jezter6

I know it's been said above, but as someone who's been around for 2 years or so, I'll call it as I sees it. 1) Summer slowdown is normal. We'll get a HUGE influx of n00bs come late Aug/Sept as college kids see their first hookah lounge and come looking. This late summer n00b time is sometimes unbearable as we get 1000 of the same old questions, all from the usual n00b which is someone 18-22 young'ns (yes, I'm 30+). 2) There are always cliques here. Noobs come in droves, and as they get to know each other, they tend to gang up and form little chat cliques and yes, they have tons of inside jokes. Sometimes, those groups are good, and sometimes those groups tend to alienate other members. I certainly can speak for that experience for me, as a bunch of new people seemed to "take over" the whole forum for a while, so I stopped coming in as much, and only lurked around because I was just tired of seeing the same posts from the same people. 3) Noobs will not search or read wikis. EVER. Any forum, any subject. I go through the same thing on my homebrew forum. The fact is you have to have experienced members willing to answer the same questions over and over again or the threads will die and nobody will come. You need to have a healthy newcomer population as others get busy with life or stop smoking and can't come online as much. However, between cliques and nobody answering n00bs, it'll certainly alienate the culture of the forum and slow down. 4) We're not the other forums. I sorta got swept up in some of it when I was new to smoking, and I don't know what the hell it is with hookah that is different than other forums...but man you people are just dying for free shisha this, discount coupons that. None of my other hobbies have the proliferation of coupons and discounts that hookah does, and when there are other forums out there just trying to draw customers with free crap - people will flock. I happily understood that I liked the culture of this forum more than I liked free crap, and that's why I've stayed here for 2 years. 5) This is the one that bothers me most. There was one clique a bit back that decided to start up vid chatting. It's cool that you want to do that, and I understand this forum doesn't directly offer it...but driving traffic to another site (the vid chat site) takes traffic from this forum and chat room. I don't go to those sites, so therefore I'm out of the clique. 6) Maybe we've run out of things to talk about. The amount of "new" stuff that's happening in hookah recently has gone down quite a bit. 7) End of rant.

Rani, Any chance you can share a link or two about the Hamas connection? So far as I've read, this guy has been relatively silent on Hamas.

Most truth we've seen in this section of the forum in a long time (the whole politicians being the downfall of america bit).

If you find the lawsuits themselves against Taqseem (Tonic), you'll see a ton of them they claim... Like Royal Grape, White Peach, SWEET MELON, guava... I'm wondering how one can trademark a flavor name that's in use in normal use for the actual fruit..?

[quote name='Sapphire' timestamp='1282142325' post='479392'] [font="Times New Roman"][size="3"]Yea, I agree they have the RIGHT to build it there, but its obviously not the SMARTEST place to build it.[/size][/font] [font="Times New Roman"][size="3"]The place will get broken into, spray painted on, and probably burned down SEVERAL times and will end up spending more money just rebuilding the dang thing over and over than if they just put it somewhere else.[/size][/font] [font="Times New Roman"][size="3"]I wonder just how many people would actually attend , knowing just how dangerous it would be to even be seen around the place.[/size][/font] [font="Times New Roman"][size="3"]I say, if they really want to take that battle on….let em. America gives us the right to be stupid.[/size][/font] [font="Times New Roman"][size="3"] [/size][/font] [/quote] They'll probably just hire those new black panther types from Philly to provide "security" for the place. They apparently can do no wrong.

[quote name='Rani' date='29 July 2010 - 12:21 AM' timestamp='1280380867' post='476913'] [ Funny though I haven't heard anything about actually raising taxes. All I've heard is allowing the tax break to expire, which impacts mostly the wealthy. Which means if you're so dramatically against it, you must be very wealthy, right? So when are you buying the bar for us all? 'Rani [/quote] How is letting tax breaks expire vs raising taxes anything but semantics in the end? All it does is give him an excuse to hide from blame, and apparently it works. In the end, if he doesn't extend the tax cuts, they will go up for many people. Me included, and I'm by no means "rich." But my end tax liability goes up almost $1k (I think it was $944) a year.

