PDA

View Full Version : In the news today



Pages : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 [13]

Animeniax
Tue, 05-21-2013, 07:48 PM
I don't think yuppies had such a well-defined set of characteristics as hipsters do, nor did they have the attitude of superiority or irony that hipsters are known for. Hipsters are looking for a purpose without letting you know they're looking. Yuppies were just products of their circumstances, as far as I knew.

Buffalobiian
Wed, 05-22-2013, 03:09 AM
I never got how people could "make too much" (anime lunches, US TV dinners..).

Wrap it up, stick it in the fridge, breakfast tomorrow.

I'm not really negative towards that food swap thing though. It's hardly efficient, but it's not damaging. If you've got free time to do some cooking and local networking, go right ahead. Better than using that time for gambling, vandalising or sitting into depression.

shinta|hikari
Wed, 05-22-2013, 04:12 AM
It sounds like fun actually. It is obviously not done for necessity, but the enjoyment of sharing what you made while enjoying good food from others.

Xelbair
Wed, 05-22-2013, 06:56 AM
didn't Yuppies focus on career advancement and climbing the social ladder as fast as possible? while hipsters are just trying to be (forcefully)alternative in everything.

Kraco
Wed, 05-22-2013, 07:50 AM
didn't Yuppies focus on career advancement and climbing the social ladder as fast as possible?

At least that was the meaning of the word over here. Normally a young adult who was very interested in getting wealthy and into the better social circles. Showing off the wealth was given, like driving a sports car and wearing clothes by expensive brands.

Animeniax
Wed, 05-22-2013, 11:50 AM
At least that was the meaning of the word over here. Normally a young adult who was very interested in getting wealthy and into the better social circles. Showing off the wealth was given, like driving a sports car and wearing clothes by expensive brands.

Ahh I'd forgotten those aspects of yuppies. I guess the difference for hipsters then would be to show off their eco-friendliness and alternativeness.


It sounds like fun actually. It is obviously not done for necessity, but the enjoyment of sharing what you made while enjoying good food from others.

I guess it could be fun if you were confident in your cooking and if there was quality control in people's products. Without FDA approval though, you don't know what you're getting. People could be growing their veggies in fecal matter or adding plant steroids, and you wouldn't know.

Buffalobiian
Fri, 06-07-2013, 09:38 PM
Remember megaupload?

Megaupload wins access to data seized in police raid (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22716718)

The real shit isn't happening till later this year. Meanwhile, his new site Mega (https://mega.co.nz/#start) seems to have an entirely different flavour compared to his last project.

Killa-Eyez
Tue, 06-11-2013, 06:46 AM
Already had it fav'ed a while back, not knowing it was his. Lol, good stuff Dotcom.

Kraco
Thu, 06-20-2013, 08:15 AM
James Gandolfini suddenly died (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22980414). I have to say that when I hear the word mafioso, his face is the first I think of. In a good way. He really aced that role. He had a number of other good roles as well. At 51, he surely died too young.

Animeniax
Thu, 06-20-2013, 08:46 AM
James Gandolfini suddenly died (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22980414). I have to say that when I hear the word mafioso, his face is the first I think of. In a good way. He really aced that role. He had a number of other good roles as well. At 51, he surely died too young.

They say it was a heart attack. I wouldn't be surprised if some real-life mafioso put a hit on him. I've always wondered if real-life thugs took insult from how they are portrayed by Hollywood actors.

Buffalobiian
Tue, 09-03-2013, 07:45 AM
Microsoft officially acquires Nokia's devices & services units (http://www.gsmarena.com/microsoft_officially_acquires_nokia_devices___serv ices_units-news-6705.php)

Except where Google buying out Motorola got loads of cheers, I can't find many people who are happy about Microsoft taking Nokia.

I don't have any particular feelings about the matter either way - I just hope for some good phones come out. That said, the hope of a Nokia Android is now officially crushed.

Kraco
Tue, 09-03-2013, 08:07 AM
I can't find many people who are happy about Microsoft taking Nokia.

Maybe some MS share owners who believe in MS in the hardware market? After all, they will pay a ridiculously low price for Nokia's phones and a long license to all the relevant patents. Plus the right to use the brand, which might still have some value.

Over here the very same day Elop was announced to be the next CEO of Nokia, people were saying Elop's only job will be to crash Nokia's stock price and thus allow MS to make a cheap purchase. That used to be regarded as a joke, but I guess all the best jokes have some truth in them, anyway.

Well, all stories come to an end one day, and today happened to be the day for Nokia. It was good as long as it lasted. I reckon the remains will last another couple of years so that the company will have full 150 years of history before it will become nothing but another footnote in the history books.

EpyonNext
Tue, 09-03-2013, 09:37 PM
Looks like I better start packing my shit to go blow up Syria. :\

Sapphire
Tue, 09-03-2013, 11:28 PM
>.> Prezzdent. Oh, u.

Take care of the various cities in the northeast that are slowly becoming Brazilian tier slums?
Nah. Let's blow shit up. Did we not fill our war quota this year or something?

America is going to be too fatigued to fight against the inevitable zombie invasion!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EpyonNext
Wed, 09-04-2013, 06:03 AM
Actually, the most defensible place against a Zombie invasion, at the moment, is Baghram Airfield in Afghanistan. It's big, has an airstrip to bring in supplies, sequestered in a mountain bowl for defense, and it has huge ass concrete barriers surrounding it. This doesn't even include the various military personnel, armored vehicles, and aircraft there.

Animeniax
Wed, 09-04-2013, 06:34 AM
Looks like I better start packing my shit to go blow up Syria. :\

You're army right? From the sounds of things, it appears we'll be mostly doing airstrikes and bombing runs and not putting troops on the ground.

Also, an island would be the best place to defend from a zombie invasion. Unless the rewrite the book on zombies again (last time it was to allow them to run even though they shouldn't have the muscle control), they can't swim. It would also be harder for them to detect you way out there.

EpyonNext
Wed, 09-04-2013, 07:41 AM
You're army right? From the sounds of things, it appears we'll be mostly doing airstrikes and bombing runs and not putting troops on the ground.

Also, an island would be the best place to defend from a zombie invasion. Unless the rewrite the book on zombies again (last time it was to allow them to run even though they shouldn't have the muscle control), they can't swim. It would also be harder for them to detect you way out there.

I consider World War Z(the Book) to be a bible on how Zombies act. Those Zombies travel in herds numbering in the millions on the ocean floor and regularly walk up on land. I say no to Islands.

And yes, I am in the Army. I'm just expecting the worst at this point. A slow creeping escalation to fullscale war in the region.

Animeniax
Wed, 09-04-2013, 07:53 AM
I consider World War Z(the Book) to be a bible on how Zombies act. Those Zombies travel in herds numbering in the millions on the ocean floor and regularly walk up on land. I say no to Islands.

And yes, I am in the Army. I'm just expecting the worst at this point. A slow creeping escalation to fullscale war in the region.
A book from 2006 can't be the definitive word on how zombies behave. Looking at it from a physiological and sociological standpoint, herd-minded zombies who can run/swim is a preposterous concept. Even if they were single-mindedly pursuing prey on an island, they would stumble over each other and bottleneck in the trenches and crevasses in the ocean floor.

You're probably right though... US military action in Syria might lead to tension and escalation with Russia and other allies of the regime.

UChessmaster
Wed, 09-04-2013, 08:56 AM
Guys, zombies are fictional creatures, their characteristics change at the creator`s every whim, if you want to go for the "bible" of zombies, I`d say its probably Romero`s story.

Ryllharu
Wed, 09-04-2013, 04:44 PM
Guys, zombies are fictional creatures, their characteristics change at the creator`s every whim, if you want to go for the "bible" of zombies, I`d say its probably Romero`s story.
Heartily concur. I think it is absurd that a man who wrote a cheesy (but fun, he's Mel Brook's son after all) book in 2003 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Zombie_Survival_Guide)is allowed to somehow co-opt the man who created and popularized the genre.

Why would you want to be in the depression of a bowl? You want to be on the top of a hill, or surrounded by largely open scrubland.

------

Re. Syria: It will be interesting to see what happens with the congressional vote when the majority of Americans that expressed an opinion one way or the other oppose any military action. Everyone in the US is tired of a decade of war that largely resulted in everyone in the region hating us more.

Plus, we're not that stupid. The American people were lied to once about weapons of mass destruction. "Trust us," isn't the same thing as proof. Fool us once, shame on us, fool us twice, well we can't be fooled again!

My bet is Congress approves it, but even on the extreme off chance they don't (2014 is an election year), the president is going to go anyway.

Animeniax
Wed, 09-04-2013, 06:24 PM
Guys, zombies are fictional creatures, their characteristics change at the creator`s every whim, if you want to go for the "bible" of zombies, I`d say its probably Romero`s story.

I don't think that we have to rely on any particular author's take on how zombies behave and move. Thinking about what constitutes a zombie, physiologically and biologically, we can determine what a zombie is capable of and how they act. But we definitely want to give credit to Romero, though even he admits that zombies change from movie to movie even in his works.

UChessmaster
Wed, 09-04-2013, 06:39 PM
I don't think that we have to rely on any particular author's take on how zombies behave and move. Thinking about what constitutes a zombie, physiologically and biologically, we can determine what a zombie is capable of and how they act. But we definitely want to give credit to Romero, though even he admits that zombies change from movie to movie even in his works.

If you go through sheer science, zombies shouldn`t be able to do anything they do though. I think going through the guy that popularized them is the best way to go, even if it has a few holes here and there.

Xelbair
Mon, 11-11-2013, 07:18 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24902058

what. a. total. bullshit.

I've seen few different coverages, compared them together. and i can reach only one conclusion of that: total bullshit.

the march had to organize its own protection because it couldn't trust the police(last one, and the one two years ago were obliterated by provocation by either police or anarchist groups - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r6dotpqGf0 example of undercover policeman attacking a passer-by, later confirmed to be 100% innocent, guess what the consequences were for the policemen... none).

Whole march was peaceful, ppl waving flags and all, singing patriotic songs and occasional flares/fireworks - the rainbow arch 's mini-park wasn't even a part of the march's route -and it was always burned/destroyed down when it was repaired, so blaming this on the march is kinda retarded. the march also got attacked from squatters building - someone was throwing rocks and bottles on them. Embassy incident was retarded, but well - it was small group of ppl, 10-15 ppl maximum from what i've seen.

