A lot of what the Schedule of Events will be is already up on the site! Check the "Events" tab to see what I mean. (www.rcfm.net)

Of course - some of it needs to be modified and some things need to be added, which I've been doing this morning, but we're also running out of time for any new additions! If there's something you want to do at RCFM, be sure to add your submission by clicking the submissions link on the Events Schedule page of the website.

More changes coming very soon, but keep in mind that the deadline to submit events is rapidly closing in on us. Probably in about 5-6 days will be the last we'll be able to add new events.

See you all in 22 days! :D

This isn't because of anything that someone has said recently. It's just something I've been thinking about for a long time and I happened to be in the mood to write it down...
______________________________________________

An Open Letter to a Number of Different People:
(...whom I've met and known over the years, though this is written as if to a single person and has been composed in a number of different forms in my head at various times in the past.)

**********************************************
I really liked you when we first met. You seemed like a nice person who I could get along with, and frankly I think we still could. But I'm not going to play The Game.

When you stated something that I could do in order to gain your approval, you started playing The Game. Any time someone tells you that you could gain their approval if only you start doing a particular thing - then you're playing The Game, whether or not you realize it and whether or not it matters to you.

But I said long ago that no person anywhere would cause me to do a particular thing or get me to behave in a certain way or convince me I should believe in a certain thing... simply because they would then like me better, or approve of my actions, or just because I did what they wanted me to do. This is especially true when you have some form of authority over me. I will do a particular thing because I believe it's the right thing to do, and for no other reason.

The Game is not worth playing, because seeking your approval like a carrot on a stick never works. Any approval given is just as quickly removed once you think of a new goal or desire for me to change. The Game is present at every point in known human history, so I doubt you see anything wrong with it. However, we will not be playing The Game since I am choosing not to.

If you choose to display some emotional response, such as anger, because of this - then that is your choice. I do not accept any blame or responsibility for your response, because an individual is responsible for their own emotional choices - and my actions, or inactions, are not and never will be an adequate explanation for your own emotional state. Despite your claim that I am responsible for how you feel, this is not and never will be true.

However if at some point in the future you'd like to communicate as equals, then I'd be happy to contribute to a mutually beneficial relationship - perhaps even as friends. But if such a thing is dependent upon your approval, then such a thing will never happen. Please recognize that this is your own choice and actually has very little to do with how I may feel about the situation.

I realize we haven't managed to communicate here on the Public list recently the things that we've been discussing and getting done on the Board and Staff lists, so... sorry about that. We should've posted more here to let you know some of the things that have been going on.

Although, to be honest, it's mostly been boring stuff like budgetary reorganization. And how right now our Guest of Honor, Fossil, is already cranking out RCFM artwork. Sometimes there's just not much to report about until we get closer to May...

One thing I would like to let everyone know about, though, is that we unanimously voted to ask Illya to join us as one of the Board of Directors. He joined the list a couple of days ago and he already dove straight into the discussions of organizational things the Board is currently considering.

So everyone please congratulate our newest Director, Illya. ;) *insert flashing applause sign here*

(We'll come up with a title for him soon enough. Maybe he'll think of one he likes, though? Directors get to make decisions like that...)

KO

Spent some time recently making walkway mold squares so I don't have to keep walking on the grass to get into the garage. Posted a bunch of pictures on the facebook page. Go check them out, yo.
(koakako, of course...)

"It's YOUR fault, people, that U.S. Senators screw you over every year. Yes, it is. You simply haven't paid them enough yet...

"Senate candidates in '03 and '04 raised and spent just under 500 million dollars to be re-elected. Only ten percent of that was from the average person, and the other 90% came from Lobbists, Corporations, Owners of large businesses and Political Action Committees.

"If I go to the store and there's only ONE bag of apples left, I might say to the grocer 'I'll give you ten bucks for that last bag' - and he might say 'that's a good deal'. But then I have some Lobbyist come up behind me and say 'I'll give you a hundred'. So what do you think the poor grocer is going to do?"

