I felt I had to respond to this. I live in Little Falls, a couple hours north of St. Paul, and I made a special trip down to see the convention. It was too big an opportunity to miss... and I got to see first hand what was missing from cable news.
Literally thousands of people permeated the streets with demonstrations and protests against war/the republican party/torture/media... codepink marched for peace (juxtaposed brilliantly next to fully armed swat agents in riot gear), demonstrations against abugraib and guantanamo... Amnesty International had a full replica of the detainees cells (taken from... oh that Australian man who was held for years and released as innocent).
The RNC was pathetic... not only was the city walled off... it was FENCED off. 3 blocks in ALL directions around the excel center were barricaded and NOBODY got through. You could see the huge Fox News tent nestled deep in the Republican Green Zone. I couldn't believe how ridiculously secluded the Republican convention was... I wanted to talk to someone who had been at the DNC to see if it was as sad.
I totally agree, the media talked about a couple people who vandalized stuff... but didn't mention the tens of thousands who marched peacefully. It was a sight to behold... one that nobody saw unless you were there. Just how MANY people and organizations came out to protest... that you never heard about.
This is BRILLIANT nerd analogy... but we need to Karl Rove it up a bit to work for the Mainstream Media. My brother and I sat down and Tried to do some Rovin'(tm) and decided to attack her biggest strength. Sarah Palin'a strength isn't that she's a woman... it's that she's supposed to steal Hillary's supporters.
First we need to come up with a catchy mantra, like "Hillbot" or "Clintdrone" to describe that she's a Hillary wannabe... but she's a generic flavor and Hillary is the name brand. That's quirky enough to enter News lexicon and be repeated over and over again. Next we need to run TV ads of Hillary supporters saying "Paylin is a good mother and woman, but she 'aint no Hillary Clinton!" and get that run everywhere to remind people that she's the "generic" offbrand, a "Hillbot" if you will.
But that's only IF I were Karl Rove... I have a soul and would never stoop to that level. But, arguably, that's not a made up bullshit lie, like Rove would do. Everything I said was true, the ONLY reason she's there is to steal Clinton supporters... so I'm only pointing out the ridiculousness of the situation.
"Hillbot" "Palinton"? I'm sure there's a catchier name to be had that brands her as a flavorless clone...
Quite possibly... but that doesn't really address the real issue that was raised. Say we don't reach peak oil for another 10 years, 20 years, 50, 100... the point is... it's a finite resource and at some point... it won't be there when we need it. in that time we will grow even more dependent on it and when it becomes too scarce... what do we do?
Fucking evidence, please. Your stance is, essentially, most people who live outside in the cold, sleeping under bridges, no possessions besides what they can carry, no money, eating at food shelters when available and never knowing if they will have a meal that day... WANT that? I'm not saying there aren't several who just don't take advantage of situations that present themselves for shelter aren't out there... but MOST? I call total bullshit.
This is total "bootstrap" bullshit. I would consider myself lower middle class and I seriously doubt that several lucky situations pass by me every day which would make me rich. If winning the lottery counts, I suppose I could play Powerball every day... but that's not realistic nor what you're referring to. This notion that "If you work hard and look for opportunity, you will succeed and be wealthy" is a perpetuating myth. You will, for the most part, live and die in the class you're born. There are a couple things I could be working on to try and make some more money and maybe they'd take off... but it' sonly a chance. If it didn't take off you'd say "You missed your opportunity to be rich"... when the odds are MUCH greater that it would fail, and you would ever say "You're right, you probably won't be rich."
Any teacher will tell you that school is not fair. Throughout any given day, dozens of "unfair" things are done... education is inherently unfair. Students with behavioral disorders (autism, adhd, other ebd issues) will often be given tasks that other students clamor for, just to make them feel useful and helpful. It may take their mind off a current escalating situation that may have erupted in a breakdown for them. Student discipline is even "unfair". Higher achieving students might get away with less than a student with an emotional/behavioral issues because more is expected from them.
I'll be the first to say that it would be great if education could be fair... but in practice it can't.
