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Cedar Park had a "kaleido-spoke" festival on Friday night. It was an impressive event for being free. Great for kids.

I've been off the bike since January 1 this year with a shoulder injury. Riding any bike in any configuration is agony... until now. As I'm working my way through rehab, this is my new ride. Built around a Univega beach cruiser I found at Yellow Bike, I ditched most of the parts and started over. I had to buy the bottom bracket adapter cups and a shim for the handlebar, so I've spent less than $25 on it.

What is your agenda? You can't seem to carry on a conversation that stays on topic. Rather than provide references to support your arguments, you continue to drift off on tangents unrelated to the topic at hand. To be crystal clear, the discussion began regarding the impact of mining for battery materials. You have consistently tried to derail this while alluding to a wide variety of topics which do not follow or contribute to the discussion. (this behavior is what the term 'non sequitur' refers to, in case you aren't familiar with it) non sequitur /nŏn sĕk′wĭ-tər, -too͝r″/ noun An inference or conclusion that does not follow from the premises or evidence. A statement that does not follow logically from what preceded it. Any abrupt and inexplicable transition or occurrence. Another Latin term that would apply to your responses is 'ad hominem' ad hominem /hŏm′ə-nĕm″, -nəm/ adjective Attacking a person's character or motivations rather than a position or argument. "Debaters should avoid ad hominem arguments that question their opponents' motives." Appealing to the emotions rather than to logic or reason. Of or relating to ad hominem. These being Latin terms brings to point just how long people have been using such techniques to derail or deflect an argument, rather than debate in a straight-forward manner. For instance, posting links to entertainment pieces (news/documentary/etc.) are not the same as providing a reference to the actual research the entertainment piece claims to be based upon. At the very least, doing so would demonstrate how you have invested time into confirming these things before using them as a basis of a counter argument. Offering specific reference to original work would represent an opportunity for others to review the work, and may provide evidence of peer review or other data to demonstrate the validity of the concept by applying the Scientific Method. scientific method noun The principles and empirical processes of discovery and demonstration considered characteristic of or necessary for scientific investigation, generally involving the observation of phenomena, the formulation of a hypothesis concerning the phenomena, experimentation to demonstrate the truth or falseness of the hypothesis, and a conclusion that validates or modifies the hypothesis. A method of discovering knowledge about the natural world based in making falsifiable predictions (hypotheses), testing them empirically, & developing theories that match known data from repeatable physical experimentation. A method of investigation involving observation and theory to test scientific hypotheses. Do you have facts to contribute to this discussion about the impact of mining for battery materials? If not, what is the purpose for employing non sequiturs, ad hominem attacks, and avoiding the application of logic? Those are the tools routinely used to manipulate people's sentiment with emotion, when the manipulator cannot prove a point in a way that stands up to closer scrutiny. Your .sig quotes George Orwell's "1984" and yet you employ the very tactics he wrote to warn us about.

No need to apologize. I'm just glad that you can admit to your problem. That's the first step. There should be some group you can join to help you break away from this cult. Their persuasive and emotion-invoking video art seems to be designed to cultivate new members using the standard psychological triggers employed by many others over the years. Good luck on your road to recovery.