Also - the Warsaw's city hall decided to delegalize the march when it was very close to the end, with police blocking the other routes than forward - therefore giving the police legal reason to attack it, and no real way for the march to comply to the delegalization.

even if you count the misbehaving ppl, the ones that 'attacked' the embassy, and provocators you'll totall them at 200-300 people tops.... march had 50 thousand people in it.

oh, did i mention that police could prevent the embassy incident by putting just few guys in front of it? yep they didn't even cover/protect the march's route. they waited for people to do some retarded stuff(probably some idiot anarchists) and they did nothing to prevent that.

about guys wearing masks - well, it is legal.

Animeniax
Tue, 11-12-2013, 04:39 PM
What do you expect from a country that follows in the steps of New Jersey's finest?

1598

Animeniax
Fri, 11-15-2013, 09:25 AM
China to relax one child per couple policy (http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/15/world/asia/china-one-child-policy/index.html?hpt=hp_t2)

I think this is a bad idea. It's already crowded, over-populated, and polluted in mainland China... adding more people will just make the situation worse.

Death BOO Z
Fri, 11-15-2013, 11:06 AM
worse for Chinese, not china's government.

Animeniax
Fri, 11-15-2013, 11:27 AM
worse for Chinese, not china's government.

It's harder to govern people in over-crowded and polluted conditions. As the population grows and resources like land and jobs get ever more scarce, there will be more discontent leading to rebellion and then revolution. Even though they are the source of the discontent, people lash out at those they can hold responsible (like the government).

Ryllharu
Fri, 11-15-2013, 04:31 PM
You know what's a lot harder to govern? A country where there is a substantial disparity between the number of men and women in an age group.

Specifically due to the socio-economic problems that result. The back room abortions or outright abandonment of girls, the inherent disgruntlement that happens when a noticeable portion of their population is unable to find a wife and the ensuing problems that result from that.

Not to mention this is nothing new. The rural areas have been allowing more than one child for a long time (especially if the first is a daughter), and Shanghai has been doing it for at least a decade. It's even pretty normal to allow two children if both of the parents were only children.

It would probably help if you didn't get your news from CNN, the shittiest of all news networks. The real question is China's policy change A Good Thing or a Bad Thing? (http://youtu.be/0mI3mxi90bA)
Most other news sites carrying this story mention the things I posted above.

Animeniax
Fri, 11-15-2013, 04:44 PM
You got me there. Not sure why it struck me as important when I read it, since I've talked to Chinese in China and there are a lot of special clauses to the one child rule, so this isn't really that big a development. I think I posted it just so I could comment on overpopulation and crowding.

As far as citing CNN, I've been looking for a different news site to use instead (because CNN is pretty ridiculous) but MSNBC and FoxNews are definitely not candidates. I visited Al Jazeera America but their stories are more global and less focused on the US than what I'm looking for. Same problem with BBC. Any suggestions? I might try HuffPo or NPR if they have sites, but they have too liberal a cant for my tastes.

edit: it turns out it's important enough that it's also a major headline on AJA, NPR, and HuffPo, with the HuffPo article saying it would allow 10 million couples to have a second child.

Carnage
Fri, 11-15-2013, 05:11 PM
You know I just realized, considering how obsolete inheritance laws are why were the Chinese killing their daughters anyway?

Ryllharu
Fri, 11-15-2013, 05:21 PM
This will probably help you Carnage:

Gender Equality in China (http://genderindex.org/country/china). Most of the changes are very recent, and discrimination is rampant the more rural you go.

Though it isn't all bad, modern Chinese weddings (http://www.npr.org/2013/04/23/176326713/for-chinese-women-marriage-depends-on-right-bride-price).

Animeniax
Fri, 11-15-2013, 05:22 PM
You know I just realized, considering how obsolete inheritance laws are why were the Chinese killing their daughters anyway?

Probably a social pride/family name thing... if you can only have one child, better to be a boy so he can carry on the family name, patriarchal society kind of thing.

Buffalobiian
Fri, 11-15-2013, 09:53 PM
The biggest thing that strikes out for me as a problem with China's previous policy is the sudden reduction in the working population and its economic backlashes when the current birthing generation retires. It becomes an artificially created aging population.

Carnage
Sat, 11-16-2013, 01:25 AM
The biggest thing that strikes out for me as a problem with China's previous policy is the sudden reduction in the working population and its economic backlashes when the current birthing generation retires. It becomes an artificially created aging population.

You know everyone brings this up as a problem, especially for Japan which is incredibly low birth rates. In the end this will be a greater positive than con, because technology will be taking away many jobs and it will be much easier to have a smaller population to support handing out jobs rather than a large one without resorting to socialism.

Buffalobiian
Sat, 11-16-2013, 01:49 AM
Oh, I'm all for population downsizing. I do believe the world is populated enough as it is given our available resources. I just don't think a policy change that induces a sudden cliff-like drop would help, as opposed to some way of tapering down birth rates instead.

Xelbair
Sun, 11-24-2013, 07:35 PM
http://www.onislam.net/english/news/africa/466297-angola-bans-islam-destroys-mosques.html
I'll just drop it here.

Carnage
Mon, 11-25-2013, 08:55 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/20/colbert-chides-walmart-for-employee-food-drive_n_4308937.html

You know I don't understand why so many people complain about Wal-Mart wages. It's not like the company is reaping huge rewards, the corporation had a 3.5% profit margin last year, which is pitiful compared to the S&P 500 index. Unless I'm missing something, it seems to me like tv and movie stars really never have any clue what they're talking about.

Animeniax
Mon, 11-25-2013, 10:13 PM
True but a 3.5% profit margin on their volume of sales is still beaucoup dollary doos. TV and movie stars piss me off asking common folk to donate. Why don't they donate some of their millions... it would go a lot further than $10 from each average joe.

Carnage
Tue, 11-26-2013, 12:30 AM
True but a 3.5% profit margin on their volume of sales is still beaucoup dollary doos.

That doesn't make a financial difference per shareholder.

Animeniax
Tue, 11-26-2013, 06:54 AM
That doesn't make a financial difference per shareholder.

Maybe not, but for the schlubs making minimum wage with no health insurance who have to rely on food drives for their holiday meals all they see is $$$$$. Don't get me wrong, I have very little sympathy for them. If you can't make livable wages then you deserve to eat out of aluminum cans, though I feel bad for their kids.

Buffalobiian
Tue, 11-26-2013, 10:15 AM
I eat out of cans every day. Not sure if they're aluminium though.

3.5% profit margin.. you can do better in a bank, can't you?

Animeniax
Tue, 11-26-2013, 10:25 AM
Yeah but you do so by choice, not because it's all that people can donate.

3.5% of the $1000 you have in the bank is diddly. 3.5% of billion$$ is a lot of money.

shinta|hikari
Tue, 11-26-2013, 10:33 AM
I eat out of cans every day. Not sure if they're aluminium though.

I'd probably die before a week.

Even at the poorest point in my life I only ate out of cans about 4-5 days a week. Making vegetable curry in mass amounts or eating umeboshi/furikake and rice is cheaper and tastes better.

Animeniax
Tue, 11-26-2013, 10:54 AM
Spaghetti and meat sauce is another good multiple meal solution for cheap. Rice with anything is a great idea too. It's how poor people in Asian countries have survived for so long.

Eating out of cans is bad for your health. Besides the preservatives and generally low quality of canned foodstuffs, the cans are lined with chemical layers to prevent interaction between the food and the aluminum/steel.

Buffalobiian
Tue, 11-26-2013, 11:17 AM
The canning process is supposed to rid the need for preservatives if done properly. I'm more concerned about mercury poisoning though since they're all tins of tuna. Not sure about the rest of the claims regarding chemicals.

Animeniax
Tue, 11-26-2013, 12:31 PM
Yeah large fish come with large doses of mercury and other heavy elements that are bad for humans. At least you could get the tuna in pouches to further negate the effect of poisoning from the can as well.

Here's a warning from the folks at GoodHouseKeeping.com, with an apropos picture of a can of tuna:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/canned-foods-leach-chemicals-0330#slide-5

Though I'm being a debby downer here, as I could care less what I eat or how it's packaged most of the time.

Carnage
Tue, 11-26-2013, 12:40 PM
Yeah but you do so by choice, not because it's all that people can donate.

3.5% of the $1000 you have in the bank is diddly. 3.5% of billion$$ is a lot of money.

Not if you're a shareholder who only holds $10k worth of shares. Then it is diddly.

It doesn't matter how large the operation is, if it's more expensive than conducting a different viable business then it will shut/scale down. People don't seem to understand that its a choice between having the job in the first place or not having it because the owners put their money into a more lucrative business. If the workers had a skill set that demanded higher wages, then that would happen (at least in this scenario).

Personally I think its the government's duty to make sure everyone is well educated enough to provide a useful skill set to the market, but that's a different story. It's not walmart's fault that the employees aren't producing anything valuable enough to demand higher wages. If they did then there would be more profits and Walmart could afford to pay them more.

Animeniax
Tue, 11-26-2013, 01:18 PM
Not if you're a shareholder who only holds $10k worth of shares. Then it is diddly.

It doesn't matter how large the operation is, if it's more expensive than conducting a different viable business then it will shut/scale down. People don't seem to understand that its a choice between having the job in the first place or not having it because the owners put their money into a more lucrative business. If the workers had a skill set that demanded higher wages, then that would happen (at least in this scenario).

Personally I think its the government's duty to make sure everyone is well educated enough to provide a useful skill set to the market, but that's a different story. It's not walmart's fault that the employees aren't producing anything valuable enough to demand higher wages. If they did then there would be more profits and Walmart could afford to pay them more.A company's value on the stock market is tied to but separate from revenue. Employee wages don't come from stock value, they are paid out of the company's earnings. So if a company earns a lot of money (which again 3.5% of billions = a lot of earnings) then it's understandable that the employees want better wages, as in their minds a large part of the company's success comes from their labor. The employees aren't producing any goods (the goods come from China), but they provide service to make the sales. One could say that their service directly leads to higher profits, so they should get higher pay for their work.

Again I don't agree with them and I think if you want better pay then you need to improve your skill set and get a better job. You shouldn't expect more money for doing the same job (except maybe in terms of longevity).

Carnage
Tue, 11-26-2013, 05:00 PM
Except profit margin has nothing to do with stock price, its Net Profit / Revenue Cost. It is purely a representation of the return of the business, with no factors of how the market values the operations. The raw amount of profit is irrelevant. The actual operation itself returns 3.5%. You're thinking of other ratios that include the stock price.

The product the employees provide is their service, and because their service isn't unique or clearly that valuable, the profits are what they are. If the employees provided a greater product (service) that produced greater economic output/profits, then they would be entitled to higher wages.

