1. Are you looking forward to the day America liberates your country?
Added by: emitchell

2. Would you illegally download a car off the internet if you could?
Added by: palomar

3. Have you ever "googled" yourself and found something that surprised you?
Added by: Destiny124

4. Should obese children be taken away from their parents?
Added by: Slagathor

5. Would you rather donate money to an environmental cause or a humanitarian one?
Added by: holly_bolly

1. Which time and place do you belong in?
Added by: gabcab

2. Which popular 1980's movie character are you?
Added by: Cindy_

3. Which African mammal are you?
Added by: bornsweet

4. What should you do with your life!
Added by: obvious_keri

5. Ultimate Star Wars Quiz (Episodes 1-3)
Added by: Rob_can_run

Funniest Comments of the Week

In a thread about who the candidates will choose for V.P.:
Cataclysmic1: McCain will choose Conquest. Obama will choose Pestilence. And then the rest of the horsemen will be appointed to the Cabinet.

In the "Crippling Back Pain" journal:
hannah_h: I fell over in Spanish today.
Isthiezak: Fell over in Spanish? Did you shout 'AY CARUMBA' on the way down or something?

Random thread:
BeTheHammer: Herp herp.
redreine: here's a website for online dating between singles with herpes. "Free Herpes Dating Meet other singles with Herpes Find happiness & Love today! herpes.prescription4love.com"
Kungfullama: I wonder if the prescription 4 loves includes some Valtrex.

In a thread about Barack Obama choosing Joe Biden as his Vice President:
Noldor: He has a way of putting his foot in his mouth. This should be good.
Brunnen_G: I thought you actively sought that in a leader. [image of George Bush]

In a discussion about having multiple browser windows open at once:
kikipeepers: I go to it and open all the stuff that looks interesting on it then go through it all. That's how I internet.
birdsong4j: I friggin' hate the use of "internet" as a verb. It makes me cry for the language.
Spratacus: Now you're just picking a fight. IMHO.
birdsong4j: Y'know...normally I stay away from making remarks about grammar on this site, but I HATE reverse gerunds (a.k.a. "verbing"). "A better way to office." "She gifted him with a watch." "I friended him on Facebook." UGH.
cindy_: Then stop commenting her!

Joke of the Week

What do you call a sleepwalking nun?

A Roamin' Catholic

Member of the Week

The member of the week is Kraken. A member since August 2006, Kraken recently hosted a key contest in which entrants were to draw a picture in MS Paint using the theme of 'trapped'. The winning design (pictured left) was by Palomar. Thanks for the contest, and congrats!

JoeInterview's Member Feature

This week's interview features Absynth. This interview was conducted by travbowman.

JoeInterview: First off, how did you find YT?

Absynth: I was at bored.com (clearly I was very bored) and there was a link to YT there, in the Trivia section. Needless to say YT kept me from being bored the rest of the night.

JI: And what keeps you coming back for more?

A: The variety of content and caliber of the subscribers.

JI: Your occupation simply lists 'local newspaper'. What do you do for the paper?

A: I sell advertising space which keeps the paper going (but barely)- I get a percentage of the sale. The upside of the job is the flexible hours, the downside is having to deal with a lot of different people and be persuasive.

JI: Is sales your preferred line of work?

A: No way, I'd much rather be getting paid to do something like writing articles or graphic design, Even if I don't find a job like that, as long as I pursue creative things for their own sake I stay relatively sane and occupied.

JI: What's the best thing about living in Florida?

A: For me its the natural beauty and the history- St. Augustine is my favorite city, reputedly oldest in the U.S. and Cassadaga (a town of alleged spiritualists and palm-readers). I live near NASA so the most exciting thing going used to be the space program, although it's been flagging and people have been losing jobs.

JI: And what's the worst thing about being down there?

A: In my town, it's the lack of things to do and scarcity of people on my wavelegnth- its a pretty conservative area, its not Miami or Tampa. As for downsides about the whole state, there's a lot of suburban sprawl. I like places that feel old, like they have history and character. There are older towns with a lot of charm but so much else seems sort of homogeneous, gaudy and franchised. Some people call it 'Disneyfication'.

JI: If you could live anywhere, where would you go?

A: Probably Seattle WA. I have relatives there and I liked the counter-cultural vibe of the place.