[quote name='joytron' date='04 July 2010 - 06:30 PM' timestamp='1278286200' post='473986'] [ Quote:If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?Well...Bush DID double the national debt....and I've yet to see Obama propose to do any such thing. [/quote] Wow. This is exactly why I love debating with Obama lovers. Bush did deficit spending for most of his time in office. That is true. Obama's LOWEST yearly deficit spending plan is more than the highest Bush year. You do realize that between the bailouts approved under the Obama watch, and the Recovery act, etc, etc....that FIRST year of deficit spending is about equal to ALL 8 years of Bush deficit spending. Obama year 1 = 8 years of Bush. If you didn't "see" Obama spending money, then maybe you can take your Obama blinders off. http://www.google.com/images?q=national+deficit+graph&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&tbs=isch:1&ei=ewoyTKGPCcOAlAe-xui_Cw&sa=N&start=20&ndsp=20

[quote name='GMofOLC' date='23 June 2010 - 05:35 PM' timestamp='1277332551' post='472636'] [quote name='jezter6' date='23 June 2010 - 09:53 AM' timestamp='1277308409' post='472593'] bloody amazing. I've wanted to get some good hookah art for framing, and this kind of stuff looks great. Any chance you'd be willing to give me (or sell me fairly cheaply) a full quality photo or two that I can get printed and framed? [/quote] If I did that I'd want to do some retouching to it first. I made some wallpaper sizes too, still haven't had time to go through the rest of them yet though. [url="http://www.gmofolc.com/Experimental/Hookah-First/1-1680x1050/910524194_Ux4qu-O.jpg"]1680x1050[/url] [url="http://www.gmofolc.com/Experimental/Hookah-First/1-1920x1080/910524354_memPA-O.jpg"]1920x1080[/url] [/quote] Well, if you continue to do some hookah pics and would be willing to let me get them printed for my own personal use, please drop me a PM.

bloody amazing. I've wanted to get some good hookah art for framing, and this kind of stuff looks great. Any chance you'd be willing to give me (or sell me fairly cheaply) a full quality photo or two that I can get printed and framed?

[quote name='acolorado' date='07 June 2010 - 12:56 AM' timestamp='1275890165' post='470932'] You may have a difficult time understanding that when the policies enacted by the Republican party failed this country miserably, leading us into the worst economic downturn since the great depression, getting us stuck in two endless wars, and spending trillions we didn't need to, a great many people decided that the Democrats - who have been far more honest and competent than the R's were on all accounts in the opinion of many - are a much better choice. [/quote] Do you really expect anyone on the other side of the debate to even bother with basic party rhetoric like that? I was hoping you had a legit opinion, but apparently I was incorrect in that assumption. [quote name='acolorado' date='07 June 2010 - 12:56 AM' timestamp='1275890165' post='470932'] Rather than trying to insinuate that I'm being dishonest here -which you are - perhaps you would take a moment to remember that not everyone will uncritically support failure. Some people will actually decide to try something different, and when it gives better results, they'll stick with it. [quote] If the almighty Democratic party of the United States was oh-so-great, and your statement is true - we wouldn't have had a single Republican president since Kennedy. I'm guessing that one or both of your above statements is incorrect. [quote name='acolorado' date='07 June 2010 - 12:56 AM' timestamp='1275890165' post='470932'] Many of the Republican positions which I used to support sounded great but just didn't work out. Tax cuts don't stimulate the economy - they just lead to budget crises. [/quote] Interesting, the JOINT Economic Committee of congress seems to disagree with you there. http://www.house.gov/jec/fiscal/tx-grwth/reagtxct/reagtxct.htm Under Reagan era tax cuts, government revenue actually increased over time, in spite of a recession. And typical of Liberal Democratic plans, the "top 1%" got screwed in the starfish more and the rest of the citizens won out quite well. In the midst of a recession. [quote name='acolorado' date='07 June 2010 - 12:56 AM' timestamp='1275890165' post='470932'] Having fewer gun restrictions doesn't reduce crime - it just turns what could have been assaults into murders. [/quote] Talking points much? Where's your FACTS to back this one up? A Harvard study in (IIRC) 2007 seems to think otherwise. http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/jlpp/Vol30_No2_KatesMauseronline.pdf Of course, since you got your "news" from Maddow, please link me to her talking points on the subject. [quote name='acolorado' date='07 June 2010 - 12:56 AM' timestamp='1275890165' post='470932'] High levels of military spending don't make us safer - it only creates the incentive to get involved in unnecessary and expensive wars. [/quote] We'll have to see, but as far as I can tell, we were in more wars 1940-1980 than we have been 1981-present. Now, there's a 10 year shortage there, so we'll have to see what comes of the next decade. [quote name='acolorado' date='07 June 2010 - 12:56 AM' timestamp='1275890165' post='470932'] Fiscal responsibility is something I believe in - which is why I don't support Republicans anymore - they don't practice it. [/quote] Nobody in current government practices it. You think your precious Dems haven't spent the crap out of the last 2 years? PUHLEASE. I like how tax cuts don't work, but spending TRILLIONS does. Both cases result in the federal government having less money, one's just pushed by the Dems, so you're drinking the kool-aid like you're in the Sahara... [quote name='acolorado' date='07 June 2010 - 12:56 AM' timestamp='1275890165' post='470932'] The ideas which used to sound terrific to me and which I supported just never produced the results which conservatives claimed they would. So rather than blindly continue to support those obvious failures - I did what any rational and thinking human being will - I admitted to myself that they didn't work and started looking for someone with better ideas. [/quote] At least I'll give you credit for trying to do something about it. Too bad you went right to the SAME turdballs that got us into this mess...the big 2 parties that think money is printed by the government or something. Oh wait, it is... [quote name='acolorado' date='07 June 2010 - 12:56 AM' timestamp='1275890165' post='470932'] It was easy to find them too. [/quote] Wow. Just wow. [quote name='acolorado' date='07 June 2010 - 12:56 AM' timestamp='1275890165' post='470932'] To give you an analogy. If I buy a car from Ford and one month later it's broken down 5 times, I don't need 5 years to decide Ford is not the right place to buy a car from. I go buy another car, and when it doesn't break down - I love that company. Now if it takes you longer to figure out that something is not working, and not worth supporting, that is not my problem - that is yours. If years of supporting something which doesn't work is "a reasonable amount of time" in your mind before you start to look for something better - well I'll just say I'm glad I don't do it that way.[/quote] Luckily most people have figured out in 2 years what it took many to figure out in 8. However, what you've really done is traded your broken down Ford for a Mazda...not realizing that Ford IS Mazda and it's the same broken crap, just with a Japanese name that is equated with higher quality...even it it's the same garbage. [quote name='acolorado' date='07 June 2010 - 12:56 AM' timestamp='1275890165' post='470932'] Do you know he reduced the deficit by 300 billion since last year, and has pledged to focus on deficit reduction in the next session of congress? [/quote] That's like raising the price of something by 100% and then having a 50% off sale...