Ryllharu
Tue, 11-26-2013, 05:15 PM
Here's a warning from the folks at GoodHouseKeeping.com, with an apropos picture of a can of tuna:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/canned-foods-leach-chemicals-0330#slide-5

Though I'm being a debby downer here, as I could care less what I eat or how it's packaged most of the time.
Sorry to undercut you with facts, but the dangers of BPA have been hugely overblown (http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/04/government-research-disproves-theory-that-fetus-is-more-vulnerable-to-bpa/#.UpUX5-l3u70). As it turns out, humans, and especially mothers (http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm297954.htm), are really good at filtering out BPA (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23261975). Monkeys, like humans, particularly show excellent capacity to metabolize BPA. Rats...not so much, and guess which one we studied first.

As usual, "There may be something in your water making you sterile. More at 11."

The tin in the can itself, leeching into the food (the reason we coat them) can make you sick. But since they are mostly aluminum these days, it's not that bad.

Canned foods are safe. What's not so great about them is the amount of salt in them, high for most foods.

What kills you with cans is botulism, one of the most powerful toxins known to humans...which is routinely injected (heavily diluted) into people's faces.

edit:
tl;dr or never bothered to look at the links - I'm going to trust the FDA and NIH over GoodHouseKeeping.

Animeniax
Tue, 11-26-2013, 07:14 PM
Sorry to undercut you with "facts"...

Your "facts" are still under investigation and require more study so they are as reliable as any I cited (which if you had bothered to check the link also cites a study conducted by the NIH). Given our food industry's propensity for expediency and cost savings, I prefer to err on the side of safety and tend towards moderation, including with the amount of canned foodstuffs I consume.


Except profit margin has nothing to do with stock price, its Net Profit / Revenue Cost. It is purely a representation of the return of the business, with no factors of how the market values the operations. The raw amount of profit is irrelevant. The actual operation itself returns 3.5%. You're thinking of other ratios that include the stock price.

The product the employees provide is their service, and because their service isn't unique or clearly that valuable, the profits are what they are. If the employees provided a greater product (service) that produced greater economic output/profits, then they would be entitled to higher wages.
I don't think I implied that profit margin affects stock price, but it's good to know how market valuation is measured.

I think the value of their service is undercut by the fact that pretty much anyone else could come in and provide the same service. You would find the same service at any similar store. So the employees don't offer anything to a store that would make them deserve any better pay.

Ryllharu
Tue, 11-26-2013, 07:33 PM
Your "facts" are still under investigation and require more study so they are as reliable as any I cited (which if you had bothered to check the link also cites a study conducted by the NIH).
You may also note that your linked study (I did in fact read it, why else would I have called out BPA when you were generic?) is from 2011. My links are from 2012 (FDA) and 2013 (NIH and the summary article).

Citations 101.

edit:
Furthermore, all the study you posted shows is that, surprise, by intervening in the diet of five families who tested positive for BPA and giving them food that hasn't come in contact with packaging and plastic storage containers, they can reduce the levels of BPA that show up in urine. It only shows that BPA comes from exposure to food packaging and storage, not what the body does to it. Only where it comes from.

The studies I posted actually focus on how much BPA is absorbed, and how much is simply passed directly after metabolic processes. They couldn't even detect levels of BPA in a child from its mother, that's how good at processing BPA monkeys and humans are.

Carnage
Tue, 11-26-2013, 08:21 PM
I don't think I implied that profit margin affects stock price, but it's good to know how market valuation is measured.

Nevermind, I looked back and understood what you originally meant. Yeah a regular employee seeing billions in revenue won't understand the difference and that the revenue is actually relatively little.

Animeniax
Tue, 11-26-2013, 10:32 PM
You may also note that your linked study (I did in fact read it, why else would I have called out BPA when you were generic?) is from 2011. My links are from 2012 (FDA) and 2013 (NIH and the summary article).

Citations 101.

edit:
Furthermore, all the study you posted shows is that, surprise, by intervening in the diet of five families who tested positive for BPA and giving them food that hasn't come in contact with packaging and plastic storage containers, they can reduce the levels of BPA that show up in urine. It only shows that BPA comes from exposure to food packaging and storage, not what the body does to it. Only where it comes from.

The studies I posted actually focus on how much BPA is absorbed, and how much is simply passed directly after metabolic processes. They couldn't even detect levels of BPA in a child from its mother, that's how good at processing BPA monkeys and humans are.

And you prove my point exactly. One year a study shows something is harmful, the next it shows it's not as bad as we thought. What will the future hold??? So go ahead and eat all the processed and canned foods you like, since the science of the day says there's little harm. Hopefully another study next year doesn't flop back to showing these substances are bad for you.

Also, alcohol processes just fine through the human body... and we know alcohol is completely harmless.

Ryllharu
Wed, 11-27-2013, 05:26 AM
No, I'm afraid you just don't know how to comprehend.

You posted:

Eating out of cans is bad for your health. Besides the preservatives and generally low quality of canned foodstuffs,the cans are lined with chemical layers to prevent interaction between the food and the aluminum/steel.
And then failed to connect any of the dots in my subsequent posts.

The studies don't show what BPA actually does to the body. In rodents, who can't process it as well, overloaded with the stuff, it disrupts their endocrine system, which was reported widely by the media as something harmful to humans and what you alluded to here.

The truth is, as the FDA put it, that we have no idea about the effects of BPA on humans because so very little of it stays in the body. The levels that are not processed out by our liver or renal system are barely detectable.

Also at no point did you ever attempt to even make the point that studies will frequently show different results. Nor to the reports actually show conflicting results. It's the media, just like you, not understanding what the studies actually say any throwing out a lot of words like "may" and "could be harmful." Except you leave out the "may" and just say "are".

Even the goodhousekeeping article you originally posted goes into detail about what the diet intervention study shows and what it doesn't, in plain English, sectioned off for easy reading comprehension. Something you never noticed.

Kraco
Wed, 11-27-2013, 06:19 AM
Looking at EFSA's page on Bisphenol A, it indeed looks like no study so far suggests it has any effects in (adult) humans, within the currently acceptable doses, but more studies are being made all the time to verify the situation. Regardless, there seems to be some worry since EU has banned its use in manufacturing infant feeding bottles. I doubt they would do that if it was all nonsense.

Maybe we won't know for sure before Bill's autopsy in the future.

Ryllharu
Wed, 11-27-2013, 07:12 AM
Regardless, there seems to be some worry since EU has banned its use in manufacturing infant feeding bottles.
Many states in the US have as well. It's just one of those things politicians will do to look like they are actually doing their job while still having no clue what is going on.

Lawmaker A: People are upset about something.
Lawmaker B: What is it, something that we're doing that's illegal for the norms?
Lawmaker A: I don't know, but none of my lobbyists are concerned about whatever it is.
Lawmaker B: So who cares? Let's ignore it.
Lawmaker A: But my interns are getting a lot of calls on it, it's harder for my lobbyists to make appointments.
Lawmaker B: Let's ban, tax, or require licenses for it!

Animeniax
Thu, 11-28-2013, 12:30 AM
Many states in the US have as well. It's just one of those things politicians will do to look like they are actually doing their job while still having no clue what is going on.

Lawmaker A: People are upset about something.
Lawmaker B: What is it, something that we're doing that's illegal for the norms?
Lawmaker A: I don't know, but none of my lobbyists are concerned about whatever it is.
Lawmaker B: So who cares? Let's ignore it.
Lawmaker A: But my interns are getting a lot of calls on it, it's harder for my lobbyists to make appointments.
Lawmaker B: Let's ban, tax, or require licenses for it!
Spoken like a card carrying Republican... you think there's too much regulation and government intervention. "People should just be left to their own devices and deal with the consequences, nevermind that big businesses frequently try to cut corners at the expense of the consumer. We don't need any government regulation for a potentially hazardous substance, it just gets in the way of business and making money. Since no one can say for certain that this chemical is bad for you, it's just the liberal media trying to stifle business."

Back to the point, canned foods are heavily processed and still have to be preserved for extended shelf life. Whether its BPA or some other substances leaching into food, it's a bad idea to eat canned food when fresh stuff is available. I did support my point that studies can't always be relied on, as the studies you posted are no more "fact" than the one I cited, given that subsequent studies show something different.

Buffalobiian
Thu, 11-28-2013, 01:08 AM
I did support my point that studies can't always be relied on, as the studies you posted are no more "fact" than the one I cited, given that subsequent studies show something different.

Animeniax, let's get something straight (Ryll's already said this before, but I'll just go over).

The three studies you guys have cited don't conflict with each other. They show different things. Your study shows that by reducing BPA packaged foods, you can reduce your exposure to BPA. Ryll's studies show that BPA has tiny amounts in the body with most of it being excreted.

Neither of those studies answer the question of What does BPA do to the human body?, only that the more you eat the more you pee out, and that not a lot is left in the body regardless.

Innocence gets the benefit of doubt. If it's not known to kill/harm you, it should be allowed.

lelouch
Thu, 11-28-2013, 07:51 AM
If you go to BJs or Costco, you can get a fresh product bunduru inexpensively.


Winter is coming.

Animeniax
Thu, 11-28-2013, 11:10 PM
Animeniax, let's get something straight (Ryll's already said this before, but I'll just go over).

The three studies you guys have cited don't conflict with each other. They show different things. Your study shows that by reducing BPA packaged foods, you can reduce your exposure to BPA. Ryll's studies show that BPA has tiny amounts in the body with most of it being excreted.

Neither of those studies answer the question of What does BPA do to the human body?, only that the more you eat the more you pee out, and that not a lot is left in the body regardless.

Innocence gets the benefit of doubt. If it's not known to kill/harm you, it should be allowed.I disagree, innocent until proven guilty is bullshit. You wouldn't be a suspect if there wasn't reason to suspect you. BPA may or may not be bad for you, but the fact that it is suspected of having negative effects on the human body should be enough to keep it out of our food stuffs, not to mention other possible chemicals used to preserve and store food. When have chemicals leaching from storage containers into our food ever been a positive benefit?

Buffalobiian
Thu, 11-28-2013, 11:55 PM
I disagree, innocent until proven guilty is bullshit. You wouldn't be a suspect if there wasn't reason to suspect you. BPA may or may not be bad for you, but the fact that it is suspected of having negative effects on the human body should be enough to keep it out of our food stuffs, not to mention other possible chemicals used to preserve and store food. When have chemicals leaching from storage containers into our food ever been a positive benefit?

No one is talking about it being positive or a benefit. We're talking about whether it has any significant negatives. Ceramic plates holding food doesn't positively benefit food, nor does it negatively impact on it. BPA has a similar structure to endogenous hormones, so it is proposed that it may cause problems in our body. But will it?