"And that's the problem, people! You just aren't paying those poor Senators enough! Of COURSE they're going to screw you over and give more money to those crazy corporations, because THEY had the decency to actually pay enough to get what they wanted!"

"But enough about politics, I want to talk about Brazil. Cotton farmers in Brazil have been telling the U.S. Senate for several years now that it's TOTALLY unfair that they give U.S. cotton farmers about 2 billion dollars a year for growing cotton, which makes the price of cotton less than it should be.

"Oh. Crap. More politics. Oh well... So, it took a few years to get the Senate's attention, because they were either at the bar or getting re-elected whenever Brazil called them, but eventually the Senate said 'Yeah! You're right! That's totally unfair, and it's probably a waste of 2 billion dollars every year!"

"So is it more fair to just stop spending all that money to screw people over the price of cotton? NO, of course not. They just said 'We'll give YOU guys 2 billion every year, and that way everything will be even!' "

"Imagine you have a $4000 car that breaks down, and the mechanic says it'll cost $2000 to fix. You could probably sell the car for $2000 as it is, then use that to find another car. But NOT if you're a U.S. Senator!"

" 'What I'll do (says Mr. Senator) is pay you $4000 to repair my car, then I'll sell it for $2000 and that will yield an overall profit of $6000!' That's right... to be a U.S. Senator doesn't require any knowledge of mathematics, you only need to be a bad used car salesman..."

Hey Y'all,

Below is pasted a comment I just left on the site for the lawyer who is defending PFC Bradley Manning. I posted it here, in case anyone wants to read of probable injustice.

(Comment posted here:
--> http://www.armycourtmartialdefense.info/2011/03/confinement-conditions-worsen.html )

(...and PFC Manning's story can be found here:
--> http://www.bradleymanning.org/ )

But there's more involved here. MUCH more.

Brad is accused of being the person who gave the files to WikiLeaks that are what started the current revolutions in the Middle East. For example, one of those files is a video that can be found on YouTube. Search for "collateral murder". (There are many files, but this one is dramatic - and points to questions about WHY these files were being kept hidden...)

I don't know if this is what really got The Revolutions started, or even if PFC Manning is the one who gave it to WikiLeaks. Having looked at "collateral murder", I don't even know if the soldiers involved were actually doing anything wrong. I was not in their shoes and I do not have their experience, so I leave it up to others to judge them.

The actual spark that started the current firestorm all over North Africa and Western Asia is the fruit vendor from the streets of Tunisia who set himself on fire ( http://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/tunisian-man-sets-himself-alight-1.1007235 ), which started protests in Tunis, then in Libya, Bahrain, Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia, etc., etc.

History is fascinating, once you move it out of a stuffy classroom and away from boring tests about names and date. If reports are true, then this is what happened:

Brad gave files to WikiLeaks that show corruption and unfairness in a LOT of different countries, lots of people from all over the World read this stuff, Mr. Bouazizi gets treated unfairly in Tunis and self-imolates in front of the main police station, riots and protests erupt, people coordinate on Facebook and Twitter in a LOT of different countries and start bringing down Dictators and Tyrants and they CHANGE the unfairness where they live.

This is Big. This is World-Changing. I've been reading websites about revolution, tweets from people who are being hunted by tyrants, and watching videos of the dead and dying for WEEKS now. All of the arrows lead back to PFC Manning, who sits in the Quantico Brig accused of treason.

If this is how it all really worked, then Brad _might_ just be "The Man Who Changed The World As We Know It Today"...

**************************************

If PFC Manning did, in fact, give someone classified files then that's a treasonous act. If, however, those files were covered up in an attempt to prevent the US Army from being seen in the act of making a mistake in Iraq - then it may be deemed an act of Freedom, and Humanity, and Courage.

