BeemerBoy

Actually, with all due respect, you sound a bit confused. It seems as though you treat your religion as a country club type of membership deal. "Hey look God, I'm a card carrying Catholic. I don't really follow the 10 Commandments, only show up to church when I need to, and really don't believe in hell. Can I get in to heaven now? Thanks." Yes, if you truly believe and accept Jesus as your savior, God will forgive you of your sins, but you may wanna put a little effort into following His word in the meantime. And before you ask, yes, I speak from experience. I've recently converted to Methodism (which is not far off from Catholicism) after spending the first 31 years of my life as a Catholic. Trust me, I understand the "laziness" associated with the Catholic faith. At times when I was younger, I was just as guilty of not being as involved in church as I should've been. I've since learned from that mistake.

First of all, congratulations! That's a huge step to take, and as your Christian brother, I'm proud of you. Like reading through this thread if you didn't firmly believe in God. Yes, you should be worried about your loved ones. I know I am. BUT, approach the situation moderately. In other words, there's no need to whack 'em over the head with Bibles until they convert. A suggestion would be to lead by example. Become a strong member of your church community, and slowly start to speak to each person you care about individually, explaining to them why you feel the way you do. I've managed to get through to many of my friends and family members this way over the last few years. I always find it kind of amusing to hear the "sorta believers" explain their lack of true faith. Mentioning things like "Yeah, I guess I believe in God, I just haven't found a religion that fits my agenda, yadda yadda yadda" is like saying, "Yeah, I guess I believe in El Toro's safety restraints, but let's try the first drop without 'em and see how it goes first." The only way to enter into heaven is to accept Jesus Christ as your savior. And when death comes, you better be strong in your beliefs, because there's no "do overs" once you're gone. RNRC, have you had the opportunity to read The Purpose Driven Life yet? If not, I HIGHLY recommend it. I'd also recommend it to any non-believers interested in researching religion in general. It's easy to be skeptical due to it's immense popularity, but I've found it to be the absolute best religious source outside of the Bible. For the non-believers, and those who may be on the fence about Christianity, the best way to explain it is this. I like to think of it as a well written down to earth "Cliff's Notes" about the teachings of the Bible. There's no highbrow preachings in Rick Warren's message, and that's what I feel has attracted so many people to it. Also RNRC, always continue to pray for, and repsect the views of those who might try to sway you from your own beliefs. Although I wholeheartedly disagree with many in this thread, I still respect their views, and pray for their salvation, just as Jesus would.

See confession thread, page 35.

Although I didn't watch the entire 10+ minutes of it, Ryan's Krunk My Kar video was amusing. Like Lou, I expected to hate it, but I've been a casual observer of the actual show once or twice, and the idea you guys had to spoof it was spot on. Putting a tree and inflatable mattress in the back for his love of camping was actually quite funny.

Not kill people. Or you could've read what mcjaco posted earlier in the thread.

Hmmm......finally get to Dollywood. Quit thinking so much about credits. Start thinking quality over quantity. Save enough money for a Japan trip. Not "the Japan Trip," just a Japan trip.

Ocean's 13 Die Hard 4 Spiderman 3 POTC 3 It's a good thing Hollywood's learned how to make sequels these days.

They've already got one.....

Um, then don't come begging for it by posting about your "draconic side." Your over-inflated IQ should have tipped you off about the repercussions of doing such an ignorant thing. I second this. But hey, if anything, maybe you could use your powers of flight to check out what coasters on the moon would be like. We'd definitely appreciate that.

^ I guess your dragon senses are fairly acute. Perhaps they'll lead you where you need to be...a psychiatrist's office. Scott "seriously" B.

For all the "dark Dinosaur" haters in here, the guy behind you really sums it all up. Oh yeah, good report, but sorry to hear you picked one of the worst times to visit.

^ Recycle them to make new ones.

Although you make a valid point, along those same lines, how many kids today could even name our last five presidents? Does that mean that the Hall of Presidents and Liberty Square is the next to fall in the name of high dollar marketable entertainment value? Trust me, TSI is near and dear to me, but even I admit that this "update" actually makes a little sense. But with that said, where does the "updating" to more popular trends end? It's happened with Epcot, and hopefully it doesn't spread too far beyond this TSI "update." Personally, I'd rather see the Imagineering department start to create more unique attractions from scratch, a la Tower of Terror, without cloning the heck out of it. An example would be Journey to the Center of the Earth. It gets great reviews, is unique to one park, and makes every American Disney fan wanna visit TDS (besides the simple awesomeness of the place itself, obviously). Another would be EE. To me, that's what's more interesting....variety among the parks. If every Disney park had the same plug and play attractions or themes, then where's the fun in traveling and exploring all of them? I guess that's a bit off topic, but I hope it made sense.