You're right that it wouldn't be a suspect if there wasn't a reason to suspect it. However, suspecting is not enough. You know, I don't even like the use of the word suspect here because it implies that BPA was suspected to be a criminal (agent responsible for the crime). Right now, BPA just looks like it could be a criminal. We don't even have a crime/problem for it to be suspected of.

In other words, we're saying "Hmm, BPA has the structure similar to hormones. That could be a problem", not "We've got high rates of breast cancer (the crime). I think BPA could be a cause (the suspect to the crime) because of various reasons."

Animeniax
Fri, 11-29-2013, 03:58 AM
No one is talking about it being positive or a benefit. We're talking about whether it has any significant negatives. Ceramic plates holding food doesn't positively benefit food, nor does it negatively impact on it. BPA has a similar structure to endogenous hormones, so it is proposed that it may cause problems in our body. But will it?

You're right that it wouldn't be a suspect if there wasn't a reason to suspect it. However, suspecting is not enough. You know, I don't even like the use of the word suspect here because it implies that BPA was suspected to be a criminal (agent responsible for the crime). Right now, BPA just looks like it could be a criminal. We don't even have a crime/problem for it to be suspected of.

In other words, we're saying "Hmm, BPA has the structure similar to hormones. That could be a problem", not "We've got high rates of breast cancer (the crime). I think BPA could be a cause (the suspect to the crime) because of various reasons."

Sorry I was being sarcastic, of course there is no positive benefit to chemicals leaching from containers and adulterating our food, particularly substances that could be hormonal or close enough to mimic them.

Negative effects of chemicals on the human body is the ongoing "crime" we're dealing with, though the criminal analogy can't be used as far as whether a crime/problem exists when talking about chemicals in our food.

Buffalobiian
Fri, 11-29-2013, 05:48 AM
Sorry I was being sarcastic, of course there is no positive benefit to chemicals leaching from containers and adulterating our food, particularly substances that could be hormonal or close enough to mimic them.

Nah, I got that part. I was pointing out that there needs not be. The implications of your words was that since they're never "good", they might as well be bad (or we must treat them as such if they're suspected of being bad, since there's no "good" to balance them out with).

Ryllharu
Fri, 11-29-2013, 07:07 AM
not to mention other possible chemicals used to preserve and store food. When have chemicals leaching from storage containers into our food ever been a positive benefit?
I've been ignoring this one for a while, but I probably shouldn't have.

What other possible chemicals used to preserve and store food? You mean salt? That's the most common, and often then only preservative ingredient in canned vegetables and beans. Many cannned fruits have none at all. That's how canning works. Most of the things on canned foods will simply be the ingredients or the spices. Canning itself is a preservative process.

Let's look at some other canned foods I have:
- Ascorbic acid. Better known as Vitamin C. Used to preserve color. Or citric acid, which also occurs naturally.
- Calcium chloride. It's generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and used in sports drinks, as table salt substitute, and in beer.
- Potassium chloride, used as a salt substitute for preservation (to prevent the taste from getting saltier).
- disodium EDTA. Ooo, that sounds scary. That last part is short for Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, which sounds super scary. Except it's primary purpose is to prevent benzene from forming in soft drinks, which is much worse. It also prevents metals from leeching into things and changing their color. Even at its worst, the LD50 (rat) of EDTA is about 2.2 g/kg, meaning the average person would need to eat 170 lbs of the stuff to die 50% of the time in a given time period...which isn't going to happen by eating it out of cans.

Penner
Sun, 12-01-2013, 11:36 AM
By now most of you have probably heard about it already, but Paul Walker has died in a car crash.

R.I.P

Ryllharu
Sun, 12-01-2013, 12:23 PM
Sad to hear. It's worth noting that the car crash was during or just after a charity event, which he did a lot of. Hollywood lost one of the better ones (in terms of just being a good person).

lelouch
Sun, 12-01-2013, 04:16 PM
Perhaps someone put a "black Friday sale" sticker on his car

Animeniax
Wed, 01-15-2014, 01:10 PM
Read that Steven Seagal is considering running for governor of Arizona. I was a huge fan of his early movies, not so much more recent ones. I think he'd be awesome news fodder as a governor.

http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/5-reasons-why-steven-seagal-will-be-best-governor-ever/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=fanpage&utm_campaign=new+article&wa_ibsrc=fanpage

Kraco
Wed, 01-15-2014, 03:25 PM
Read that Steven Seagal is considering running for governor of Arizona. I was a huge fan of his early movies, not so much more recent ones. I think he'd be awesome news fodder as a governor.

Is it true that Seagal is a giant douche and can't cooperate with anybody? He must always be the sole tough, big man in a movie. I read something like that a long time ago, and always thought, if true, it's the reason why he won't appear in Expendables.

Animeniax
Wed, 01-15-2014, 03:40 PM
Is it true that Seagal is a giant douche and can't cooperate with anybody? He must always be the sole tough, big man in a movie. I read something like that a long time ago, and always thought, if true, it's the reason why he won't appear in Expendables.

The douche part is probably true, not so sure about not working well with others. I wouldn't be surprised that he wasn't invited to be in the Expendables because he's not considered a great action hero. Most of his characters were more anti-hero. Plus he's so out-of-shape and a pretty terrible actor.

Edort4
Mon, 03-03-2014, 02:29 PM
So umm whats your take on what it is going on in Ukraine? Think shit is going to hit the fan? Anyone here is from that zone of the world?

Kraco
Mon, 03-03-2014, 03:38 PM
Certainly I didn't expect to see something like this any time soon, although in hindsight considering what happened in Georgia, it's not so surprising, after all, I guess. Russia has always been a hungry bear. Certainly it's not there to help Russian speaking citizens in Ukraine; Russian speaking citizens in Russia are already suffering so much while all the oil and gas money is being pumped into military and corruption that Russia has no need to seek long-suffering people outside of its own borders. Still, that being said, Ukraine itself is a far lousier place than I imagined, so I can see why the Russian speaking people in Ukraine would like their parts to join the neighbour instead. Probably they would get a little more money from Moscow than from Kiev. Plus they would actually have an army if they belonged to Russia. Looks like Ukraine really did sell all of its military assets to lords of war.

But no, I don't expect anything major to happen there. Russia has probably too much to lose in internatial politics. I guess they will just claim Crimea and be done with it, without a single shot. Ukraine is so weak they seem utterly helpless, which is what surprised me most in this whole mess. They simply let a neighbour walk in and did nothing.

Animeniax
Mon, 03-03-2014, 03:55 PM
Kinda shocking right after the peaceful cooperation and unity of the Olympics, though maybe their success in that endeavor fueled nationalist pride in Russia and emboldened them to go for the land grab in the Ukraine. I don't think there's much the world can do to stop Russia from taking some of the predominantly Russian-leaning districts in the east of Ukraine, like Crimea. President Obama might miss the G8 summit and some economic sanctions will be imposed. Plus J McCain said it could be justification for the US to resume its missile defense systems in eastern Europe. I imagine we're under treaty with Russia to halt that program, but with their renewed aggression we are free to rescind that term of the treaty.

Ryllharu
Mon, 03-03-2014, 04:19 PM
It's really not shocking at all when you take into account three things:

1) The Crimea was given to Ukraine by the USSR, during their independence, and the USSR's disillusion.

2) The Russian Navy leases land (until 2040 or something) to house the Black Sea Fleet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea_Fleet). Ukraine also was given a portion of the Black Sea Fleet to ease tensions over Crimea.

3) Ukraine's riots and protests have made the country extremely unstable, politically, economically, and socially.


I actually think Russia is in the right here. They've intervened and will cause a stabilizing (if moderately threatening) effect on Ukraine, provided they stay put in Crimea. There was a legitimate concern for Russia about their Black Sea Fleet lease, similar to the situation where the US was evicted from Uzbekistan (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/29/AR2005072902038.html) during the Afghan War. Losing that base would put Russia in a substantial strategic conundrum (where to relocate to, loss of a really well positioned base, etc.)

I also don't think for a second that the US wouldn't perform a similar military intervention if there was substantial political unrest in Bahrain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Support_Activity_Bahrain) or if Okinawa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futenma) actually attempted to secede (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawa_independence_movement) from Japan.

I'm actually reasonably sure that the US is actively aiding the Bahraini government to suppress their uprising (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahraini_uprising_(2011%E2%80%93present)). They're certainly doing a very good job suppressing it in the media.

Hell...the US has done a lot worse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi) than Russia is doing now. For a while (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Guatemalan_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat).


edit:
It is pretty funny watching Obama make an ass of himself three times in a row toward Russia's actions (Georgia's crisis with South Ossetia, Syria's "Red Line" with chemical weapons and Russia's peaceful intervention there, and now Crimea). All talk. He should have delegated this to our UN representative. It's their job to make strongly worded statements about how angry we are.

Kraco
Mon, 03-03-2014, 04:50 PM
I actually think Russia is in the right here.

I can see you are from a superpower: It's alright to send your troops over the border to a neighbouring country (a democracy to boot) if you think there's something you could fix better than the country itself, despite the fact the country didn't even have time to try anything.

You should think about how it would feel if Mexico occupied some part of the southern USA because Mexican immigrants are sometimes treated poorly there. Or Canada occupied Alaska because the American oil companies are without morals and would spoil the nature.

Edort4
Mon, 03-03-2014, 05:00 PM
I actually think that what Rusia did had to be done by the Ukraine military. After the coup to throw Yanukovich (it seems he was quite a totalitarian thief that has left the country broken but he was democraticaly elected) and the minority taking over the goverment they should had stepped in to force elections and dissolve that rebel parlament that didnt even represent 1/3 of the voters. Thats it if they were honest people who loved their country, their constitution and their democracy.

Ryllharu
Mon, 03-03-2014, 05:02 PM
You should think about how it would feel if Mexico occupied some part of the southern USA because Mexican immigrants are sometimes treated poorly there. Or Canada occupied Alaska because the American oil companies are without morals and would spoil the nature.

We've kinda already been through that (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_%26_Indian_War#French_fort_construction). Twice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War#Origins_of_the_war). Details are a little off, but you get the idea.

Interesting key point here:
"In 1846 alone, the [Mexican] presidency changed hands four times, the war ministry six times, and the finance ministry sixteen times."

Animeniax
Mon, 03-03-2014, 06:55 PM
It's really not shocking at all when you take into account three things:

I actually think Russia is in the right here. They've intervened and will cause a stabilizing (if moderately threatening) effect on Ukraine, provided they stay put in Crimea. There was a legitimate concern for Russia about their Black Sea Fleet lease, similar to the situation where the US was evicted from Uzbekistan (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/29/AR2005072902038.html) during the Afghan War. Losing that base would put Russia in a substantial strategic conundrum (where to relocate to, loss of a really well positioned base, etc.)