Like the title says. I'm coming to Santa Clara on Sunday afternoon and staying until Friday morning. What's good for hookah in and around Santa Clara?

[quote name='Rani' date='27 May 2010 - 06:25 PM' timestamp='1275002721' post='469694'] [/quote] I would consider stupid putting words in my mouth I didn't say. Where did I say I was sad at strengthening the borders so they cannot come across, treating them unfairly, etc? I have steadfastly stated our immigration law is screwed up, I'm not in favor of amnesty in reward for criminal behavior, nor did I suggest remotely they should not be punished for entering the country illegally. Quit assuming that because I believe the issue is one that needs not only humanitarian treatment all around while protecting our borders and the rights every American citizen should already have that I'm on the side of criminal behavior. 'Rani [/quote] Was making a generalization of anti-AZ law viewpoint. I apologize if that came across like I was explicitly calling you out for that. [quote name='Rani' date='27 May 2010 - 10:25 PM' timestamp='1275017157' post='469735'] I hear you Ray, but you're talking rational actions, by rational police officers. I know one hell of a lot of police officers that don't remotely approach reasonable. Most of my friends, predominately retired police officers will openly tell you they're racist and they will stop people based on their race under whatever suspicion. Prove you weren't doing 2 miles over the speed limit, go ahead. If they want to stop you they will whether you actually do anything wrong or not, and the State of Arizona has now given them carte blanch. What the law is written to allow and what the on site enforcement will actually do with that law in effect is entirely and completely different if the officer's interpretation thinks it's different. [/quote] If you have a problem with corrupt police officers, then fix the problem. Don't handcuff ALL cops and prevent them from doing a GOOD thing by trying to catch more criminals because you know there are some bad cops out there that "might" be a problem here. Your argument shouldn't be against this law, but towards better police officers. That's a problem across the country and has nothing to do with this specific law. [quote name='Rani' date='27 May 2010 - 10:25 PM' timestamp='1275017157' post='469735'] What's more, the food on every table at dinner tonight would have cost substantially more without the exploitation of illegal immigrants. Most houses are built with scab labor of which a great percentage is illegal. I'm not saying it's right, but I definitely am tired of people yelling "they're taking our jobs" when they don't want to pay fair market for table grapes, etc., and do the dirty work these jobs require. Anyone who doesn't admit that a substantial portion of our "below poverty working class" economy is currently driven by illegal workers doesn't know what they're talking about. They're at least as much victims of US exploitation as we are of their incursion. [/quote] That's always the argument. "But it's cheap labor that Americans wont do." Sure, our fruits and veg might be a little cheaper, but when is that cost offset by all the things illegals TAKE from the economy - like welfare programs, bailing out on hospital bills without payment, the cost of housing hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant criminals in our jails. Guess what, our food's cheaper, but our insurance and taxes are more expensive. We STILL end up paying the same amount (if not more) for our total cost of living. Just because it seems pretty on the food cost side, everyone suddenly turns a big blind eye to the COSTS of illegal immigration. [quote name='Rani' date='27 May 2010 - 10:25 PM' timestamp='1275017157' post='469735'] There's also the fact that a number of illegal immigrants are not looking for a temporary job or even a better life. They're fleeing for their lives from South American civil unrest that continues to this day though it's not nearly the cause celeb the Middle East war is. Imagine living in cartel Mexico yourself. The waiting list to get legal entry is years. With gunfire all around you and your children at risk. Are you going to wait years for the right paperwork? Or are you going to try and get yourself and your family to relative safety even if it makes you a criminal in the process? Again, I'm not remotely saying it's right to have open unguarded borders anyone can go through, but damn it we need to find humane answers without turning every state into it's own police state. And contrary to popular belief (and what's been stated here) we don't send the criminal class illegals to prison unless it's a Class 1 felony. Anything less we just send them home, and that in itself needs to stop. My entire point has been that it's a complex issue that isn't going to be easily solved with a "let's just get them all the hell out of here" attitude. 'Rani [/quote] Arizona is no more of a police state than ANY other state in the union. You're making mountains out of molehills. I don't disagree that we need to find a better way, but until that better way shows up - people should still be doing something about it. Just ignoring the problem while we wait for the feds to get something done isn't the answer either.

