# True story - trying to cheat at the game of life **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 1, 2014, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620 "2014-01-01T07:07:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/21 "2014-01-04T16:00:11Z")
Yes, Lucifer is called as such because that’s from the Latin word for light. If Thursday was mentioned, would you think Thor was involved? > [@JohnClay](#): > > About the Lucent logo: > [Lucent Technologies - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucent#Logo) > “One source inside Lucent says that the logo is actually a Zen Buddhist symbol for “eternal truth”, the Enso, turned 90 degrees and modified. Another source says it represents the mythic ouroboros, a snake holding its tail in its mouth…”. You failed to quote the reference on that page to it perhaps being a colored-in coffee mug stain. But that doesn’t fit your imagined connections, so you disregard it. I’m not criticizing you. I’m saying that your imagination is making links to things that aren’t there or aren’t relevant; imagination is fine and awesome but it doesn’t mean it’s reality or even meaningful. I had a friend with bipolar disorder who used to do that until she got it under control with better medications and frequent therapy, but before she did, she eventually believed there was a government conspiracy to monitor her that all of her friends and loved ones were in on, resulting in her breaking down and driving for hours, before finally collapsing, coming down from her manic-paranoid high enough to realize something was very wrong, and calling for help, then self-admitting to an inpatient unit for a short stay, long enough to get meds sorted out. Her uncontrolled bipolar episodes also destroyed her marriage (she’s now happily involved for years with a great guy), and nearly wrecked her career, but her bosses were very supportive of her through her illness. And many sad or even legitimately depressed (or happy or normal) people find something meaningful in songs (or books or poems) that speaks deeply to them, maybe even turns them around in life. It doesn’t mean the song was sent out to help you, it just means you found it special. Art’s job is to make you think or feel, and there are thousands of songs and books and paintings you will encounter in life that don’t strike you as strongly, and that’s just how it works. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/22 "2014-01-05T02:23:20Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Yes, Lucifer is called as such because that’s from the Latin word for light. If Thursday was mentioned, would you think Thor was involved? You said “ **no** particular magical association”… I’m not saying that the organization definitely was thinking about Satan but just that there is a possible association. > [@](#): > > You failed to quote the reference on that page to it perhaps being a colored-in coffee mug stain. But that doesn’t fit your imagined connections, so you disregard it. I’m talking about associations which you said didn’t exist. It says “After the logo was compared in the media to the ring a coffee mug leaves on paper” - it doesn’t say that a possible origin of it was that like you’re implying! > [@](#): > > I’m not criticizing you. I’m saying that your imagination is making links to things that aren’t there or aren’t relevant; imagination is fine and awesome but it doesn’t mean it’s reality or even meaningful. You said there were no magical associations and I’m saying there are. You’re trying to say that the origin of the logo was a coffee stain and that isn’t true. BTW there are even more associations than I’ve mentioned: > **[Inferno (operating system)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(operating_system))** > > Inferno is a distributed operating system started at Bell Labs and now developed and maintained by Vita Nuova Holdings as free software under the MIT License. Inferno was based on the experience gained with Plan 9 from Bell Labs, and the further research of Bell Labs into operating systems, languages, on-the-fly compilers, graphics, security, networking and portability. The name of the operating system, many of its associated programs, and that of the current company, were inspired by Dante Infer... “The name of the operating system and many of its associated programs, as well as that of the current company, were inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy.” (Dis, Limbo, Inferno, Styx) I think that OS has about the most “evil” supernatural associations compared to any other! So Dante’s Divine Comedy is a major influence - here’s what it says about the comedy: > **[Dante's Satan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante's_Satan)** > > In Dante's Inferno, Satan is portrayed as a giant demon, frozen up to the waist in ice at the center of Hell. Satan has three faces and a pair of bat-like wings affixed under each chin. As Satan beats his wings, he creates a cold wind that continues to freeze the ice surrounding him and the other sinners in the Ninth Circle. The winds he creates are felt throughout the other circles of Hell. In his three mouths, he chews on Judas Iscariot, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. Scholar... > [@](#): > > Satan, also known as **Lucifer** , was formerly the Angel of **Light** Also like I mentioned Satan can **still** be seen as an angel of light. > **[2 Corinthians 11:14 - Paul and the False Apostles](https://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/11-14.htm)** > > And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. I think you’re too eager to dismiss all of this as being meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/23 "2014-01-05T02:39:12Z")