The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and Mass Effect, arguably, have more dialog than Metal Gear Solid 4... multiple discussions, different paths... and yet both games fit on a single DVD. Visually, Mass Effect and MGS4 seem to be on par, neither game looks more outstanding, visually, than the other. How can Bethesda and Bioware make games with TONS of dialog and artwork fit on a single DVD and, yet, MGS4 requires 50 gigs?
I don't buy it, even Rockstar fit the entirety of GTAIV on a DVD with no comparative loss to it's PS3 counterpart. If MGS4 actually uses 50 gigs and can't fit on a DVD, somebody needs to teach Konami a thing or two about game development.
Wait... your initial point made sense... but your last half is some ridiculous rant against environmentalism. What says we can't save the Spotted Owl AND Increase our industry. We can be environmentally conscious as well as industrially advanced. The problem is that industry is lazy and would gladly steamroll the environment to save a buck.
I consider myself to be an environmentalist... MOST environmentalist don't say "Don't chop down trees" they say "Chop down what you need and reseed the forest, using technology that limits the impact on the surrounding earth". We can have both strong environmental policy as well as a powerful industry.
People seem to forget that not so long ago (the 1960's!) the Democrats were FOR segregation, and the Republicans were AGAINST it
Right... and now those same Democrats are Republicans.
It doesn't matter that traditional republicans are angry about the party (and rightly so), the party itself ahs clearly gone on to court the Jesus vote without really giving a damn about condemning countries for religious rule of law... and then spouting that they want the US to be a religiously founded country.
Right, but you used the important word "prioritize". If you grow up in poverty, a computer is very difficult to obtain... and it is not very important. Spending money on necessities like food, rent and clothes is a higher priority than owning a computer. I think it's great that, at an early age, you chose to invest in computers, despite financial hardships. Only, you're not the norm among lower class/poor families... you're actually an outlier. A great story, but you're just one out of thousands... my argument is still valid, poor people will not usually have access to expensive equipment (yes, computer are "cheap", but to a poor family it's a massive investment).
I think your disconnect is not knowing any REAL art classes or schools. I spent a year at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and I can tell you, most of those students put in just as much work as any friends I have who were engineers. Students took 5 hour long classes and were required to put in exorbitant amounts of additional hours on their work. Painting student would be in the painting lab... hell 15-20 hours a week working on painting projects. All students took fundamentals of design and figure drawing, and professors were rigorous... Cs were exceptionally common and As were rare. I had to spend hours a night cutting and gluing coloured paper to make contrasts, compliments or analogous compositions. I was graded heavily on composition, detail and presentation.
I'm not a genius, but I like to think I'm pretty well educated and a reasonably intelligent individual. I ended up being placed on Academic probation because my grades dropped to low. I had to hold down two jobs to pay for it and I couldn't invest the time the demanded to get the results they wanted for high grades. I understand that MCAD has much higher standards than your average State college... but I don't think many people realize just how much work art students are actually required to do.
the government is constitutionally required to defend us not to feed, dress and handle our medical care for us.
Unless, of course, we, the people, decide that's what we want the government to do... like we have done. We elected people to government to pass welfare projects... you don't have to like welfare, but they were voted on and passed by elected officials who did what the majority of people wanted. Most people want to provide low income housing to the poor, we want to provide health care for people who can't afford the staggering cost of treatment, we want food stamps for low income families so they don't starve on our streets. By our own decision, electing people who passes those laws, we have said that it is the Government's responsibility to feed, dress and handle the medical bills of people who are incapable of doing so. Obviously it's not the government's responsibility to feed, dress and pay for ALL our medical bills... unless we decided that's what we wanted our government to do.
You did bother to look at my link and notice that the common dreams article is a repost of a May 18, 2001 'Kansas City Star' article?
Doesn't matter I suppose. As other posters have pointed out, you've already made up your mind and declared anything contrary to your opinion, "Liberal Media".
Not all of them. Bush didn't. He let the attorneys that worked for Clinton keep their jobs. Later, he realized that some of them were a mistake and let them go. Clinton didn't give Bush41's attorney's that chance. He fired them because they worked for an R and he had his own cronies to move in. Not that I'm saying that's wrong. A Prez should have whatever attorneys he wants in there. But don't try to make up some bullshit about how Bush is an asshole because he didn't fire his attorney's quickly enough.