[quote name='Rani' date='27 May 2010 - 03:57 PM' timestamp='1274993861' post='469672'] 1) It's not the same law; the California law specifies [u][b]arrested[/b][/u]. Hell, yeah if you're arrested, but the Arizona law gives them the right to stop anyone "they" suspect of being illegal. Different ballgame.[/QUote] That is PATENTLY false. Either you have yet to READ the bill, or are spouting MSNBC propaganda. And THIS is why we keep debating it. People either do not read the bill, or just sit and listen to one of the biased media outlets (FoxNews included). [quote name='Rani' date='27 May 2010 - 03:57 PM' timestamp='1274993861' post='469672'] 2) Uppity? Pot, kettle - considering your response. 3) I get that we have illegal aliens committing crimes. The problem is because they're illegal all we do is ship them back across the border. If you're a criminal sure you're going to commit your crimes where there's no penalty except a bus ride back across the border. Their illegal activities need to be handled entirely different from their legal status. I'm personally in favor of locking them up and throwing away the key. That at least would be government money well spent in my opinion. And at least discourage the next guy who think he's only going to get a bus ride. [/quote] Illegals convicted of crimes in the US are in our jail system already. They are not just shipped back across the border.... [quote name='Rani' date='27 May 2010 - 03:57 PM' timestamp='1274993861' post='469672'] 4) I'm not remotely against revision to our current immigration laws which are way too lenient in my view. What's more I'm not terribly happy with a Federal Government who doesn't do a damn thing to enforce the law we do have. 5) I'm Native American. Far as I'm concerned you can ship every Hispanic, African, Asian, Russian, etc., immigrant back home. Long as they take the rest of you white people with them. (Sarcasm for those who don't easily recognize it across a computer screen.) [/quote] If the feds are not going to do anything about it, then who should? Should we just wait for our almighty federal government to come to the rescue? Even if this law gets killed by SCOTUS, if anything it MIGHT get the feds to actually do something. This bill is positive in many many ways.... [quote name='Rani' date='27 May 2010 - 03:57 PM' timestamp='1274993861' post='469672'] Seriously though, so many people are acting like the formerly addicted. Holier than thou and and everybody else is evil unlike "you" who've seen the light. The vast majority of the people inhabiting America are from immigrant heritage. Your own ancestors battled this very same "less than human" attitude. But no, now that everyone is here, they're all "it's my home". Well, I suppose maybe so, since it was stolen fair and square, right? 'Rani [/quote] Yes, my ancestors came here on a boat, and less than 100 years ago. However, they did it the right way. They didn't sneak into the country and suck the country dry. They didn't roam the streets (or deserts) in packs, killing people who got in their way. They came peacefully, they signed the papers, and BECAME AMERICANS. Illegal immigrants do what they want, against the law, do not care ONE bit about the damage they are doing and have little want to be Americans (and I'm not talking citizenship, I'm talking something bigger and broader than just a card that says you're an American). You know what, it IS my home. Because this country WELCOMED my family here and we built a solid foundation on being Americans. And everyone else isn't EVIL. Quit putting words in my mouth. ILLEGAL aliens maybe, probably because (based on the whole word illegal) they are CRIMINALS. I have NO problem with legal immigrants. Hispanics, white, or otherwise. I welcome immigrants, because we're a land of opportunity and the greatest nation on earth. You just gotta play by the rules, the same way everyone else plays by the rules. There's no room to be sorry for these people. They've taken the shortcut. They are obviously committing an illegal act. Yet people are so SAD that we treat these criminals soooooooo terribly here. The way you people make it sound it's like we're waterboarding them and forcing them to do naked pyramids in these giant concentration camps or something. Next time someone robs your home, make sure you welcome them back with open arms, because obviously their criminal behavior isn't their fault and they just need a hug or something. Maybe you let them stay a few weeks to get back on their feet and hand out some free cash while you're at it. Sound stupid? Sure does.