BTW Lucent’s logo is red, which is the most common color that Lucifer is portrayed as being. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/24 "2014-01-05T02:43:13Z")
Lucifer actually refers to the King of ancient Babylon, not Satan. Plenty of people think Lucifer = Satan, but the passage in Isaiah 14:12 was not originally linked to Satan. Just FYI ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/25 "2014-01-05T02:57:22Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Lucifer actually refers to the King of ancient Babylon, not Satan. Plenty of people think Lucifer = Satan, but the passage in Isaiah 14:12 was not originally linked to Satan. > > Just FYI [Some previous discussion of it (discussed several times on SDMB)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5617735&highlight=lucifer#post5617735) This might help, might not, but not meant as any snark ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/26 "2014-01-05T05:06:50Z")
Ferret Herder: About Lucent and the logo and aspects of the OS: (Dis, Limbo, Inferno, Styx) They are circles of hell: > **[Divine Comedy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Comedy)** > > The Divine Comedy (Italian: Divina Commedia \[diˈviːna komˈmɛːdja\]) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun c. 1308 and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of Western literature. The poem's imaginative vision of the afterlife is representative of the medieval worldview as it existed in the Western Church by the 14th century. It helped establish the Tuscan languag... > [@](#): > > …9 circles of the **Inferno** , followed by **Lucifer** contained at its bottom;… > > …Upper Hell, outside the city of **Dis** … **Limbo** , in Circle 1… > **[Styx](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styx)** > > In Greek mythology, Styx (/ˈstɪks/; Ancient Greek: Στύξ \[stýks\]; lit. "Shuddering"), also called the River Styx, is a goddess and one of the rivers of the Greek Underworld. Her parents were the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, and she was the wife of the Titan Pallas and the mother of Zelus, Nike, Kratos, and Bia. She sided with Zeus in his war against the Titans, and because of this, to honor her, Zeus decreed that the solemn oaths of the gods be sworn by the water of Styx. > According to the usual acc... > [@](#): > > Dante put Phlegyas over the **Styx** and made it the fifth **circle of Hell** … So what do Dis, Limbo, Inferno and Styx have in common - they are “circles of hell” (I think Inferno is a synonym for “hell”)? And the logo happens to look like circles - and they’re **red** - a color of hell and/or Lucifer. If it is _"just a Latin-originating word meaning “glowing” or “clear (translucent)”_ then why is it red? You need to explain why it is more likely to just be about glowing/clear than circles of hell and lucifer… > **[Lucent Technologies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucent)** > > Lucent Technologies, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications equipment company headquartered in Murray Hill, New Jersey. It was established on September 30, 1996, through the divestiture of the former AT&T Technologies business unit of AT&T Corporation, which included Western Electric and Bell Labs. > Lucent was acquired by Alcatel SA on December 1, 2006, forming Alcatel-Lucent. > Lucent means "light-bearing" in Latin. The name was applied for in 1996 at the time of the split from ... > [@](#): > > …One source inside Lucent says that the logo is actually a Zen Buddhist symbol for “eternal truth”, the Enso, turned 90 degrees and modified. Another source says it represents the mythic ouroboros, a snake holding its tail in its mouth. Lucent’s logo also has been said to represent constant re-creating and re-thinking… Zen Buddhism and Ouroboros has been considered part of the Occult: > **[Zen - Zen, the spirit of Buddhism - Occultopedia, the Occult and Unexplained...](http://www.occultopedia.com/z/zen.htm)** > > Information about Zen, the spirit of Buddhism. > **[What is Ouroboros?](https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-ouroboros.htm)** > > Ouroboros is a circular motif of a snake biting its own tail. Many ancient cultures used the ouroboros, and it can symbolize... “It is often used in popular culture as a generic symbol of the occult” Why does it seem to have occultic origins rather than be a symbol that merely represents glowing or clearness? ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/27 "2014-01-05T05:08:31Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Lucifer actually refers to the King of ancient Babylon, not Satan. Plenty of people think Lucifer = Satan, but the passage in Isaiah 14:12 was not originally linked to Satan. > > Just FYI As you can see in my latest posts, Lucifer is a character in Dante’s Divine Comedy and that doesn’t mean it has anything to do with the Bible… e.g. Dis, Limbo, etc, aren’t Biblical concepts. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/28 "2014-01-05T05:17:38Z")
🆒 ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/29 "2014-01-05T05:20:32Z")
