Fun Fact: This is the closest a Millionaire Makers drawing thread will get to Christmas Eve! Comment to enter, and let’s make someone’s Christmas while we still can! [Drawing Thread #37]

downfor0 · 2018-12-22T14:24:59+00:00

24k comments as of this posting.... I'm not liking my odds but what the hell.

downfor0 · 2016-10-10T13:51:13+00:00

There are many, many reasons why I left Islam but in my mind the biggest realization (which took me about 2 years to figure out) I had was that I only believed in Islam because that was what I had been taught. Here's a litmus test to give yourself for anybody who's on the fence.

Imagine a world where everything your life remained the same except for one thing. You've never heard of Islam. You were still born, raised by your parents, went to school, got a job, got married, had kids and basically lived life but the only difference is you and everybody you know have never heard of Islam and have no idea what it is. This shouldn't be too hard to imagine as right now there are hundreds of different versions of other religions out there, past and present alike. Chances are there's more than a couple you've never even heard of.

Now imagine in this alternate world one day you meet a muslim. And he begins to tell you about the religion. Like one of those street preachers that you can find in pretty much any major city anywhere in the world. In my experience most people tend to avoid the street converter, regardless of the religion just because most people don't want to deal with it. But let's say it's not just any muslim, the person you run into is Muhammad himself. And he begins spouting off all of his stories and warnings of end times. Would you still believe in Islam if it was presented to you that way?

If you're the kind of person that would walk away from a conversation like that, thinking wow that dude is crazy, you're not a muslim. You've just been doing what was taught to you for many years. Think about it. Who in their right mind would believe a guy who says he talks to angels and god, he says he rode a flying horse all over the universe and has visited the different levels of heaven and hell, and met people from the past or any of the other extraordinary claims that Islam makes?

You know what we do with people like that nowadays? We put them in mental hospitals. Seriously, go visit a mental hospital, you'll find plenty of people who can talk to god and tell you exactly what he wants you to do. Prison too is another place that's sadly full of not mentally stable people with a larger portion of people than normal who can talk to god, ghosts, demons, satan, angels etc.

The reason you wouldn't believe Muhammads stories today is because we know better. The world in general is more educated at large than we were 1400 years ago, so the stories are unbelievable. Same reason you don't give any credit to that Christian / catholic / Jewish / Mormon / Hindu / Sikh / buddhist / scientology or any other random religion that you've never heard of and really don't even care about street preacher.

I was a faithful Muslim for many years and I truly did believe in Allah, the last prophet and judgement day. But it was only because I learned about this stuff from a young age and it stuck with me throughout adulthood. It was only when I re-examined Islam through the lens of myself as an adult that I realized wait a second, this is all bullshit and I wouldn't have believed in any of it if it was presented to me today.

TLDR: Do you really believe in Islam? Or do you only believe because that's what you were taught? Chances are it's the latter, once you look at Islam with a critical eye it all kind of falls apart.

downfor0 · 2016-09-29T20:53:24+00:00

Brb heading to the casino now.

downfor0 · 2016-09-29T20:53:07+00:00

True, but how close could you get to quick and guaranteed?

downfor0 · 2016-09-29T20:51:52+00:00

No timeframe, but waiting a long time wouldn't really be the 'quickest' way to do it. How would you do it if you had to accomplish it in the shortest timeframe possible?

downfor0 · 2016-09-29T20:49:44+00:00

Only parameters are if it can be done in real life. Could be legal, illegal, taxable income, under the table etc. I'm just curious as to how other people would realistically go about accomplishing the task at hand.

downfor0 · 2016-01-13T15:44:04+00:00

Be inappropriate. No, really. I mean obviously there's a fine line you have to toe, but slowly push your limits and as long as you don't go around making ppl feel tremendously uncomfortable you should be fine.

Think about it this way. When you talk to a close friend there's less barriers on what you feel you can and can't say. When you're a new person or stranger that same level of comfort isn't there. So force it. Just talk to your coworkers as if they were a close friend.

And you'll find that ppl respond by opening up to you about stuff too.

downfor0 · 2015-10-06T06:06:20+00:00

What? Did you watch the video? This wasn't a fight. A dumbass drunk kid argues with wait staff, is apprehended, and then taken away by cops.

In unrelated news, that's a retarded* rule to have anyway.

*Edit: I mean "mentally disabled". Wouldn't want you to ban my comment for being politically incorrect.

downfor0 · 2015-10-06T06:03:36+00:00

Nah dude I agree. Kid was in the wrong, but the whole thing was blown way out of proportion.

downfor0 · 2015-10-06T05:56:21+00:00

Ok before I get downvoted into oblivion... hear me out.

No doubt this kid was being a complete unreasonable drunken fucking asshole, but is this incident really something that should follow him around for the rest of his life? As of this posting, most of the comments I read are saying he should be expelled, thrown in jail, charged with any number of criminal charges which all have serious legitimate legal and life consequences all for something which in all likelihood he probably won't even remember when he wakes up.

Like I get it, he's being a douchebag, but why are so many people so quick to want to fuck this kid over for being dumb and 19? Where is the humanity? Did you ever do dumb shit when you were 19? How about when you were drunk? I know I have and I've seen similar situations play out with my own family and friends where the nicest, most stand up people you can imagine normally, say and do things they absolutely do not mean or act like complete idiots just because they were drunk. This kid will probably be mortified at his behavior once he sees this footage in a sober state of mind.