"Reagan replaced 89 of the 93 U.S. attorneys in his first two years in office. President Clinton had 89 new U.S. attorneys in his first two years, and President Bush had 88 new U.S. attorneys in his first two years."
George W. Bush kept ONE more appointment than Clinton did. Looks to me like ALL presidents replace the US attorneys at the start of their administration... but again, no administrations, aside from the current president, remove attorneys halfway through their term in office for "no reason".
When the Clintons left office, their staff broke equipment before leaving and violated the rest. For example, they would leave pornographic images in the photocopier. Think of it as the previous management of SlashDot leaving Goatse as the new logo when they left. Of course, let's not forget about all the silverware and furniture that Hillary stole like it was cheap hotel towels.
Not even remotely true. I have work tomorrow and it's late. You're a blatant troll and I don't have time to discredit all of the obvious Clinton lies you've spouted. It should be enough to just throw out your first argument... but I'll even add a bonus link... Clinton Did not fire attorneys in the middle of their terms. Yes, all presidents fire attorneys when they begin... but only the current president hid conversations using RNC accounts and fired attorneys in the middle of their term for purely political reasons (The only attorneys fired in the middle of their terms from 1981 to 2006 were for misconduct... which was never cited as a reason for the current firings).
Like I said, it's late and I have work. Quit trolling and read some real information.
For a piece of equipment that really has the hell beat out of it... my father's old Jonsered chainsaw has, miraculously, continued to work to this day. He used the chainsaw for over 25 years... and not just casual wood splitting. The chainsaw single handedly chopped all the trees to build a log cabin, chopped all the fallen trees on the land that covered the trails over those years, split logs, dropped other dead trees... he'd wield it like a maniac, too... using one hand at times and swinging it to cut small brush. He finally bought a new chainsaw a year ago... but only because the old chainsaw was burning oil badly, but it still works. Amazing for a tool thats purpose requires it to be bombarded by dirt, wood chips and sawdust.
I think we're both in agreement here... Christianity is, itself, pretty unbelievable and hokey. But I think Mormonism is even MORE ridiculous because it completely discounts REAL history and geography to just make up its own past. At least the Christian bible (while, again, a real stretch of the imagination) deals with real historical locations and times. There were Romans persecuting Jews, they were crucified... Jerusalem is a city in the Middle East... The Bible being a compilation of ancient stories, has real locations and events.
The Mormon bible just makes stuff up that can't even be remotely true. I don't claim to be very knowledgeable about Mormonism, but I thought they believe that the Jews in the bible were actually Americans and the Jerusalem is somewhere in the US? (Someone fill me in please)... but that flies in the face of real recorded History... and, to me, makes the Mormon faith even more ridiculous than Christianity (which is a real task, since it believes that burning bushes talk, a man separated a sea and a woman got pregnant by magic).
No... actually it isn't my "straw man". I just misread your post. That was my rant response to "I shouldn't have to pay for Public Education because I don't have kids":P
With regards to the voucher program... I haven't decided yet. I'm not too keen on it, but I want to look into it a bit more.
It's funny how a Democracy works. About 150 years ago the citizens of the United States decided that public education is something we should spend our money on. A vast majority of citizens decided that they were willing to pay a small sum of money to fund a public education system for all students (of course, back then "all" didn't really include native Americans, people with disabilities, etc...). Public Education is a perfect example of Democracy... most people want it, so we have it. You're more than free to move to a nation that doesn't tax you for Education... but good luck finding it. The people have spoken... numerous times... we want a strong public education system and we are willing to pay for it... in this case, the majority wins. Nobody is infringing your right by taxing you for a public service, you are free to vote in any local referendum or write your political leadership to change it... but I can guarantee your position will lose to what the vast majority of Americans want... public education for all children.
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Is that you, Dick?
I felt I had to respond to this. I live in Little Falls, a couple hours north of St. Paul, and I made a special trip down to see the convention. It was too big an opportunity to miss... and I got to see first hand what was missing from cable news.