Only one vendor I know of has Nak Esk Apple. It's good, but nothing quite like AF Esk. For a cheap substitute, I like it...but it's different. Esk apple is more of a green apple. Slightly sour. good stuff.

[quote name='Rani' date='26 May 2010 - 04:20 PM' timestamp='1274908822' post='469550'] You're missing the point. Giving the government more and more free rein means that they will eventually use it. Do you think anyone in any socialist overtaken country got up one morning and found every freedom they'd ever had vanished overnight without their knowledge? No, it got chipped away at little by little, with more and more permission given to depress the rights of the citizens and then they activated those permissions and the take over was entirely legal. The old saying "Give 'em an inch and they take a mile" has been around about a hundred years because it's [u]true.[/u] They only way to ensure that no government exercises abuse of power is to never give them that power in the first place. 'Rani [/quote] I'm not missing any point. I love how people are all against government power when it's enforcing LAW, but as soon as it's gov't power to tax the crap out of us and buy failing car companies and hand out free money to wall street, suddenly that government power is ok. And before you californians get all uppity about this law -- California already has one, it's just kept a little quieter. California Penal Code Section 834b (a) Every law enforcement agency in California shall fully cooperate with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service regarding any person who is arrested if he or she is suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws. ( With respect to any such person who is arrested, and suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws, every law enforcement agency shall do the following: (1) Attempt to verify the legal status of such person as a citizen of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted as a permanent resident, an alien lawfully admitted for a temporary period of time or as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of immigration laws. The verification process may include, but shall not be limited to, questioning the person regarding his or her date and place of birth, and entry into the United States, and demanding documentation to indicate his or her legal status. (2) Notify the person of his or her apparent status as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws and inform him or her that, apart from any criminal justice proceedings, he or she must either obtain legal status or leave the United States. (3) Notify the Attorney General of California and the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service of the apparent illegal status and provide any additional information that may be requested by any other public entity. (c) Any legislative, administrative, or other action by a city, county, or other legally authorized local governmental entity with jurisdictional boundaries, or by a law enforcement agency, to prevent or limit the cooperation required by subdivision (a) is expressly prohibited. [quote name='mustafabey' date='26 May 2010 - 09:12 PM' timestamp='1274926321' post='469576'] [font="verdana"][size="2"]"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" [/size][/font] [/quote] Yes, give us your tired and poor...so long as they stop at the gate along the way and file their paperwork the same way MILLIONS of other legal immigrants have done in the past. Immigration into the United States is NOT HARD at all. There are immigrants everywhere you look. I will take all the LEGAL immigrants that want to come here. Provided they do so legally.