Enviroman

I came to the same conclusions Usagi. I highly doubt that Snape is truly evil...in fact, I'd almost guarantee he isn't. I'm guessing Harry finds the horcrux and at some point Snape ends up sacrificing himself to help Harry defeat Voldemort. It's very Star Wars.

Like Ninjanurse said, it's purely psychological. I recommend filling your mouth with water/liquid and then popping the pill in. This way it should be slightly suspended in your mouth and not be in direct contect with your tongue. Swallow quickly and it should go down.

Well, I presume you have a basic idea for the plot, no? Characters, general theme, conflicts, etc. The first chapter or so is generally dedicated to introducing the main character (or characters) to the reader. This can be done through various means. Then the character(s) has his/her personality fleshed out throughout the book. Before you start on the book, I'd recommend constructing some basic plot elements and character information.

JEM618, thanks a ton. I'm going to try and find a place I can practice the rolls. I know it's all mental/technical. I've seen guys heavier than me do them...well, we'll see! Domo arigato!

Well for scenario 1: It's a tough one. I'd try and push him out of the way but if it escalated into a fight, I'd have to fight, i guess. I'd just try to end it as quickly as I could and leave (calling the police). To be brutally honest, if it seemed like he was geared up for a fight, I'd probably strike him while he's in the middle of his quinessential pre-fight tough guy speech. Two on one and my girl may be in trouble? I'm not fighting fair, I'm fighting to escape with as little harm done to me or my girl.

I wasn't mad...I thought the twist was interesting but I was just dissapointed overall. It was more of the same (at least I thought so).

That's pretty pessimistic. I work two pretty great internships and I'll most likely enjoy my job post-graduation. I've worked some bad jobs but that doesn't mean that I'm doomed to a lifetime of them. Essentially, a large part of college is finding the skills that will allow you to pursue a job that you will enjoy.

I did the call center thing as a part-time (and summer fulltime) job for a few years. Mostly customer service/support for a large banking firm. I liked it at first but eventually grew to despise it.

The size 8 pants didn't fit a 54 inch waist? That's shocking as most size 7s will fit a 52 or so. I can see the top not fitting... Maybe you can just wear a white tee and white cotton pants? They make belts that are 140 inches in length (should be enough to double wrap) so that shouldn't be a problem.

A size 8 Gi should fit a 54 inch waist (in fact, I think it'd probably fit even larger) but a 66 in chest might not fit in a size 8 top. I'm betting you could go size 7 pants and a size 8 top. Proforce uses the following chart: Size 7: 6' 8" 280 lbs. Size 8: 7' 325 lbs. Since you're 6'2", you'll need someone to hem the pants and sleeves to fit you, but it shouldn't be a huge deal. I'm 5'8" and I wear a 6 or 7; I just get my grandmom to hem.

Well, children can do a lot of what the adults can do...some things they can do better (tumbling and assimilation of new patterns) but some stuff they can't be expected to do (board/brick breaking, ground grappling and other potentially damaging techniques, and other stuff). Kids are still growing (someone mentioned ossification in another thread, I think) and they can suffer real lasting damage if they attempt to do things that are too rough on their bodies. But they can do most everything.

This is a really unlikely scenario. I'd probably try and go over to the guy getting jacked (at least putting some distance between the other 3 guys and myself) and see what I could do there...at least I'd dial 911 and get some cops to the scene. If the other 3 guys were going to try and rob me, I'd probably just give them what they want. If they were going to try and beat on my, I'd rip off a car antenna and try and defend myself...at least until the cops showed up. To answer your poll, I'd say come up with more realistic scenarios that don't sound like a 10-year-old's fantasy (which is what that one sounded like to me). It sounds similar to "if two karate guys were going to fight two kung fu guys and then a BJJ guy came in who would win?"

Yeah, in physics, quantum refers to the smallest measure of something. But in regular english it can be used as an adjective to mean "significant," or "great." Remember the show Quantum Leap? Or "I just made a quantum discovery!" I think they mean that this is a "significant" form of jujutsu. Overall, I wasn't too impressed with his moves. I mean they were flashy as anything but it wasn't anything I haven't seen before (other than the fact that he was really hard on his students).

I may actually take up aikido again a few times a week here at school (it's free, so why not?). I figure I have a lot of the nikyo, ikkyo, sankyo, and kotegaeshi basics down, so it won't hurt to take it up. Maybe you guys (aikido practicioners) can help me out. One of the things I struggled with a lot in aikido were the backward and forward rolls. I'm a big guy (probbaly need to lose 50 -60 lbs) and I find that I sort of chicken out when I go to do the roll and I end up on my side or back. Any tips?

I'm not a strong believer in hitting of any kind (especially with children). As far as should you stop being friends with this person...well, that's a decision only you can make. I'd seriously take a long look at why you consider this person such a good friend. Are all of those positives outweighed by a difference in parental ideology? Remember, there's a good chance that he was brought up thinking that it was ok to hit a child that was "bad." Maybe sit down with him and talk it all over in a calm manner (not something most guys will want to do but it is probably worth getting him to do it). On an unrelated note, do you go to Harvard? It's the only school I know of right in Allston (or, at least a good portion of the campus is in Allston). BU isn't too far from Allston, either.

But when was the last time you said "YES! I'm going to the auto repair shop!" Or "man, I can't wait to get the bill from the roofing contractor!" It's accepted because the markey allows for it but it doesn't make it ethical.

While cheesy, I never thought it fell into this group. It is actually a decent movie and most people would agree it's not utter trash.

I'm going to head into Chinatown this weekend and get the herbs. My body aches!

I'm not saying you can't profit from teaching martial arts. As a responsible businessman you should not be adverse to telling your students how you spend their belt fees and whatnot should they ask. If hire a contractor and they decide to charge me a fee for chimney repair, you better believe I want to see how it is broken down. If they tell me "$300 total; $25 for materials and $275 for labor" I'll be ticked! The entire point is trust and honesty. It's great that you can make a living doing what you enjoy. But you (not you specifically, just in general) also need to be honest. If you're charging $300 per belt just so you can add to your profit margin, you're doing a disservice to your clients if they believe those fees are going to actual testing costs or whatnot.

AP scores are becoming less and less of a factor at a lot of elite institutions. They feel that the exam isn't as comprehensive as their own material.

The Ultimate Warrior.

Same with guns. Must be in a case (unloaded) and in the trunk.

To me, $100/month is steep for any style (unless you live in an excessively wealthy area), especially for only twice a week. I'd recommend sitting in on a class or two, get a feel for the school, and see if it's something you might want to try. The more $100 means to you (as in how wealthy, or not, you are) should determine how likely you are to choose the school you deem enjoyable.

It could be the fact that 10 of the kids had black belts. Or that a group of moms holding babies makes the school look more like a daycare and less like a place to learn.

Guys, I ended up meeting with him. He was very, very into money. He wanted to know when I'd be able to pay the full 99/month and that the 50/month was only to "help me out for a little while." I asked about his credentials and he sort of skirted the question. This one is out for me. Thanks tho.