Literally thousands of people permeated the streets with demonstrations and protests against war/the republican party/torture/media... codepink marched for peace (juxtaposed brilliantly next to fully armed swat agents in riot gear), demonstrations against abugraib and guantanamo... Amnesty International had a full replica of the detainees cells (taken from... oh that Australian man who was held for years and released as innocent).
The RNC was pathetic... not only was the city walled off... it was FENCED off. 3 blocks in ALL directions around the excel center were barricaded and NOBODY got through. You could see the huge Fox News tent nestled deep in the Republican Green Zone. I couldn't believe how ridiculously secluded the Republican convention was... I wanted to talk to someone who had been at the DNC to see if it was as sad.
I totally agree, the media talked about a couple people who vandalized stuff... but didn't mention the tens of thousands who marched peacefully. It was a sight to behold... one that nobody saw unless you were there. Just how MANY people and organizations came out to protest... that you never heard about.
This is BRILLIANT nerd analogy... but we need to Karl Rove it up a bit to work for the Mainstream Media. My brother and I sat down and Tried to do some Rovin'(tm) and decided to attack her biggest strength. Sarah Palin'a strength isn't that she's a woman... it's that she's supposed to steal Hillary's supporters.
First we need to come up with a catchy mantra, like "Hillbot" or "Clintdrone" to describe that she's a Hillary wannabe... but she's a generic flavor and Hillary is the name brand. That's quirky enough to enter News lexicon and be repeated over and over again. Next we need to run TV ads of Hillary supporters saying "Paylin is a good mother and woman, but she 'aint no Hillary Clinton!" and get that run everywhere to remind people that she's the "generic" offbrand, a "Hillbot" if you will.
But that's only IF I were Karl Rove... I have a soul and would never stoop to that level. But, arguably, that's not a made up bullshit lie, like Rove would do. Everything I said was true, the ONLY reason she's there is to steal Clinton supporters... so I'm only pointing out the ridiculousness of the situation.
"Hillbot" "Palinton"? I'm sure there's a catchier name to be had that brands her as a flavorless clone...
...then why can't competitors even touch his track record?
Mario
Zelda
Pokemon
Mario
Zelda
Pokemon
Mario
Zelda
Pokemon
Mario
Zelda
Pokemon
I've got it! The other competitors should make a Mario game! Maybe you could drive in Karts or it could be a board game...
Quite possibly... but that doesn't really address the real issue that was raised. Say we don't reach peak oil for another 10 years, 20 years, 50, 100... the point is... it's a finite resource and at some point... it won't be there when we need it. in that time we will grow even more dependent on it and when it becomes too scarce... what do we do?
Fucking evidence, please. Your stance is, essentially, most people who live outside in the cold, sleeping under bridges, no possessions besides what they can carry, no money, eating at food shelters when available and never knowing if they will have a meal that day... WANT that? I'm not saying there aren't several who just don't take advantage of situations that present themselves for shelter aren't out there... but MOST? I call total bullshit.
This is total "bootstrap" bullshit. I would consider myself lower middle class and I seriously doubt that several lucky situations pass by me every day which would make me rich. If winning the lottery counts, I suppose I could play Powerball every day... but that's not realistic nor what you're referring to. This notion that "If you work hard and look for opportunity, you will succeed and be wealthy" is a perpetuating myth. You will, for the most part, live and die in the class you're born. There are a couple things I could be working on to try and make some more money and maybe they'd take off... but it' sonly a chance. If it didn't take off you'd say "You missed your opportunity to be rich"... when the odds are MUCH greater that it would fail, and you would ever say "You're right, you probably won't be rich."
Any teacher will tell you that school is not fair. Throughout any given day, dozens of "unfair" things are done... education is inherently unfair. Students with behavioral disorders (autism, adhd, other ebd issues) will often be given tasks that other students clamor for, just to make them feel useful and helpful. It may take their mind off a current escalating situation that may have erupted in a breakdown for them. Student discipline is even "unfair". Higher achieving students might get away with less than a student with an emotional/behavioral issues because more is expected from them.
I'll be the first to say that it would be great if education could be fair... but in practice it can't.