Have the strength to say "I don't know", people. Yes, the treatment of having clothing removed from his cell and person is wrong, but that MAY be justified by a legitimate rule in that particular prison. It seems, on the face of it, to be a stupid way to treat a soldier who is supposed to be "innocent until proven guilty", but we don't know the circumstances that prompted these actions. For now, it's up to Court Martial Specialist David Coombs to determine these facts and expose those who violate the rules.

PFC Manning has an excellent defense, here. It's become too commonplace in today's world that one is often "Guilty until you prove your innocence", and you may not receive any real fairness from the court unless you have expensive lawyers... but the media attention alone is enough to ensure that, at least in this case, the Army will need to justify it's actions. ALL of it's actions. To the World and to the US President, now, and not just to the court.

We ARE the World. We are watching. We will continue to watch. If PFC Manning is NOT absolved of criminal guilt, then we may end up seeing riots here in the Free states of the USA. The files given to WikiLeaks are credited with the spur that started the Revolutions we see today in countries all over the Middle East. There is a bigger picture here, which is that a "treasonable act" today could easily be pardoned by Obama and declared a "Nobel Prize-worthy act" tomorrow.

If PFC Manning's actions ARE what created the movements which create Democracy all over the Middle East... then yes, the man stands with the American Founding Fathers in his courage to defy current authority and do what is right. In this climate of Information Technology, this case of doing what's right could very well have changed the World we live in, for all us, and likely for the better.

If, however, the Court of Military Justice finds that he merely committed treason then he may be imprisoned and/or put to death. And if that happens, it's up to all of us to discover and tell the Truth. In fact, it's up to all of us to find and tell the Truth regardless of what happens to Brad.

Keep finding information. Keep searching out the Truth. Then make sure you tell the truth to everyone who will listen. Make sure every person in the World with a computer and a modem know the name of PFC Bradley Manning, the Truth behind the actions of the US Army, the Truth behind WikiLeaks and what they do.

Eventually we will have all the facts, and THEN we will know the Truth. Until then... we do not know. And that's why we need to keep looking, and watching, and telling, and we will not stop until the Truth is known.

(And it's my opinion that PFC Manning will be Free and hailed as a true Hero of the World once the Truth is known. We will see...)

Okay. I wrote more. Yay me.
This time I spent a little over two hours just writing ONE 'chapter' of the list, whereas the first three were put down in 3 hrs. So this is kind of a comparison between "thoughtful" vs. "quick-n-dirty". Lemme know which ones you like better! ;)

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Real Life - the "Deal With It" list: Part Four, "You vs. The World".

(Most of this is opinion, though I consider most of it fact. You will likely disagree.)

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- Keep it concise. It's difficult to get other people to understand what the heck you're talking about, so clear and simple communication is very important. Unless, of course, you don't care if anyone understands what you're talking about. If that's the case, write things as murky, complicated or "mysterious" as you'd like.

- It's ALL about you. From the time you were born, everything was done for you or to you. Everything was taken care of and all you did was lay there crying, pooing and sleeping. Everything you've learned since then is how to take responsibility for your own care, feeding, entertainment, interactions, etc. Most of life's lessons move you AWAY from being a selfish or self-centered person, because you eventually learn NOT to think only about yourself. Some people move back toward that mental position, but it's more often than not that such a person simply never moved far enough away from it in the first place.
- First corollary: It's not uncommon (or "wrong") for your first thought upon hearing any bit of news is to wonder how this relates to YOU. It may just be an unconscious reaction that passes in a second, but everybody started from that mental-space in the first place. Which is why it's considered "immature" to be a self-centered person, somebody who doesn't move beyond that first thought and refuses (whether they realize it or not) to use their experiences to mentally construct how this news relates to someone else or the world around them.