I also don't think for a second that the US wouldn't perform a similar military intervention if there was substantial political unrest in Bahrain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Support_Activity_Bahrain) or if Okinawa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futenma) actually attempted to secede (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawa_independence_movement) from Japan.

edit:
It is pretty funny watching Obama make an ass of himself three times in a row toward Russia's actions (Georgia's crisis with South Ossetia, Syria's "Red Line" with chemical weapons and Russia's peaceful intervention there, and now Crimea). All talk. He should have delegated this to our UN representative. It's their job to make strongly worded statements about how angry we are.
I love how conservatives use any and all reactions/actions from the Obama administration to attack him. He can do no right in your eyes. If he had said nothing, he looks weak. If he said something, he said it too late. In this situation, there isn't much the US (under any administration) could do besides make harsh statements.

Like I said, what with the Olympics just finishing and being a success and all, it is shocking to see Russia go and invade another country.

Ryllharu
Mon, 03-03-2014, 07:27 PM
I love how conservatives use any and all reactions/actions from the Obama administration to attack him. He can do no right in your eyes. If he had said nothing, he looks weak. If he said something, he said it too late. In this situation, there isn't much the US (under any administration) could do besides make harsh statements.
It's funny how you just make assumptions of my political leanings.

Obama not saying anything would not have made him look weak. It would have been the right decision, and only idiot pundits would have criticized him.

What he said made him look weak. What he said should have been said by the UN representative, because everyone there can say a lot of things without being taken too seriously. That's what the UN is there for, negotiating between nations via proxy ambassadors/diplomats.

Obama said, "And, indeed, the United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine," if Russia entered the Crimea.

Well, Russia did, and honestly who really believes the US will do anything? Economic sanctions? Russia can simply cut off the natural gas to Europe during the winter. They did it to the Ukraine in 2009 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Russia%E2%80%93Ukraine_gas_dispute). They did it to Belarus when they didn't pay. They'll can do it to Europe as a whole in revenge.

Why do you think Russia intervened in Georgia? Why do you think they have an investment in Syria's reigning government?

Gazprom.

This is big picture stuff. Russia's been playing the long game for a while. Outside of the North Sea, Russia owns the rest (http://www.eegas.com/europipe.htm).

----------

Obama's a shitty president. It's not about liberal versus conservative. It's about credibility. He makes impassioned speeches...but does nothing, both foreign and domestic. The more a person says they'll act, but don't...the less people believe it the subsequent times. Every time Obama promises that the US will act, and the US doesn't, the US loses face. Over time, a country gets reduced to a saber-rattling little dog, yapping at the heels of other countries who know when to keep their mouths shut.

The "crossing a red line" in Syria about chemical weapons was the worst one. He said, swore, the US would intervene once UN inspectors confirmed chemical weapons were used. They were used, and confirmed. The US did nothing. They were used again months later. Confirmed again by the UN. The US did little, trying to ramp up military intervention. The UK rejected it, sentiment in the US was overwhelmingly negative, but Obama and Kerry couldn't back down after all the shit they both said. Then a reporter threw out the possibility of peaceful disarmament to Kerry, the Russians stepped in. The Obama Administration had their out.

Everyone is comparing this to the chemical weapons red line.

Xelbair
Mon, 03-03-2014, 07:44 PM
Well honestly, living in neighbouring country to the Ukraine the atmosphere is jokingly tense - ppl keep joking about Russian intervention...

but deep down are scared that they(Russians) might get a bit too greedy and also intervene in here - especially with all the fishy stuff surrounding exploding tupolev(plane exploded mid-air, on the Russian soil - carrying the most important ppl in Poland), including awkward movements from one political party that gained the most from that(it seriously seemed like they were prepared for that for at least few months), and the Russia - who still hold the parts of the plane, after washing it, and leaving it in open to remove all evidence(no idea if it was done to humiliate us, or because they had to hide something).

whole revolt in Ukraine is weird tbh - situation was dire, but it is literally another minority of voters forcing their ideas on the rest. Situation escalated in a bit too convenient ways for some groups.

Carnage
Mon, 03-03-2014, 08:04 PM
I'm a conservative and not Obama's biggest fan, but for entirely different reasons from Ryllharu. I think the President had to give a statement(s) considering the media attention directed towards him. As Animeniax said, he would be called weak with or without a response. At the same time, he probably has to be careful whenever addressing Russia's interventions because we've lost our moral high ground after having invaded Iraq (not saying the U.S. is as bad as Russia, but it certainly isn't a moral authority).

Ryllharu mentioned Russia cutting off energy exports to to the EU, but you have to remember that it's a two way street and would equally hurt Russia's economy. Perhaps the EU is in a bit more of a desperate situation trying to keep the Eurozone from collapsing, but half a trillion dollars in trade is no joke to Russia.

Animeniax
Mon, 03-03-2014, 11:10 PM
It's funny how you just make assumptions of my political leanings...

Obama's a shitty president. It's not about liberal versus conservative. It's about credibility. He makes impassioned speeches...but does nothing, both foreign and domestic...

It's pretty easy to tell your political leanings after reading your posts for a few years now. While I regret pigeon-holing you as a right wing nut, Obama has been president most of the time I've known you or paid attention to your posts, so your criticisms of his administration are duly noted.

His critics love to slam Obama saying that he doesn't follow through with promises. They conveniently forget all the obstruction and bs that he has to go through to get the same things all the previous administrations got without the nonsense, like appointees and raising the debt ceiling, and a fiscal budget. So while his intent and message are clear, getting laws passed and a consensus for action have been almost impossible during his administration. It's pretty amazing what he has accomplished, considering "conservatives" have dogged his every step and worked to make his plan fail. Nevermind the mess he inherited to begin with...


I'm a conservative and not Obama's biggest fan, but for entirely different reasons from Ryllharu. I think the President had to give a statement(s) considering the media attention directed towards him. As Animeniax said, he would be called weak with or without a response. At the same time, he probably has to be careful whenever addressing Russia's interventions because we've lost our moral high ground after having invaded Iraq (not saying the U.S. is as bad as Russia, but it certainly isn't a moral authority).

Ryllharu mentioned Russia cutting off energy exports to to the EU, but you have to remember that it's a two way street and would equally hurt Russia's economy. Perhaps the EU is in a bit more of a desperate situation trying to keep the Eurozone from collapsing, but half a trillion dollars in trade is no joke to Russia.
I'm a fiscal conservative but I see bs for what it is. I don't agree with all of Obama's plans (higher minimum wage for one) but I also see what the political right has tried to do during his administration all while blaming him for the failures.

Economic sanctions are nothing to take lightly. As you said, it's a two way street, and in these global times it's more like a spaghetti highway. Beyond a lose-lose situation with a military response and a mild reprimand from the UN, economic sanctions are the best tool we have in this kind of situation.

Kraco
Tue, 03-04-2014, 03:43 AM
It's one thing to cut off the gas flow to a country that can't pay its bills, like Ukraine, but totally another to countries from where money actually comes back. Russia has still failed to diversify its economy and thus oil and gas are pretty much where its sources of income lie. Of course they could still sell to Asia, for example, but especially with gas that would be too sudden considering it requires pipes.

I hope it won't come to that. While lessening the dependency on Russian energy would be jolly good indeed, doing it with sanctions would be troublesome. Because those go both ways as well. Russia imports tons of stuff due to lacking their own industry, and Finland is exporting quite a lot to Russia. That would stop if the EU erected economic sanctions as Russia would do the same.

While I don't approve foreign military interventions to democracies, it's still Ukraine's own fault as well for being so bloody weak and miserable. Economy is bad over here as it is, I don't want it to get even worse due to Ukraine's inability to look after their own shit.

Carnage
Tue, 03-04-2014, 12:52 PM
If sanctions are placed, China will probably be the one to benefit by buying oil cheap from Russia and selling it at a marked up price to Europe. Transportation issues might be resolved if the oil doesn't have to be physically shipped from Russia to China.

Kraco
Tue, 03-04-2014, 01:47 PM
If sanctions are placed, China will probably be the one to benefit by buying oil cheap from Russia and selling it at a marked up price to Europe. Transportation issues might be resolved if the oil doesn't have to be physically shipped from Russia to China.

China uses itself all the oil it can get. I don't think selling oil would be such a huge burden to Russia even if Europe wasn't buying for a while. Oil is used everywhere, after all, and its shipped everywhere the same way, unlike gas.

Animeniax
Thu, 04-10-2014, 06:10 PM
Terrible, terrible news today: Stephen Colbert will take over for David Letterman on the Tonight Show in 2015. No more Colbert Report, and he won't do the talk show in character either.

UChessmaster
Sat, 04-19-2014, 06:51 PM
Huge ass accident outside my house... again, driver lost control, five people, car hit the wall dividing both sides of the tunnel entrance, driver died, 3 girls in critical condition, guy behind is relatively fine.

My camera doesn`t likes the light >.>

http://i62.tinypic.com/31644co.jpg

Ryllharu
Tue, 05-13-2014, 03:39 PM
RIP H.R. Giger (http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/05/h-r-giger-the-man-who-created-aliens-alien-dies-at-74/)

Your weird art still freaks me out.

Penner
Sun, 05-18-2014, 06:07 PM
YouTube buying 'Twitch' for $1 Billion (http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/youtube-to-acquire-videogame-streaming-service-twitch-for-1-billion-sources-1201185204/)

Kraco
Mon, 05-19-2014, 02:30 AM
I thought the IT bubble burst a long time ago. Some companies are so rich they can purposefully build another bubble. Jolly good for those who manage to cash it all in before that happens.

Edort4
Mon, 05-19-2014, 05:58 AM
I thought the IT bubble burst a long time ago. Some companies are so rich they can purposefully build another bubble. Jolly good for those who manage to cash it all in before that happens.

Almost exactly what came to mind (shame I got to spread some rep). Not even a month ago I had a discussion about how IT companies are breaking records about purchases, adquisitions, capital increases and credits from banks. In my opinion (not expert one) this could be explained in two ways: Soaring inflation that makes value and price to detach or bubble.

Verizon and Vodafone comes to mind. If you take a look at the "price" they are paying for those adquisitions and the revenues, actually profits should be more appropriate, of the companies it would take like a century to get the investment return from those operations.