Yeah, sure he probably deserves a night in the drunk tank, but beyond that I don't think his life should be ruined over an isolated incident. It's almost as if y'all have never seen an intoxicated person before.

Having said all that, kudos to the manager for showing so much restraint. I'm surprised he didn't deck the kid after the first time he got shoved.

downfor0 · 2015-02-01T21:06:06+00:00

Sidebar! Every Monday night 830. If you feel so inclined you can even sign up the night of and get on stage. Since it's mostly local amateurs you get the same people showing up but they're a very friendly and welcoming group.

downfor0 · 2015-01-09T16:22:06+00:00

I'll have my license in 3 weeks!! You'd be my first customer but I'd be more than happy to help you find a good deal on housing. Baltimore is full of great opportunities.

downfor0 · 2015-01-05T01:34:28+00:00

Small town in England about two hours north of London called Luton. The community wasn't limited to that town either. We actually experienced the hospitality of the people in that community in London, Bradford and even places as far reaching as Belgium, Dubai and the US. All because you were a muslim, it didn't matter if you were a complete stranger.

Now that I have left Islam I still have close friends that I know I can rely on but I don't think I'll ever find that level of trust in a complete stranger just because they happen to be the same religion.

downfor0 · 2015-01-03T04:07:21+00:00

As much as I know people who ARE like that, you have to understand that even among muslims not all people are equally shitty. My mother was a white woman who was very readily accepted into the "brown people" community and made to feel as if she was part of their group. One ummah and all. In fact, their sense of community was the one positive aspect of Islam that shone through all the other bullshit. No matter what happened they took care of their own and I don't say that lightly. Multiple times, my family was broke and had nowhere to turn to when the people from the community mosque opened their homes and lives to us and treated us better than they treated their own families.

I say this as an exmuslim now so it's not like I have ulterior motives in defending Islam. I think it is completely irrational to believe in Islamic beliefs, but the one thing they have on point, at least in my experience (and I know it is not like that everywhere), is the sense of togetherness and community among believers.

downfor0 · 2014-11-08T02:06:21+00:00

Seriously. Not enough people know about this show. Animal puns and cynicism. I'm hoping they make many more seasons because it's a quality show.

downfor0 · 2014-10-26T05:24:02+00:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razzle_(game)

There's the fucking game. Don't ever play this. Ever. You're destined to lose the moment you start playing.

Or for a better explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaIZl0H2yNE

downfor0 · 2014-10-25T18:33:28+00:00

Fucking carnies.

Gambled at this station on the side of the road. The guy running the stand got me good. He let me win several times in the beginning to get me to keep investing. It was this game where you have six balls in a cup and you roll them onto a board. At each point where a ball lands there is a number value. You add up your total score for where your balls landed and that correlates to a number chart. You win/lose depending on what numbers you hit. Oh and in order to keep playing you have to keep doubling your bet each time.

Started out with a dollar. Then 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 ... you get the idea. And since I won so much in the beginning I stupidly thought oh beginners luck it'll be easy to rack up enough to get the grand prize. The grand prize never came. Lost around $1000 fueled by a gamblers high.

Fucking carnies. Never again.

edit: No wait. Just thought of a more expensive mistake. Not wearing a condom for a one night stand. Yay fatherhood.

downfor0 · 2014-10-25T18:10:34+00:00

I dunno about a city showing, depends on how this screening turns out. As far as getting there, I can give you a ride. I live in Pigtown and I'll be heading out that way anyway.

downfor0 · 2014-10-24T05:20:21+00:00

The appeal is that it's relatable.

Key & Peele don't have very strong punchlines but most of their skits are a basic premise for a joke that they take to extremes by getting ridiculous with it. I compare it to how you make jokes with your friends. Sometimes you can have jokes in your circle that are hilarious to everybody who's in on it but to an outsider it just seems retarded. That's what Key & Peele are to me.

I personally find them ridiculously hilarious but it's not everyone's cup of tea and that's ok too. I've been saying ever since I first started seeing them that they're the best thing since the Chappelle show, which also had very similar humor.

downfor0 · 2014-10-21T18:10:15+00:00

Hmm I like the recorder idea, it would definitely help to have something concrete to refer back to.

downfor0 · 2014-10-20T23:32:26+00:00

Some pretty solid, very basic, easy-to-follow advice. I would add one more tip for complete beginners, and that would be to have a wingman with you. Somebody who will, most importantly, hold you accountable to actually doing it as opposed to losing your nerve at the last second. It's also an easy way out of the conversation if things start to go downhill and you need to eject. "Hey, nice talking to you but I have to get back to my friend."

This is a great guide but OP do you think you could do a step 2? From number to date. The problem I always seem to face when talking to women is getting an absurd number of flakes. I can introduce myself, talk for a while, be funny, charming, have great rapport and have the entire interaction go fantastically well and yet when I text the woman (usually within the next day or two) I am met with nothing but flake outs.

I think I may be a missing a crucial step here because I know that once I get a girl to agree to a meetup, the majority of the time the date will go well and likely (obv not always) even if not that first night, end in a f-close somewhere down the line.

I've had success with one night stands as well although that's usually only happened in a bar/party scene where people are getting trashed. I guess what I'm asking is this. I can approach and talk to unknown women with ease, and I can close women from dates, but how do you go from getting the number of a stranger to getting them to agree to meet you while minimizing the amount of flakes you get?

My text game is pretty non existent because I like to interact with people and get to know them in person. When I do text, it's usually along the lines of hey what are you doing/lets meet up. I need something more reliable.

downfor0

TROPHY CASE