- It's NOT about you, it's about everyone else! You likely don't remember it, but sometime when you were a toddler you suddenly discovered that it's everyone and everything ELSE around you that makes life interesting, and cool, and worth exploring. And every bad experience you've had from then until now is just one more reminder that it's safer, easier, and less painful to stay within yourself and not interact with the people and/or world around you. When somebody has retreated into themselves so much that they don't interact with you anymore, it's normally just a sign that they really want the pain or bad experiences to go away - and retreat is often the only method they know to make it hurt less.
- First corollary: Everyone has within them the distant memory of the safety and comfort of being an infant, but pretty much any Psychologist will tell you that it's much better to learn new ways to interact with the world rather than refusing to learn anything new in an effort to make the hurting stop.
- Second corollary: In retrospect it may seem pretty obvious, but this is also the accepted base psychology behind "adult infantilism". Everyone, to some degree, wants the safety and comfort that other people used to provide, but some individuals take that desire a bit further than most people would.

- Spam e-mails are DESIGNED to touch these memories of the immature you. Which is related to the whole "selfish" world-view of the very young, and takes advantage of the idea that your first thought is often "how does this relate to ME". This is why so many spam 'mail subject lines have the word "you" or "your" in them. They don't want you to get PAST that first thought, even if it's unconscious, because it's easier to convince you to give them money (or just to trick and rob you) if you start reading all the unbelievable promises before you've moved into your "adult" mindset. Your experienced adult mind knows that you don't get something for nothing, but that initial "how does this relate to ME" reaction is much more open to the idea that you can get some great return for minimal or non-existent effort.
-First corollary: I don't use "you" and "your" so much when writing this list because I want to sell you something. I use them as a literary device to reference the fact that I'm talking about every human being, including you and me. If I were a better amateur writer or a better amateur psychologist, I would probably have thought of a better way to write these things before now. For now, though, this is as good as I can make it. Deal with It. :P

- You have a "MonkeySphere" around you. "Dunbar's Number" (also known as a "MonkeySphere") is the theoretical number of people with whom you can maintain a direct social connection, as first postulated by British anthropologist Robin Dunbar. This theory was first created through observation of primate behavior, then (accurately) predicted in human behavior based on the size of the brain's neocortex. Your "family", "village" and "tribe" spheres are usually about 30, 150, and 1500 people in size, and have been observed around the world in all cultural strata. It's a really fascinating theory to read about, which I highly recommend, and explains quite a lot about human interaction and early societal development. (Cracked.com had a really great article on it too, which is where I first read about it.)
- First corollary: Dunbar's 'main' number of 150 friends has been referenced and analyzed many times in connection with online social interaction. It's actually an imprecise range that could be anywhere from 100 to 200 people who you talk to regularly, so if you have more than 200 FB friends then odds are really good that any number of people over that "core group" of your monkeysphere aren't people that you would initiate a discussion with or interact with on any regular basis.
- Second corollary: It's been postulated that the human brain's limited ability to hold this personal "monkeysphere" together is the biggest reason that any society over a certain size is unable to function properly. In other words, if we could increase the brain's abilities and hold a larger sphere of people as our "tribe", it would eliminate war, poverty, cruelty, unjust laws, etc., etc.

- You really don't care what's happening somewhere else in the World, even if you do. Once your thoughts range outside of your town - or even just your suburb, if your town is more than about 3000, then any people you hear news about are just a faceless "them". You may have direct thoughts or concerns about one or two individuals (even if it's somebody you saw on TV), but seeing large groups in an entirely different culture from your own protesting something, or fighting some other group, in a place far away from where you are... is so far outside of your sphere that your brain is unable to understand anything significant about it. You use the experience and knowledge you've gained over the years to "explain" it to your brain, and then you feel you have a good understanding of what's going on - even if you don't.
- First corollary: This is why you often think another person's opinion of far-away news is idiotic, because it's so far removed from your own opinions. But BOTH of your opinions have, most of the time, been translated to your mind like they're a foreign language - so it's very likely that both of you are disagreeing about things that you really don't understand at all.