> **[Lucent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucent)** > > Lucent Technologies, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications equipment company headquartered in Murray Hill, New Jersey. It was established on September 30, 1996, through the divestiture of the former AT&T Technologies business unit of AT&T Corporation, which included Western Electric and Bell Labs. > Lucent was merged with Alcatel SA of France on December 1, 2006, forming Alcatel-Lucent. Alcatel-Lucent was absorbed by Nokia in January 2016. > Lucent means "light-bearing" in Latin... I think the logo also looks a bit like fire. (also “circles of hell”) It’s weird that it says “The Lucent logo, the Innovation Ring, was designed by Landor Associates” yet the article isn’t sure what it means (there are 3 theories). ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/30 "2014-01-05T05:32:53Z")
About Dante’s Inferno - a 2010 video game > **[Dante's Inferno (video game)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante's_Inferno_(video_game))** > > Dante's Inferno is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PlayStation Portable in February 2010. The PlayStation Portable version was developed by Artificial Mind and Movement. > The game's story is loosely based on Inferno, the first cantica of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. It follows Dante, imagined as a Templar knight from The Crusades, who, guided by the spirit of the poet Virgil, must ... and animated movie: > **[Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic](https://dantesinferno.fandom.com/wiki/Dante%27s_Inferno:_An_Animated_Epic)** > > Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic was a direct DVD animated film that was released on February 9, 2010. The film was a spin-off of Dante's Inferno. The film started with Dante's return from the Crusades which had him away from his home for several... > **[Lucifer](https://dantesinferno.fandom.com/wiki/Lucifer)** > > Lucifer, also known as Satan or Dis, was the ruler of Hell and the main antagonist of Dante's Inferno. Once God's most glorious angel, Lucifer was banished from Paradise as punishment for leading a rebellion against Him. Now a twisted and demonic... > [@](#): > > …Lucifer is the ruler of Hell and the main antagonist of Dante’s Inferno… throughout the nine circles… Lucifer (in Latin: Luciferus; in Hebrew: Heylel ; Shaitan or Iblis ; in Arabic) was the Angel of Light, “The Morning Star,”… ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/31 "2014-01-05T06:01:13Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > Zen Buddhism and Ouroboros has been considered part of the Occult Oh puh-leeze… :rolleyes: > [@JohnClay](#): > > [Lucent Technologies - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucent) > I think the logo also looks a bit like fire. (also “circles of hell”) > It’s weird that it says “The Lucent logo, the Innovation Ring, was designed by Landor Associates” yet the article isn’t sure what it means (there are 3 theories). I think you completely missed **FerretHerder’s** point. The words “Lucent” and “Lucifer” may both share the same root word meaning “light” but other than that they share no relation at all. That’s false logic. And I agree that Lucent’s logo looks much more like a coffee cup stain than anything else – or maybe the bottom of a red paint can, which makes more sense since that would imply they are “building” technology and making it look pretty. But I certainly wouldn’t read anything more into that. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/32 "2014-01-05T06:13:07Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Oh puh-leeze… :rolleyes: But they can be considered part of the occult! (See the links, etc) I’m not saying that magick exists though. > [@](#): > > I think you completely missed **FerretHerder’s** point. The words “Lucent” and “Lucifer” may both share the same root word meaning “light” but other than that they share no relation at all. That’s false logic. What about the color (red), that there is obviously a strong theme about Dante’s Inferno and circles of hell… and Lucifer is the main character in that. If it is just about light and not about Lucifer, the red and the circle needs to be explained. > [@](#): > > And I agree that Lucent’s logo looks **much more** like a coffee cup stain than anything else [emphasis added] I guess you didn’t look up the Enso: > **[Ensō](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enso)** > > In Zen art, an ensō (円相, "circular form") is a circle hand-drawn in one or two uninhibited brushstrokes to express the Zen mind, which is associated with enlightenment, emptiness, freedom, and the state of no-mind. > The ensō symbolizes absolute enlightenment, strength, elegance, the universe (Dharmadhatu), and mu (emptiness). It is characterised by a minimalism influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy, and Japanese aesthetics. An empty circle also appears in the ten oxherding pictures which is a s... Also the coffee cup part is from Dilbert and they called it the “Brown Ring of Quality” - that doesn’t explain why it is red rather than brown. > [@](#): > > – or maybe the bottom of a red paint can, So you’d prefer to just invent possible meanings rather than talk about the ones that Wikipedia says are likely? It also looks like fire I think. > [@](#): > > which makes more sense since that would imply they are “building” technology and making it look pretty. But I certainly wouldn’t read anything more into that. Having a mark on the bottom of a red paint can implies messiness (if you painted things normally paint wouldn’t get on the bottom) - not about “making it look pretty”. And red has strong links to hell, fire and the devil. Why is believing that Lucent merely means “light” a better explanation for the color red? Please explain. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/33 "2014-01-05T09:12:27Z")