JI: What irks you the most about "the man", "the machine", the status quo, etc. ?

A: The most irksome aspect of that for me is the political and pop-cultural tendancies to elevate hype, paranoia and mediocrity over individualism and things of more enduring value.

JI: How do you suggest the trend be reversed?

A: Hah! Tough one. A lot of cliches come to mind, like 'protest', 'boycott', 'raise conciousness'...all that rot. I'm not such a myopic idealist that I think that'll really make a dent in the problem. Best I can think of is on the micro and not macro level, start with yourself and work outwards. Get inspired and try to inspire others. Share what you love and are passionate about. Try to cut through the cacauphony of b.s. Grassroots and all that.

JI: What was the last good piece that you read?

A: One that stands out for me is 'My Last Column' by Annalee Newitz. I always liked reading her 'Techspoitation' articles at alternet, but apparently she's moving on to edit an online magazine.

JI: What was the high school version of Absynth like?

A: I was a terrible student, academically. I skipped classes too much. Despite bad grades, I did well on my SATs and won some awards. I've always been more of a self-taught person. I was an angsty goth chick so the social aspects of high school stressed me out, but I had a tight circle of like-minded friends and outside the confines of school I was much more relaxed and outgoing.

JI: Outside of family, who do you look up to the most?

A: My S.O., he's stuck by me through the best and worst of times.

JI: How did you two meet?

A: We were acquainted in high school, but didn't hang out much. A few years later we started hanging out more 'as friends' for several months, and then things progressed from there.

JI: What music has been getting the most spin from you lately?

A: The last couple months I've been listening to a lot of Decemberists, Neutral Milk Hotel (which I discovered via YT), Bad Brains, & Dead Kennedys . I've always been a huge fan of They Might be Giants and synthpop like VNV Nation, Spray and Fischerspooner.

JI: What was the best concert you've attended?

A: It's a tie between Warped Tour '98 and They Might Be Giants.

JI: TMBG have recently recorded a couple of children's albums, and also have fans from the baby boomer generation. Why do you think their sound appeals to so many groups of people?

A: Probably because their music is so melodic and their lyrics so whimsical and clever? That's my guess. I haven't heard their latest stuff aimed at kids but I always loved their rendition of 'Why Does the Sun Shine'?

JI: What's the story behind your username?

A: I wanted 'Absinthe' and it was taken, so I spelled it phonetically and liked it.

JI: Since I'm guessing that absinthe is not available most times you are out, what is your drink of choice?

A: Definitely not available where I live. I remember hearing its legal in Iceland. My poisons of choice are full-bodied beers and a sweet wine called Spatlese.

JI: When was the last time you had a really good laugh?

A: The latest I actually remember is a few nights ago watching some 'misheard lyrics' videos which were silly but had their moments. I laugh pretty much every day.

JI: You list "adult swim" as one of your favourite tv shows. What's the best cartoon that adult swim has in your opinion?

A: It's really tough for me to pick just one. I'm calling a tie between Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Squidbillies, and Home Movies.

JI: Have some episodes of ATHF gotten just too weird for your tastes, or are you one who delights in the absurd?

A: Nah, I embrace the weirdness. I'm definitely a fan of the surreal and absurd when it comes to humor and entertainment in general. My favorite episode involves a pool filled with elf blood and the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past From the Future. Also love Glenn Danzig's cameo appearance.

JI: Any final words of wisdom to share with your fellow YTers?

A: Two of the things that have always helped me get through the rough spots in life are cultivating creativity and taking at least a little time out of every day to connect with the natural world. I'd also like to say thanks to those in the YT community who have helped me learn the ropes as a newb and made me feel welcomed.

This week's article is titled 'Bikini Barista Throws Boiling Water On Flasher', and the thread was posted by Pantala.

This week's link is titled 'A Map of Olympic Medals', and the link was posted by sansarf.

Best Avatar of the Week	Best Profile Design of the Week
w8in	"Simplethings" by water_proof

Featured Article of the Week

Confidence and language
Excerpt: I have never had a particularly high level of self confidence, but ever since I began studying languages at the age of 11, I have noticed an interesting psychological effect that speaking a non-native tongue can have.

Written by Isthiezak

Check it all out at YouThink.com!