The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and Mass Effect, arguably, have more dialog than Metal Gear Solid 4... multiple discussions, different paths... and yet both games fit on a single DVD. Visually, Mass Effect and MGS4 seem to be on par, neither game looks more outstanding, visually, than the other. How can Bethesda and Bioware make games with TONS of dialog and artwork fit on a single DVD and, yet, MGS4 requires 50 gigs?
I don't buy it, even Rockstar fit the entirety of GTAIV on a DVD with no comparative loss to it's PS3 counterpart. If MGS4 actually uses 50 gigs and can't fit on a DVD, somebody needs to teach Konami a thing or two about game development.
Wait... your initial point made sense... but your last half is some ridiculous rant against environmentalism. What says we can't save the Spotted Owl AND Increase our industry. We can be environmentally conscious as well as industrially advanced. The problem is that industry is lazy and would gladly steamroll the environment to save a buck.
I consider myself to be an environmentalist... MOST environmentalist don't say "Don't chop down trees" they say "Chop down what you need and reseed the forest, using technology that limits the impact on the surrounding earth". We can have both strong environmental policy as well as a powerful industry.
I am serious... and don't call me Shirley.
People seem to forget that not so long ago (the 1960's!) the Democrats were FOR segregation, and the Republicans were AGAINST it
Right... and now those same Democrats are Republicans.
It doesn't matter that traditional republicans are angry about the party (and rightly so), the party itself ahs clearly gone on to court the Jesus vote without really giving a damn about condemning countries for religious rule of law... and then spouting that they want the US to be a religiously founded country.
Right, but you used the important word "prioritize". If you grow up in poverty, a computer is very difficult to obtain... and it is not very important. Spending money on necessities like food, rent and clothes is a higher priority than owning a computer. I think it's great that, at an early age, you chose to invest in computers, despite financial hardships. Only, you're not the norm among lower class/poor families... you're actually an outlier. A great story, but you're just one out of thousands... my argument is still valid, poor people will not usually have access to expensive equipment (yes, computer are "cheap", but to a poor family it's a massive investment).
Didn't realize I wasn't logged in... You can attribute the above to me, however.
I think your disconnect is not knowing any REAL art classes or schools. I spent a year at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and I can tell you, most of those students put in just as much work as any friends I have who were engineers. Students took 5 hour long classes and were required to put in exorbitant amounts of additional hours on their work. Painting student would be in the painting lab... hell 15-20 hours a week working on painting projects. All students took fundamentals of design and figure drawing, and professors were rigorous... Cs were exceptionally common and As were rare. I had to spend hours a night cutting and gluing coloured paper to make contrasts, compliments or analogous compositions. I was graded heavily on composition, detail and presentation.
I'm not a genius, but I like to think I'm pretty well educated and a reasonably intelligent individual. I ended up being placed on Academic probation because my grades dropped to low. I had to hold down two jobs to pay for it and I couldn't invest the time the demanded to get the results they wanted for high grades. I understand that MCAD has much higher standards than your average State college... but I don't think many people realize just how much work art students are actually required to do.
You got 'Wry and Subtle' in my 'Obvious and Leaden'!
the government is constitutionally required to defend us not to feed, dress and handle our medical care for us.
Unless, of course, we, the people, decide that's what we want the government to do... like we have done. We elected people to government to pass welfare projects... you don't have to like welfare, but they were voted on and passed by elected officials who did what the majority of people wanted. Most people want to provide low income housing to the poor, we want to provide health care for people who can't afford the staggering cost of treatment, we want food stamps for low income families so they don't starve on our streets. By our own decision, electing people who passes those laws, we have said that it is the Government's responsibility to feed, dress and handle the medical bills of people who are incapable of doing so. Obviously it's not the government's responsibility to feed, dress and pay for ALL our medical bills... unless we decided that's what we wanted our government to do.
Virus free? The individual or their computer?
You did bother to look at my link and notice that the common dreams article is a repost of a May 18, 2001 'Kansas City Star' article?
Doesn't matter I suppose. As other posters have pointed out, you've already made up your mind and declared anything contrary to your opinion, "Liberal Media".