FerretHerder: I wonder if I did a poll and asked what color people most associated with fire/hell/devil and what color they most associated with “glowing” or “clear (translucent).”… I suspect they would say “red” and “white” respectively and that suggests a stronger connection of the logo’s to fire/hell/devil than to “glowing/clear/translucent”. (in addition the OS has 4 terms related to circles of hell… that’s another reason why hell and fire are related - also the actual appearance of the logo looks more like fire than a translucent glow… glows would have a soft gradient) ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/34 "2014-01-07T05:26:13Z")
BTW I forgot to mention that the fourth time I went to hospital - at the end of January, 2007. I lost my memory for a couple of days. The last thing I can remember was being at an Internet cafe accessing the Straight Dope Messageboards… One of the threads: > **[I'm Satan at the moment](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=406060)** > > Hi, I’m Satan at this point in time and I know the secrets of life. THE LAW OF REALITY EVERYTHING happens for a Good logical reason. The secret of eternal life on earth is to not break any commandments in the Bible, tempt others, be selfish, don’t... I’m sure that I wrote on the boards that I had to go because a nurse(?) found me but I can’t find that post… Then I remember being back at a place which has housing for mentally ill people with nurses. I was getting into a car and was still going on about playing the role of Satan. I was reading my notes from the hospital but they’re mostly in cursive and a bit hard to read. Anyway apparently I had trouble recognizing my sisters and I was unable to recognize a case worker. I guess I reverted to an earlier version of myself that didn’t have access to recent memories. My case worker said that he helped me go to the toilet because I had trouble keeping my balance. I can remember having a cut on my eyebrow - from a fall I guess. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/35 "2014-01-07T06:08:19Z")
When I went to look at my notes I finally discovered a three page letter that I had been looking for for a long time. While scanning the first page I typed out the second and third pages in notepad. Now I can’t switch to notepad! The program is showing up in the taskbar at the bottom (in Windows XP)… but in the alt-tab menu it isn’t showing up at all… I can switch to other programs such as GIMP and Chrome and VLC… I even tried left-clicking and right-clicking on the icon in the taskbar (it says “Untitled - Notep…”) but nothing happens! ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/36 "2014-01-07T06:17:03Z")
Edit: if I left-click on “Untitled - Notepad (N…” it looks like it is pressed but it never switches to it. BTW the text is different for Notepad because now I’ve got less programs running (I’ve closed GIMP) ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/37 "2014-01-07T06:28:51Z")
I was finally able to switch to Notepad! I used alt-ctrl-delete and in the “Applications” tab I used “Switch To”. So I won’t need to retype pages 2 and 3… ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/38 "2014-01-07T06:44:00Z")
On one trip to the hospital (I think it was the 2007 visit) my sister’s boyfriend wrote me a three page letter. I didn’t read it. About a year ago or less I wanted to find that letter. I looked through a lot of my things but couldn’t find it. Then today after writing a bit in this thread, I looked at the hospital records which I think are from my 2 or 3 latest visits. One of the first things I noticed was the letter! I couldn’t believe it. So I typed it out… BTW the writer of it is a wealthy ex-boyfriend of a sister. They still attend church together though. > [@](#): > > Dear [my name], > > [sister’s name] & I have decided to write you this short letter to let you know you are always in our prayers & we genuinely care for you. I hope through this letter you will get a better understanding of trials you are going through and how to overcome them. > > Firstly, I would like you to better understand your current condition. Satan, the God of this world has deceived many people into believing lies in an attempt to keep them in bondage and ultimately take them into Hell with him. This letter will outline some truths for you so that with God’s help, you can set yourself free of all sickness and mental related issues. > > Through sin, man has opened doors for demonic influence in his mind & body. We are all sinners and susceptible to demonic influence. However, through the grace of God, we can be made righteous and close these doors to the enemy. The first step to deliverance is to accept Jesus as your Lord & savior and believe he died on the cross to free you from the hold of sin & to heal your mind & body. In your case there have been open doors which allowed demons to come into your life & constantly influence your mind. So even as you read this letter you will sense opposition to these words, it is demons influencing your mind to reject the truth, which will set you free. > > After you accept Jesus as your Lord & Savior, you simply have to