- Negative Reinforcement is always easier than Positive Reinforcement. And the first word that most young children learn is "No", because that's the word they hear most often. Part of the "operant conditioning" theory, Negative and Positive reinforcement are intended to influence your behavior - even if you're doing it to yourself. But you get a LOT more of the Negative because giving Positive reinforcement requires more effort or resources. Your parents were much more likely to say "No" or swat your butt. Going the other way requires either several sentences explaining how you were good, or delivering to you something you want - such as a cookie.
- First corollary: This is also why your Boss is probably an ass, since it's much easier to either threaten you or offer cheap "bribes" (which are thin disguises to make you -avoid- the negative result) than it is to offer praise or actual rewards.
- Second corollary: If your Boss IS an ass, it's likely a sign that he/she dislikes their job as much as you dislike yours. If they liked it and wanted to put some actual effort into what they do, then they would spend the extra time or effort into offering Positive reinforcements to influence your actions toward better work results. Using only Negatives is a pretty clear sign that they're just half-assing what they do, and that they aren't going to put more effort into it than just what they have to.

- People don't make any sense! This one is also seen as "I hate all people", but it's often the same thing. Your brain has had to learn how to relate to everything around it, and that's like a computer 'learning' it's operating system one random bit at a time. It would take years before that computer could interact on even the most basic levels, and the vast majority of what it learns would have to be discarded or re-programmed entirely. This is a relatively good description of how the human brain works, since we can't just "install windows" when we're born. We figure this stuff out one bit at a time, we over-write and re-write our brains constantly, and most of what you learned in the past is useless because it isn't the same as what you know to be true today.
- First corollary: This is why it's so hard to understand or communicate with other people. We aren't just trying to link a Mac with a Windows machine to a Linux machine... we're trying to connect SIX POINT SEVEN BILLION completely different operating systems together in such a way that they'll all work smoothly together. Language and Math are pretty good translators, but there really is no such thing as communicating with someone else in a way that does not involve at least two cumbersome and clunky translations of the concept that is being communicated. Think about THAT the next time you have to explain something to somebody, or vice-versa.
- Second corollary: If you realize that what you knew 2 years ago was bunk, and you've since re-written your brain with better information... just remember THAT little fact the next time you're prepared to argue to the death over some point that you're -sure- you're right about. Two years from now, you may even be able to argue the other side.

Hey Y'all,

I just posted a Story on the homepage of the RCFM site, and I would like everyone reading this to go and read that right away please.

This is quite literally a matter of life-and-death. And I would really like it if we could PREVENT something bad from happening to one of our own. We have proven many times that we are capable of doing some really good things in this world if we only come together and MAKE something happen, and that's what we need to do right now.

Now, if you call yourself a Fur - go make something Good happen. K? Thanks. ;)

KO

Real Life, or the "Deal With It" list: Part Three, or "Lies from the TV".

(Most of this list can be called opinion, even though I consider most of it to be fact. It's a virtual certainty that you will disagree with several items on this list, whether or not you have first-hand knowledge with said items.)

- When you see something on the News, just remember that they did not tell you the whole story. There is always much more to whatever they're talking about than they know or had time to tell you. If you form an opinion based on a news story and don't research the facts further, you are most likely very wrong.

- The good guy usually doesn't get the girl, the bad guys usually win, the cops have an enormous number of "unsolved" cases that don't get solved, people are often lying to your face with a smile, you will be overcharged and underpaid, people of a wide variety of service industries will half-ass something that's important to you, and bad things happen to good people every day. Deal with it.

- Real people do not have the "instant solution" or the "sudden epiphany" that you learned from TV shows, and very few actual problems get resolved in one hour (minus commercials). Any worthwhile achievements, such as solutions to difficult problems, are not easy and they take a lot of boring work and effort.
- First corollary: Many real-world problems have evaded solution for longer than you've been alive, and many of those will likely never be solved at all.
- Second corollary: "Real" stories on TV are anything but real, because TV demands action and drama - whereas Real-Life stories are almost always boring and uninteresting.
- Third corollary: Most people who actually solve difficult problems are not perfect people, do not have encyclopedic knowledge and are often unsure of what they are doing.