Not all of them. Bush didn't. He let the attorneys that worked for Clinton keep their jobs. Later, he realized that some of them were a mistake and let them go. Clinton didn't give Bush41's attorney's that chance. He fired them because they worked for an R and he had his own cronies to move in. Not that I'm saying that's wrong. A Prez should have whatever attorneys he wants in there. But don't try to make up some bullshit about how Bush is an asshole because he didn't fire his attorney's quickly enough.
Also not true. From the article...
"Reagan replaced 89 of the 93 U.S. attorneys in his first two years in office. President Clinton had 89 new U.S. attorneys in his first two years, and President Bush had 88 new U.S. attorneys in his first two years."
George W. Bush kept ONE more appointment than Clinton did. Looks to me like ALL presidents replace the US attorneys at the start of their administration... but again, no administrations, aside from the current president, remove attorneys halfway through their term in office for "no reason".
When the Clintons left office, their staff broke equipment before leaving and violated the rest. For example, they would leave pornographic images in the photocopier. Think of it as the previous management of SlashDot leaving Goatse as the new logo when they left. Of course, let's not forget about all the silverware and furniture that Hillary stole like it was cheap hotel towels.
Not even remotely true. I have work tomorrow and it's late. You're a blatant troll and I don't have time to discredit all of the obvious Clinton lies you've spouted. It should be enough to just throw out your first argument... but I'll even add a bonus link... Clinton Did not fire attorneys in the middle of their terms. Yes, all presidents fire attorneys when they begin... but only the current president hid conversations using RNC accounts and fired attorneys in the middle of their term for purely political reasons (The only attorneys fired in the middle of their terms from 1981 to 2006 were for misconduct... which was never cited as a reason for the current firings).
Like I said, it's late and I have work. Quit trolling and read some real information.
For a piece of equipment that really has the hell beat out of it... my father's old Jonsered chainsaw has, miraculously, continued to work to this day. He used the chainsaw for over 25 years... and not just casual wood splitting. The chainsaw single handedly chopped all the trees to build a log cabin, chopped all the fallen trees on the land that covered the trails over those years, split logs, dropped other dead trees... he'd wield it like a maniac, too... using one hand at times and swinging it to cut small brush. He finally bought a new chainsaw a year ago... but only because the old chainsaw was burning oil badly, but it still works. Amazing for a tool thats purpose requires it to be bombarded by dirt, wood chips and sawdust.
I think we're both in agreement here... Christianity is, itself, pretty unbelievable and hokey. But I think Mormonism is even MORE ridiculous because it completely discounts REAL history and geography to just make up its own past. At least the Christian bible (while, again, a real stretch of the imagination) deals with real historical locations and times. There were Romans persecuting Jews, they were crucified... Jerusalem is a city in the Middle East... The Bible being a compilation of ancient stories, has real locations and events.
The Mormon bible just makes stuff up that can't even be remotely true. I don't claim to be very knowledgeable about Mormonism, but I thought they believe that the Jews in the bible were actually Americans and the Jerusalem is somewhere in the US? (Someone fill me in please)... but that flies in the face of real recorded History... and, to me, makes the Mormon faith even more ridiculous than Christianity (which is a real task, since it believes that burning bushes talk, a man separated a sea and a woman got pregnant by magic).
No... actually it isn't my "straw man". I just misread your post. That was my rant response to "I shouldn't have to pay for Public Education because I don't have kids" :P
With regards to the voucher program... I haven't decided yet. I'm not too keen on it, but I want to look into it a bit more.
It's funny how a Democracy works. About 150 years ago the citizens of the United States decided that public education is something we should spend our money on. A vast majority of citizens decided that they were willing to pay a small sum of money to fund a public education system for all students (of course, back then "all" didn't really include native Americans, people with disabilities, etc...). Public Education is a perfect example of Democracy... most people want it, so we have it. You're more than free to move to a nation that doesn't tax you for Education... but good luck finding it. The people have spoken... numerous times... we want a strong public education system and we are willing to pay for it... in this case, the majority wins. Nobody is infringing your right by taxing you for a public service, you are free to vote in any local referendum or write your political leadership to change it... but I can guarantee your position will lose to what the vast majority of Americans want... public education for all children.