get rid of these demons affecting your mind and you will be healed from bipolar & any other mental condition. The good news is that there is nothing actually wrong with you physically or mentally. Your condition is totally demonic related and you have the choice to return to your previous state before demons invaded your life. God has far more power than the demons and has cast them out of our lives. When Jesus died on the cross for us & rose again, he defeated Satan & set us free from all sin, sickness, bondage & disease. > > So you can better understand these demons, I will mention a couple in your life so you can identify their influence in your mind. One spirit is an Intellectual spirit. This spirit encourages you to research & attempt to find scientific explanations to God, creation, religion, philosophical things, etc. God simply asks us to trust in Him & believe. The Holy Spirit gives us that ability. Another spirit that may influence your mind is the spirit of death. This spirit will try and tell you things like, “Nobody loves you, you are not good enough, etc” and will try to encourage you to commit suicide. This is not true. God loves you, your friends & family also love you. The demon is only saying these lies to you because he wants to take you to hell. Do not listen to these thoughts, do not dwell on these thoughts, understand they are directly from demons that want to keep you in bondage. > > I want you to understand, if you decide to accept Jesus & desire deliverance, it may be a difficult & lengthy battle. This is because currently many demons have permission to influence your mind. They take pride in the state you are in and want to keep you in bondage. But don’t let this discourage you from seeking God & deliverance from demonic oppression. Jesus is the victor & will give you victory if you only put your trust in Him. > > When demons see you have accepted Jesus and desire deliverance, they may attempt to make your life even worse than it currently is. They don’t want to lose you. Don’t give up however, demons cannot resist the power of the Holy Spirit who will direct you & be with you on your path to deliverance. The good news is that in time & it won’t be too long, you will be totally free from demonic oppression. Bi-polar and any other mental condition will be gone for good & God will fill your life with love, joy, health & peace. God has a plan & purpose for your life. What Satan intended for your destruction, God will turn it into Good and I’m sure God will use you to help others that are going through similar things as yourself. > > If you have any questions, please feel welcome to ask. However, remember you don’t need to understand everything, you do need to trust in God. > > God Bless, > [sister’s boyfriend] & [sister] ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/39 "2014-01-07T07:11:54Z")
It looks like I lost my memory for about 2-3 weeks in early 2007… I’m fairely sure my last memories were during the day of Monday January 29. It looks like I was hospitalized on February 1. On the 4th, it says I was in constant care in room 9. “religious/satanistic themes continue, some unpredictable behavior tried to throw a chair, run away, jumped out of bed”. “…encouraging him that if he wanted his needs met ie access to chocolate coke coffee etc he needed to rest for four (4) consecutive hours - as yet has not slept even with full quota of PRN Diazepam” ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620/40 "2014-01-07T08:08:43Z")
Lucent branding decision origin of name [http://www.corporatebrandmatrix.com/cases.asp?ca\_id=47&case=Lucent%20Technologies%201996](http://www.corporatebrandmatrix.com/cases.asp?ca_id=47&case=Lucent%20Technologies%201996) > [@](#): > > Case: Lucent Technologies 1996 > > THE STORY > > In 1995, AT&T dedided to split in three, by spinning out its computer business (to be renamed NCR), and all of its telecommunications manufacturing businesses, whose potential customers included all of AT&T’s competitors in telecom services. This new company, whose $22 billion IPO would be the largest yet in history, needed a new name. > > Rebranding, in fact, was an immediate and urgent priority for the new management team of Henry Schacte, Richard McGinn and Carly Fiorina. Landor was retained for its global network, big-client experience and speed commitment. Barred from using the Bell and AT&T brands, management opted for a “clean break” strategy, an expression of freedom and self-determination. The branding goals: retain “quality, reliability, technological innovation and stature,” add “speed, energy, flexibility,” but lose “slow, arrogant, inflexible.” > > The name “Lucent,” an evocative real word meaning light-bearing, and the abstract red “ring of innovation” symbol met these strategic and and emotional goals in dramatic fashion. > > Two descriptive tag lines were used, to retain historic equity and define the new scope of the enterprise – “Bell Labs Innovations,” and “We make the things that make communications work.” A formal name extension, “Technologies,” provided another way to communicate core competence. Five units were defined and named, and a monolithic signature system would help assure that all employees would help to build the new brand. The employee launch was a live global internal video conference from HQ, supported then by a sustained $80 million ad campaign . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-story-trying-to-cheat-at-the-game-of-life/677620.md?page=3)