Animeniax
Sun, 07-20-2014, 01:05 AM
A man died from an apparent heart attack after a police officer applied a "chokehold" to subdue him during an arrest. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/19/nyregion/staten-island-man-dies-after-he-is-put-in-chokehold-during-arrest.html?_r=0

Per NY police dept policy, police rules forbid chokeholds and define them as including “any pressure to the throat or windpipe, which may prevent or hinder breathing or reduce intake of air.”

The problem is, a properly applied chokehold does not affect breathing, it prevents blood flow to the brain, depriving it of oxygen and causing loss of consciousness.

Kraco
Sun, 07-20-2014, 03:29 AM
Per NY police dept policy, police rules forbid chokeholds and define them as including “any pressure to the throat or windpipe, which may prevent or hinder breathing or reduce intake of air.”

The problem is, a properly applied chokehold does not affect breathing, it prevents blood flow to the brain, depriving it of oxygen and causing loss of consciousness.

Don't they forbid it because accidents can happen and the police generally don't need any publicity that promotes the police brutality image? The extreme example of this series is using a baton to hit somebody unconscious. Works every time in fiction, but in reality produces as many corpses as unconscious people.

Ryllharu
Sun, 07-20-2014, 07:25 AM
The choke hold didn't kill him. Even if it was applied right it wouldn't have (and it may very well have because he was still speaking).

The 400+ pound mass of various belligerent cops dog piling him that caused a heart attack did.

Ever try dragging a stone across a field, or moving a woodstove? Kinda like that.

Animeniax
Sun, 07-20-2014, 11:14 AM
Don't they forbid it because accidents can happen and the police generally don't need any publicity that promotes the police brutality image? The extreme example of this series is using a baton to hit somebody unconscious. Works every time in fiction, but in reality produces as many corpses as unconscious people.

Probably so, though chokeholds may be safer on a person with health issues than getting tazed or pepper-sprayed.

Police officers are taught to mostly hit limbs with their batons, never the head. Of course, there are always those who don't follow policy in the heat of the moment or because they are aholes.


The choke hold didn't kill him. Even if it was applied right it wouldn't have (and it may very well have because he was still speaking).

The 400+ pound mass of various belligerent cops dog piling him that caused a heart attack did.

Ever try dragging a stone across a field, or moving a woodstove? Kinda like that.I agree, though I don't think the chokehold was properly applied because he could still talk. From the video, I think only one officer actually jumped on him (the guy applying the choke), though having several officers attack you probably wasn't good for his heart. Still, his history of health issues and 400lbs of bulk played the largest part. The public will still go after the police officer and dept.

Animeniax
Mon, 07-28-2014, 09:25 AM
Simpsons/Family Guy crossover episode in Sept!!!

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/07/26/simpsons-family-guy-crossover-episode-video/

Penner
Tue, 08-12-2014, 01:48 AM
Robin Williams dead at 63 (http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/08/11/robin-williams-dead-at-63/)


R.I.P

Kraco
Tue, 08-12-2014, 03:34 AM
I didn't see that coming. He was a good man. Too bad.

Animeniax
Tue, 08-12-2014, 06:54 AM
Classic tormented comedian story, though I'm sure it had its unique twists. I remember back when he had his first major role as a villain, it was surprising at that point in his career yet he seemed oddly adept in the role.

My favorite quote from him (one of his roles): "I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is ending up with people who make you feel all alone."

Death BOO Z
Tue, 08-12-2014, 08:20 AM
My favorite quote from him (one of his roles): "I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is ending up with people who make you feel all alone."

that's a terrifyingly sad quote.

Penner
Tue, 11-04-2014, 06:39 PM
Sooo apparently this is happening: Marvel & Attack on Titan Crossover (http://comicbook.com/2014/11/03/marvel-attack-on-titan-crossover-revealed/)

MFauli
Tue, 11-04-2014, 06:43 PM
Which Marvel hero cant just smash all Titans by himself? :/

Death BOO Z
Wed, 11-05-2014, 10:57 AM
spiderman can go undercover in the scout unit. he is experienced in 3d movement and midair maneuvering.

darkshadow
Wed, 11-05-2014, 12:28 PM
Undercover? He can ruin them all single-handedly.

Kraco
Wed, 11-05-2014, 12:38 PM
Until mutant titans start to appear.

Buffalobiian
Wed, 11-05-2014, 07:47 PM
Until mutant titans start to appear.

But spider sense!

Buffalobiian
Fri, 12-12-2014, 08:10 PM
US Navy laser cannon blows targets out of the water - at $1 a shot (http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-navy-laser-cannon-blows-targets-out-of-the-water--at-1-a-shot-20141212-125ris.html)

Railguns, now lasers..

Goodbye bullet drop.

Kraco
Sat, 12-13-2014, 04:26 AM
US Navy laser cannon blows targets out of the water - at $1 a shot (http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-navy-laser-cannon-blows-targets-out-of-the-water--at-1-a-shot-20141212-125ris.html)

Terrorists will buy a big mirror and the laser destroyer will destroy itself.

KrayZ33
Sat, 12-13-2014, 07:51 PM
Just like Archimedes, thats cool.

LaZie
Wed, 05-20-2015, 01:30 PM
Los Angeles Raises Its Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour (http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Los-Angeles-City-Council-Vote-Minimum-Wage-Proposal-304234341.html)


Now this is just idiotic.

Animeniax
Wed, 05-20-2015, 02:04 PM
Los Angeles Raises Its Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour (http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Los-Angeles-City-Council-Vote-Minimum-Wage-Proposal-304234341.html)


Now this is just idiotic.

Ditto. Businesses will have to raise prices so min wage earners won't be much better off and those earning more than min wage will be worse off because they'll have to pay higher prices.

Ryllharu
Thu, 05-21-2015, 05:20 PM
To be fair, it doesn't hit $15 until 2020.

LaZie
Thu, 05-21-2015, 07:12 PM
And there are still people protesting for McDonald's to raise their minimum wage to $15. You can live a perfectly decent life on minimum wage $9/hr full-time in California. Just forego some amenities and you'll be fine.

Animeniax
Thu, 05-21-2015, 09:30 PM
And there are still people protesting for McDonald's to raise their minimum wage to $15. You can live a perfectly decent life on minimum wage $9/hr full-time in California. Just forego some amenities and you'll be fine.

I dispute that. Are you living proof that you can live on $9/hr in California? In some states maybe, but it'd still be a tough life with lots of sacrifices. Of course, that should encourage a person to improve themselves so they make more money and don't have to subsist on the bare minimum, but evidently that doesn't work with lots of people.

What bugs me is when people start families when they can't afford to support them. If you make minimum wage, you should not be allowed to have children unless your spouse also makes at least twice minimum wage.


To be fair, it doesn't hit $15 until 2020.
That's not that far off. I guess it still gives me time to increase my earning power so I can still afford to live the middle-middle class lifestyle I currently have. Once businesses raise prices to offset minimum wage increases, I'll be living a lower-middle class lifestyle at my current wages.

Ryllharu
Fri, 05-22-2015, 03:53 AM
That's not that far off. I guess it still gives me time to increase my earning power so I can still afford to live the middle-middle class lifestyle I currently have. Once businesses raise prices to offset minimum wage increases, I'll be living a lower-middle class lifestyle at my current wages.
Indeed. Be more productive and work harder for us, wage-slave. Don't worry, even if the economy falters, we'll be bailed out again by our patsies-- I mean elected government representatives. Oh, and by the way, we're moving our businesses' "corporate headquarters" to Romania, there's a staff of one, and she works part time. You can review the details at our Innovation Headquarters, its the same building you've always known us in.

spacing - The 1%.

Animeniax
Fri, 05-22-2015, 11:52 AM
Indeed. Be more productive and work harder for us, wage-slave. Don't worry, even if the economy falters, we'll be bailed out again by our patsies-- I mean elected government representatives. Oh, and by the way, we're moving our businesses' "corporate headquarters" to Romania, there's a staff of one, and she works part time. You can review the details at our Innovation Headquarters, its the same building you've always known us in.

spacing - The 1%.

It's still the American dream after all. Personally I'm looking forward to a Fight Club-esque restructuring of society amid the destruction of financial records. Though that would piss me off since I spent all this time saving and being frugal.

Kraco
Thu, 06-11-2015, 08:47 AM
Christopher Lee, 93, has died (http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-33098353). No doubt like a Numenorean he chose this moment now that the Hobbit trilogy is finished as well. Though he had roles in bigger blockbusters especially of late, I'll always think of him as the best Count Dracula actor. May your rest be better than a vampire lord's!

Penner
Thu, 06-11-2015, 02:08 PM
Man was a true legend. R.I.P

Ryllharu
Sat, 08-01-2015, 06:26 AM
RIP Rowdy Roddy Piper (http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/the-turnstile/wrestling-superstar-roddy-piper-dead-at-61-224152886.html)

Truly one of a kind. The world is a smaller and unfortunately a now quieter place.

Buffalobiian
Wed, 11-09-2016, 06:57 AM
In case you haven't heard, Trump won the US election.

Dismay aside, I'm going to have fun* watching watching US politics for the next 4 years.


*(conditional requirement that I'm not Mexican nor female)

shinta|hikari
Wed, 11-09-2016, 08:12 AM
Fuck you. Some of us live here.

And I'm an immigrant.

Who has said terrible things about this dude on the internet.

Seriously. How!?

MFauli
Wed, 11-09-2016, 09:23 AM
Im so fucking happy :D

The condescending and arrogant behavior of SJWs the last couple months was absolutely unacceptable (fuck Neogaf.com). Trumpīs victory is such a welcome "in your face!" that I cant help but feel utmost satisfaction.

He wouldnīt have been my choice for president, but I actually believe that he wonīt be that bad in terms of foreign politics.

shinta|hikari
Wed, 11-09-2016, 09:26 AM
I sure hope so. His vague ass plans in his victory speech don't inspire confidence...

Kraco
Wed, 11-09-2016, 10:21 AM
Trump hasn't said much about anything, it's all we will see about his plans. Aside from the wall he will mysteriously make Mexico pay. Personally I don't think that much will ultimately change for us not living in the USA. At least not as much as some pitiful self-proclaimed experts over here are predicting in panic.

shinta|hikari
Wed, 11-09-2016, 11:00 AM
Unless he declares world war 3.

Abdula
Wed, 11-09-2016, 12:27 PM
Lol. Although last night was a truly horrifying experience. I cannot help but feel vindicated because I have been saying this was going to happen all year and the people I talked to dismissed it as a possibility. Just too implausible even after he became the Republican nominee. I have learned to never question American stupidity especially when it concerns reactionary politics.