Agreed. I can't speak for Disneyland, but growing up at the WDW version, I always loved the island for what it was.....a bit of an escape from the rest of the park. As a kid, it was one of those places where a few tools (the fort, caves, etc.) were in place to create a spark for pure imagination to take over. It was a rare place where my brother and I could run around and play, creating our own "adventures" by just being kids, while our parents grabbed a drink and a snack and rested a bit. I'm not sure I completely agree with you on this one. Of all the "updates" Disney has decided on, beyond the marketing and capacity issues, this one may not be such a horrible idea. But as with the previous post, I'd much rather keep the concept of discovery. In other words, like you say, don't over saturate it. Put some pirates-related stuff out there, but let the imagination take over, rather than try to forcefeed a storyline down guests' throats. And as for whether people will still be interested in POTC in five years, I'd say it's a safe bet they will. Pirates are one genre that never completely die out. And besides, there has been talk of extending the series beyond a trilogy if I'm not mistaken. If anything though, thank God it's not becomming Pixar Island!

Well, it's nice to know they made it back safely. Now if we'd just permanently ground the program and focus those billions on something useful.....like education and public health care.....the country would be much better off.

Nice TR, and funny captions. Great pics of America Jr.

After looking at it closer, it certainly does look like the stacked cups idea. Ironically, the penguin appears to be imitating its owner.....its' head is in it's arse.

Illegal drugs are for weak-minded fools. Although I probably could've used some to get me through that post.

I'm just curious, how many new ways to ride a coaster do we really need? Are you expecting to be hanging from your ankles while you negotiate a suspended track? Or how about by your neck......they could call it Noose: The Coaster. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that people will continue to flock to a beemer of any design, and the major parks are well aware of this. B&M is like the Honda of the industry. While Intamin does an excellent job of covering a wide array of thrill rides, B&M knows their bread and butter. It's like the Civic. Honda realized early on that they had a winner on their hands, and rather than put the award winning models on the shelf with all their trophies, they continued to simply improve upon it. Year after year, they have simply introduced a slightly better model. The result: countless years of it being the world's best selling small to midsize car. The same applies for B&M, and they understand this concept. The only reason they've been knocked lately (think Hydra, Silver Bullet, Patriot) is because their customers haven't been willing to be creative enough in their coaster designs. Some examples of creativity.....Sheikra, Black Mamba and SFOG's Goliath. It's the same basic concept as RCT. Tunnels, trees, water, etc. are simple sollutions to heighten the thrill and excitement factor. They're the same B&M elements you feel are old, yet the aforementioned three examples were critically acclaimed. Also, they are proven efficient people-eating machines. I can't imagine too many big park chains lining up to purchase the next unproven gimmick coaster if Intamin, GCI, GG, and B&M are available and afordable. And as far as Vekoma goes.....yes, from the reviews I've read, it appears that they've improved a bit. However, beyond the good reviews Kumali received over the summer, I can't remember too many huge crowds rushing out to ride the next big Vekoma.....other than Everest. And speaking of which, that's another coaster that proves my earlier point about theming and surroundings. Put that thing in the middle of nowhere, and it's just a smooth Vekoma......yawn. Put a $100 million mountain around it, and it turns heads. Griffon, Hollywood: The Ride (or whatever it's being called), and the upcoming Hard Rock Park beemer with a supposed on-ride audio system......yeah B&M should really watch their back. Those sands of the hourglass are slipping away on their reign. Scott "yep, another boring day at work" B.

Is it too late for Blackpool to swap for a quality invert?

Actually, the same applies to that gentleman when you think about it. And I'd just like to have clarification on his attire. The article was somewhat vague. A red hat and red shirt can mean many different things. While I understand Disney's position on this one, I was thinking what Derek stated.....just ask the man to say something clever like "no, I'm not, but I hear the 'real' Santa is around here somewhere." Case closed. Scott "I guess I should tell my big-eyed redheaded friend to leave her mermaid costume at home next time she visits" B.

I'm a little late on this one because I don't chose to follow SFMM religiously (although that's not a knock on your updates Jahan...well done, indeed). I had not even realized that Tatsu was in "peril." And since I am not well versed on the following subject, I'm just gonna plead ignorance up front. This question is for the true engineer types, and manufacturer afficionados. In Tatsu's case, *if* something had gone drastically wrong, or *still* goes drastically wrong with the footing after the retaining wall is created and backfilled, who assumes ultimate responsibility for that undersight? Would B&M not be somewhat liable for not conducting proper research such as soil samples, and possible seismic activity results? I've never thought to actually inquire about who's responsible for what in a coaster's development. In talking with Walter Bolliger at Goliath's media day at SFOG, one thing he mentioned was how excited they were to work with unique terrain. And thinking of that is what made me wonder about SFMM's unique situation regarding mudslides and quakes. Maybe some of you could shed some light on this subject. In other words, after a company is contracted to design and build a coaster for a park, what steps are followed in determining the coaster's footprint in said park? And beyond that, as I said, who is ultimately liable should anything short of a major natural disaster occur....especially in Tatsu's situation?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16255785/?GT1=8816 I shouldn't laugh at someone's misfortune, but it's hard not to find some humor in a dangerous pet killing its' owner.

A voice of reason. And no "ageism" applies here either. You are wise beyond your years, my friend.

Now that's a review! Excellent work. Sucks that you missed out on pics, since the ones you posted on the previous page were so good. I gotta say that I've only heard a couple MCR songs, but I kind of like 'em a bit so far; which I didn't expect, figuring they were just another emo teen band of the moment kind of thing. Welcome to the Black Parade is so "Queen-like", it's scary......in a good way, of course.