- Criminal Justice in Real Life is filled with those boringly stupid stories on the news; where dumbasses ram a building with their car, or think they can out-drive police, or clumsily assault other people while sloppy-drunk, or rob a fast-food joint for $45 and leave their cellphone behind. A "dramatic" crime, such as a murder, is (fortunately) so rare that such an occurrance will often make a Nationwide News story.

- Real cops don't follow their "gut", they follow police procedure and do their jobs the way they're supposed to. Which are nearly always as grindingly boring as filing lots of paperwork at an unappreciated office job for lousy pay. Actual crimes are solved with hard work, lots of time-consuming effort, pedantic recording of evidence (most of which isn't even used), and hours upon hours of talking to idiotic people and gathering facts about this particular crime. And the reward for your efforts is usually to see the person get a $300 fine and probation. All of this is so far removed from flamboyant TV drama that the "art" imitating Real Life looks nothing at all like what it's supposed to be.

- Advertisers lie to you. Their "deals" are usually never good deals, they do not have your best interest at heart, they are not trying to "share" a great thing with you, and yes it is ALWAYS about separating you from your money. Never make a purchase or decision based upon some advertisement you saw or heard or read. Always check the facts behind the product, and the competitor's prices, first.
- First corollary: NO product you buy is going to "get you a girlfriend/boyfriend", get you a promotion or raise at work, make you magically lose weight, make your car suddenly run like new, make you feel young and energetic again, or magically make your disorderly life orderly again. (Corollary 1.1: Mens' fashion/hair products/shoes/etc. is to impress other men, and womens' fashion/makeup/shoes/hair products/etc. is to impress other women - despite what the advertising might tell you.)
- Second corollary: When you see a flurry of ad's for one product (such as a car), just remember that YOU are paying for all of this advertising with a higher retail price. It's estimated that many products raise their base-price by as much as a third because of heavy advertising, which isn't a big deal when your "body wash" product is about $1 higher than the competitor - but it can be a huge problem if it's a $20,000 car that starts at a $30,000 price. (!)
- Third corollary: Advertisers often try to convince you that what they're selling is a "secret", or that somebody "doesn't want you to know". This is an automatic cue to you that the "secret" is going to be freely available online, and that they're trying to con you out of money for something that's either worthless or otherwise free. (Corollary 3.1: Anything online that prominently displays the word "FREE" is trying to either rip you off or gain click-thru page hits for their advertising revenue. A website or download shouting "Free!" is a sign to stay away or find another, more sensible, website.)

- Many relationships suffer, and many marriages fail, because too many people learned about the opposite sex from TV, movies, porn, or high-school rumors. Women almost never behave or think like a sit-com girlfriend or a porn actress, and they rarely behave like a "princess" or other stereotype. They also have thoughts and feelings that are just as complex and meaningful as your own. Men are not as "charmingly goofy", or stupid, or shallow, or sports-obsessed, or lacking in a sense of romance as you might have seen on TV. They also usually prefer being treated as actual human beings, rather than a stereotype, in much the same way that women would. Any relationship that works requires a bit of effort on the part of both people involved, and a lack of that effort on either side will cause that relationship to fall apart.
- First corollary: There is no such thing as a "Happily Ever After". There is always a "next day", when you have to keep doing those things that make you and your significant-other happy. Plan for it, rather than just expecting it will all "work out okay".
- Second corollary: Same-sex couples have just as many problems as the rest of us, and they do not magically know what the other is thinking or feeling simply because they are not the opposite sex. Problems in relationships come from human interactions, or lack thereof, and are almost never based on any gender differences.