MFauli
Wed, 11-09-2016, 01:33 PM
Also, I planned to bet 10 Euro on a Trump-victory just for fun. Would have made 500 Euro ;/

Death BOO Z
Wed, 11-09-2016, 03:16 PM
I'm not excited about Trumps' victory. Wouldn't have been to stocked about clintion's victory, but that would have signaled that things are going to continue as they are.

I don't trust Trump, as a person, I can't recall anything decent he has done, and everything I've read that he said makes him seem more and more like a vile person with zero sense of responsibility for his actions.
but he won. partly because many people were fed up with the sensationalist media building up the 'man(white, rich, bigot, rapist, evil) vs woman (not those things)' narrative and decided that both canididates are guilty of the crimes they're being accused with, so might as well go the person whose crimes are regular criminal behavior and not the kind that concerns national security.

anyway, now he's going to start appointing new justices, right? can some one elaborate on the process? how fast can it be done?

Edort4
Wed, 11-09-2016, 03:46 PM
I had a good laugh with Trumps victory. Seeing all progresists in denial, cursing and swearing. I dont really care about what happens in the USA but all the west and OTAN media were so biased that this outcome came out as quite a funny thing. I truly didnt expect it (I bought all those forged and cooked polls).

I dont know what this will mean for united statians. From outside both seemed pretty similar to me. Colectivist interventionists. One seemd to go more towards progresism and internationalism and the other towards conservatism and nationalism.

By the way is Hillary going to jail for those emails? Is the issue that she created a vulnerability in the defense/security system?

David75
Thu, 11-10-2016, 04:02 AM
I do not wish for Trump to be an awful US president. If the USA go down, it will benefit no one. And Europe certainly isn't able to mitigate anything if the USA go down the drain.
So even if he was portrayed as the bad idiotic guy, I wish the fact he is (was) a billionaire will show in how he can negociate openly with people/countries and how he can manage his country that also has such an influence over the world.
I'm never optimistic, so I wish things do not turn bad with that new president...

Kraco
Thu, 11-10-2016, 04:21 AM
By the way is Hillary going to jail for those emails? Is the issue that she created a vulnerability in the defense/security system?

FBI has now twice said there was poor judgement, but no crime. The USA is not Russia, so I don't think the president can send a citizen to jail just because he feels like it. Also, it wouldn't really calm down disappointed voters and unify the country if he somehow had the losing candidate incarcerated. As far as Trump is concerned, Clinton should be meaningless from this point onwards.

Buffalobiian
Thu, 11-10-2016, 06:35 AM
I finally decided to read up about this email scandal thing. What a let down. I got the impression she was selling state secret or some crap on there from the way people were carrying on.

shinta|hikari
Thu, 11-10-2016, 06:38 AM
Right? And yet she lost to Trump, whose scandals were all spot on.

Buffalobiian
Thu, 11-10-2016, 07:10 AM
Is the US in such a state that you'd vote Trump in just to shake shit up? Personally I'd vote for Sanders, but Clinton was the more of the same politician who I would have voted for in his absence.

shinta|hikari
Thu, 11-10-2016, 07:53 AM
It wasn't, but Trump wove a tale making it seem so. And apparently, many people believed him. Not the majority or even the most votes though. Hillary still won the popular vote IIRC. The electoral college thing is broken and needs to be fixed.

MFauli
Thu, 11-10-2016, 03:16 PM
Not all Trump scandals were true. Thereīs no evidence of him having raped some girl. I always hate these bs accusations as NOBODY can prove or disprove rape after several years. It always reeks of smear campaign.


Is the US in such a state that you'd vote Trump in just to shake shit up? Personally I'd vote for Sanders, but Clinton was the more of the same politician who I would have voted for in his absence.

People leading a good life will tell you that, no, there was no inherent reason for shaking things up. Matter of fact is, however, that many countries in the world experience this kind of movement. See Brexit, see rise of the right wing parties in France, Netherlands and Germany. I hope, Merkel an Co. rather sooner than later realize that their politics have to change to accommodate for the millions of people currently unhappy. Otherwise, the far right will really take over and the world will be going into the shitter.

shinta|hikari
Thu, 11-10-2016, 03:55 PM
Well, there was evidence that Trump gave himself, which is his taped comment. It's not enough to convict him, however, so yes, he should not be treated as guilty. In the first place, the scandal wasn't that he raped anyone. The scandal was how a person who was running for the highest office could be so crass, sexist, and stupid.

MFauli
Thu, 11-10-2016, 05:47 PM
In other words, be an average human being.

Tbh that video should have never been released. It was a private talk. If a president talks like that in public, THEN itīd be a problem. But in private? Let him shout "nigger" all day long, as long as it doesnīt show.

shinta|hikari
Thu, 11-10-2016, 06:40 PM
Yes, and presidents aren't supposed to be average human beings.

UChessmaster
Fri, 11-11-2016, 12:15 AM
*Migrates to America*

*Trump wins*

shinta|hikari
Fri, 11-11-2016, 12:47 AM
*Offers pussy for grabbing*

*Realizes has no pussy*

*Starts sobbing*

UChessmaster
Fri, 11-11-2016, 01:23 AM
It`s the thought that counts.

Buffalobiian
Fri, 11-11-2016, 03:38 AM
Tbh that video should have never been released. It was a private talk. If a president talks like that in public, THEN itīd be a problem. But in private? Let him shout "nigger" all day long, as long as it doesnīt show.

Public it is


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djQApFzMbSM

My baby daughter has her mum's legs, dunno if she has her boobs yet.

It's also not really about "saying nigger", it's him saying in private "So I saw this guy in the back street drunk and I tried to rob him. Robbed his black ass." It's the fact that he's basically admitting to attempting criminal activities in earnest, without regret. That's what the issue is.

It's not about talking dirty. It's about admitting you tried to force yourself on an unconsenting person and don't give a fuck.

MFauli
Sat, 11-12-2016, 12:01 PM
But thatīs what the whole of hollywood does. And everybody knows. But nobody gives a shit when studio execs abuse their power to sex up young aspiring actresses. Thatīs why I cant hold a grudge against Trump, because his line "when youīre powerful, they let you do whatever you want" is simply true.

Kraco
Sat, 11-12-2016, 06:22 PM
Thatīs why I cant hold a grudge against Trump, because his line "when youīre powerful, they let you do whatever you want" is simply true.

It feels nice to live in a little country when the leader of a big country says that when you are powerful, you can do whatever you want, and the little people can't or wouldn't oppose you.

You Germans might be better off restarting your magnificent military industrial complex for real once again.

Buffalobiian
Sat, 11-12-2016, 06:50 PM
But thatīs what the whole of hollywood does. And everybody knows. But nobody gives a shit when studio execs abuse their power to sex up young aspiring actresses. Thatīs why I cant hold a grudge against Trump, because his line "when youīre powerful, they let you do whatever you want" is simply true.

It's one thing to say "Abuse of power happens", and to elect someone as your representative who openly admits and endorses the abuse of power. You can choose not to elect that guy.

And apparently the majority of people did. Trump won because he gained votes from the Electoral College system. I'm still only just reading about it, but it seems like some old system put in place to give slaves the right to post.. and now simply doesn't give a 1:1 representation of voting ballots. (edit: on further reading that's not correct, but whatever. )

In one sentence, it's role today is to make rural people's votes count more.

shinta|hikari
Sat, 11-12-2016, 11:34 PM
But why? Isn't the point of democracy equality in voting rights? If anyone's votes counted more than anyone else, what's the point?

Buffalobiian
Sun, 11-13-2016, 01:42 AM
This article seems to explain it simply but concisely.

http://billmoyers.com/story/electoral-college-explained/

In short, what appears to happen is that each state is assigned a number of "electorates", which is independent of population. Rural places may have a higher ratio of electorates per person. When the people vote, the state will become "red" or "blue" depending who won. Once the state is that colour, the electorates in that state will (conventionally) all vote for said colour.

Example: State X has 2 electorate seats. The people vote Trump:Clinton at 60:40. The state is now a Red state, and both electorate seats vote red.

If you win a state by only a slight margin, you get the entire state's vote. That's how it works. You can win the election without being the most popular, by making sure you split your votes such that you win as many states as possible.

Apparently the positive side to this system is that you only have to count the votes once.

Kraco
Sun, 11-13-2016, 02:57 AM
In the past Finland also had a system like that in the presidential elections. I guess the system was deemed an old-fashioned remnant of the past and was removed by the time I was old enough to vote.

However, considering how much influence the UK had in the culture and society of the USA due to historical reasons, it's understandable the USA won't get rid of any such relics, no matter how ridiculous it might make things look like (the winner actually getting less votes). The UK is always living stuck in the past, after all.

Edort4
Sun, 11-13-2016, 06:51 AM
https://youtu.be/GLG9g7BcjKs

UChessmaster
Sun, 11-13-2016, 04:50 PM
Yes, the electoral vote is nonsense, america is hellbent on not changing certain things (like the metric system). This happened before too, Gore got more popular votes than Bush did and still lost the election.

Abdula
Mon, 11-14-2016, 01:34 PM
Mfauli, what the hell? Trump seems to be a vile and odious human being. This is nothing new. He may not have been running for public office before but he has been a public figure for a long time now. Secondly you must have an even lower opinion of human beings than I do if you think he is average and why would anyone be okay with an average person as POTUS. Lastly this, it is okay because everyone does it, and it is right because it is true thing leads me to believe that you don't have much of a grasp of morality or ethics if that is your justification. Ugh.

Edort4
Mon, 11-14-2016, 03:55 PM
Who gives the licenses about "right" morality and ethics? I would love one.

Also I think people mistake appearences with acts. I could bet that Trump, even being a moron and obnoxious mediocre, hasnt done/spread as much unnecesary misery than the average high profile politician.

Trump, even if he wanted to and dedicated his whole life to pour misery, could mess with the lives of his hundreds of employees and families. Couple thousand people at most. High profile politicians, HRC included as state secretary, affect millions with just a finger snapping.

Politicians as a corporate by definition are average or below average people. If they were above average they would be running their own projects/companies/enterprises and not giving a fuck about "rulling" people cause they would be busy ruling theirs. Only megalomaniac and good for nothings seek to tell others what to do and how to do it and control all the aspects of others lifes.

Abdula
Mon, 11-14-2016, 05:42 PM
Point. Mfauli seems to be implying that what is right is dictated by what he believes the prevailing opinion is among the majority and whatever he thinks they deem socially acceptable. He thinks that is what Trump is and that is simply wrong. He said that if something he obviously thinks is "bad" happens it is okay if nobody gives a shit. That or he is implying that if you happen to ignore or overlook or are simply unaware of or uninformed about a particular issue. Then you are not entitled to speak on other issues or criticize someone else, in this case Trump, without being a hypocrite. Likely I am not interpreting it correctly but he seems to be saying, let he who is without sin cast the first stone, which in this instance is hilarious to me. Then he equates being true with being right.

The problem with Trump is precisely that he seems to be one of those megalomaniacs and now he is in a position where he has the ability to directly affect the lives of millions of people.

Sapphire
Thu, 12-15-2016, 08:48 AM
*Offers pussy for grabbing*

*Realizes has no pussy*

*Starts sobbing*

I like how this is the first post I read after being gone for so long.

Kraco
Thu, 12-15-2016, 03:08 PM
I like how this is the first post I read after being gone for so long.

Gotwoot has always been classy and refined, in an elegant way.

MFauli
Sat, 12-24-2016, 10:33 AM
Just watched the news: ITīS CHRISTMAS!

Merry christmas, gotwoot!

Shadow Skill
Fri, 11-17-2017, 09:45 AM
Wow...

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-11-16/voice-actress-hiromi-tsuru-passes-away-at-57/.124141

Buffalobiian
Fri, 11-17-2017, 11:04 AM
Update 3: Tsuru's agency Aoni Production announced on Friday that the cause of death was aortic dissection. The agency said that her family will hold a private funeral.

Fuck.. that's rough.

David75
Fri, 11-17-2017, 01:12 PM
I did not know her, but clearly I remember clearly her roles in older anime...
It seems she felt death coming and had enough time and will to safely stop her car. It's both a little more of a sad news, as she suffered a little more, but also proof of incredible strenght to make the right choices in the last moments of her life.

Rest In Peace

shinta|hikari
Fri, 11-17-2017, 01:21 PM
Conversely, if she had crashed her car (without dying immediately, ofc), someone would've reported it and she might've been saved.

David75
Fri, 11-17-2017, 02:08 PM
It is possible the car was reported quickly even in that case. But I see your point. What I see as a quality or strenght might have played a role in her death.

Buffalobiian
Sat, 03-31-2018, 08:46 PM
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-31/chinas-social-credit-system-punishes-untrustworthy-citizens/9596204?pfmredir=sm

Psychopass, or that episode in Kino's Journey anyone?

As problematic as this is, I'm interested in seeing how this experiment works out. With the amount of uncultured behaviour going on in China (witnessed first hand on multiple occasions), this might be the only way to enforce quick results. It also explains why there are 8 cameras at bloody intersections.

Buffalobiian
Sun, 02-11-2024, 11:03 PM
Funimation is shutting down.

Crunchyroll is doubling subscription prices.

shinta|hikari
Mon, 02-12-2024, 08:11 AM
Holy...

Oh I pirate oh well.

Death BOO Z
Mon, 02-12-2024, 03:08 PM
enshitfication.

I don't have a subscription to either, but wouldn't a merge of the two major actors in the field require FCC approval? or maybe it doesn't count since the field is "streaming", and anime streaming isn't distinct enough...

anyway, unless you pay the actual creators, it's always better to pirate content.

DarthEnderX
Fri, 03-08-2024, 12:32 AM
Uhf...just saw the news that Akira Toriyama passed away.

Kentaro Miura hurt slightly more, because his masterpiece wasn't finished yet. But this still sucks really hard.


Write faster Oda!

Buffalobiian
Fri, 03-08-2024, 02:04 AM
Damn, that sucks.

Wonder what will happen to DB Super manga. I imagine they'll finish off the arc and call it there.

As for fearing authors dying with uncompleted works, Togashi takes the spot for me with his HxH.

edit: (combined posts into one. Could go into News or DBZ really, I just picked one)

Death BOO Z
Fri, 03-08-2024, 04:59 AM
Toriyama died, at age 68. passed away on march 1st.

DarthEnderX
Fri, 03-08-2024, 07:24 AM
As for fearing authors dying with uncompleted works, Togashi takes the spot for me with his HxH.I love me some HxH, but I care WAY more about how One Piece ends. I don't think Togashi really knows where HxH is going to end up.

MFauli
Fri, 03-08-2024, 08:19 AM
First news I saw after waking up today :(

Very sad. Toriyama made an impression on me ever since I started reading the DB-manga in school. Started drawing because of him. And enjoyed so many anime and video games he was part of.

RIP

Kraco
Fri, 03-08-2024, 09:14 AM
Only 68? I wonder if he was a smoker. The Japanese should be the long-living people.

shinta|hikari
Fri, 03-08-2024, 11:07 AM
Is it weird that I don't care since I haven't consumed any DB media since decades ago?

I feel the same way with many artists who I have lost interest in.

Also, I hear people saying shounen wouldn't be what it is without him, but I believe civilizations create breakthroughs, not individuals. If Toriyama never created DB, someone else would've created something similarly groundbreaking.

DarthEnderX
Sat, 03-09-2024, 01:01 AM
If Toriyama never created DB, someone else would've created something similarly groundbreaking.Yeah, but it wouldn't have been the same something. So the things derived from it wouldn't be the same.

Imagine Naruto NOT wearing orange!

Buffalobiian
Sat, 03-09-2024, 07:23 AM
Only 68? I wonder if he was a smoker. The Japanese should be the long-living people.

I heard some site said he had an acute subdural haemorrhage. A nasty fall could do it.


Is it weird that I don't care since I haven't consumed any DB media since decades ago?


Not sure, I can't relate because all the people I hear about have left something incomplete - Doraemon, Guin Saga, Berserk etc.

Toriyama was still involved with DB Super, so I will still be affected by the fact that future Super stuff wouldn't have his ongoing involvement.

On a broader perspective though, no - I don't think it's actually weird to not care. I feel that way a lot when I watch the news and some murder case or bus crash case stays on the news for days or weeks. One death might mean the world to whoever knows them, but to the wider audience it's really just a number. People die all the time.

shinta|hikari
Sat, 03-09-2024, 07:11 PM
Yeah, but it wouldn't have been the same something. So the things derived from it wouldn't be the same.

Imagine Naruto NOT wearing orange!

I would actually enjoy Naruto not wearing orange. It looks juvenile, like Goku.

Buffalobiian
Tue, 03-26-2024, 07:02 PM
https://youtu.be/bg8OEs9-xbQ

Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses after a ship loses steering and hits a support column.

Pretty spectacular.

Kraco
Wed, 03-27-2024, 01:43 AM
Biden apparently said the US government will look into funding the reconstruction of the bridge, but shouldn't the ship owner's insurance company be doing that? The insurance company will be paying a whole lot out of its pocket. Never heard of the site, but at least this arcticle (https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/reinsurers-marine-market-to-bear-brunt-of-baltimore-bridge-collapse-80988297) suggests that insurance companies will be suffering losses.

Ryllharu
Wed, 03-27-2024, 05:27 PM
Biden apparently said the US government will look into funding the reconstruction of the bridge, but shouldn't the ship owner's insurance company be doing that? The insurance company will be paying a whole lot out of its pocket. Never heard of the site, but at least this arcticle (https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/reinsurers-marine-market-to-bear-brunt-of-baltimore-bridge-collapse-80988297) suggests that insurance companies will be suffering losses.

Insurance companies can pay for the bridge, but the problem is the bridge is needed back FAST. Quality and Fast means Cost is going to exceed what any insurance payout is capable of. I-695 is Baltimore's beltway.

Buffalobiian
Wed, 11-06-2024, 03:12 AM
Trump is going to be president again.

I thought this might happen months ago as soon as I heard he was shot, but this is still bewildering.

On the one hand, he didn't break the world like I thought he would so we'll survive for 4 years. On the other hand, do you Americans really like this guy more than the alternative(s)?

David75
Wed, 11-06-2024, 07:03 AM
Not many countries in the world are ready to vote for a woman for president. The USA are very far from being ready for that.
And she's black. So a little too much against her. I know Obama is black, I was quite surprised he was elected.

Abdula
Wed, 11-06-2024, 07:28 AM
Trump is going to be president again.

I thought this might happen months ago as soon as I heard he was shot, but this is still bewildering.

On the one hand, he didn't break the world like I thought he would so we'll survive for 4 years. On the other hand, do you Americans really like this guy more than the alternative(s)?
Far too many people did not survive his first term and we are still dealing with the aftereffects, like the right wing supreme court. As far as liking him, enough people do so it is irrelevant.

Not many countries in the world are ready to vote for a woman for president. The USA are very far from being ready for that.
And she's black. So a little too much against her. I know Obama is black, I was quite surprised he was elected.
This, this, 1000 times this. He won twice and both times he defeated women. They didn't vote for a white one and they were not going to for a black one. The disconnect there is so disheartening.

Buffalobiian
Wed, 11-06-2024, 07:59 AM
Far too many people did not survive his first term and we are still dealing with the aftereffects

Yeah I should say that by "we" I mean us Australians living a Pacific away from the US. We'll survive for 4 years.

shinta|hikari
Wed, 11-06-2024, 08:53 AM
4 years is optimistic. I am skeptical about democracy, despite it causing this in the first place, surviving.

You can vote democracy away, but you can't vote it back.

Abdula
Wed, 11-06-2024, 09:04 AM
Yeah I should say that by "we" I mean us Australians living a Pacific away from the US. We'll survive for 4 years.

I got that. It is amusing that you think it is only going to be 4 years. This is just what the republican party is now. The other candidates Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis, were not much better. You are also assuming that Trump's health does not give out and we don't have to deal with that pesky 25th Amendment issue. Plus there is the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson. It has been 10 years of Trumpers and those people are not going away

David75
Wed, 11-06-2024, 09:12 AM
He might change rules, to extend his stay if he lives long. Hi buddy Putin did that...

Abdula
Wed, 11-06-2024, 09:17 AM
Oh he already said that and the person he referenced was Xi in China

David75
Wed, 11-06-2024, 10:43 AM
Didn't think my borderline comment is in fact so true... I hope the many power chambers will stop him...

shinta|hikari
Wed, 11-06-2024, 10:50 AM
Republicans won the presidency and the popular vote, the house, and the senate. 2 Supreme Court justices will retire and be replaced by conservative fanatics. I am afraid that there are no chambers of power left to stop what is coming. I truly hope I am wrong.

Death BOO Z
Wed, 11-06-2024, 01:09 PM
this is the first time in 20 years that the republican won the popular vote.
from what I hear, compared to 2020, 4 million less voted red, but 15 million less voted blue.

(checking some numbers)
2020: Biden 81M, Trump 74M, Other 3M
2024: Harris 66M, Trump 72M, Other (NA?)

this is bonkers.

shinta|hikari
Wed, 11-06-2024, 02:24 PM
Misogyny and racism are alive and well, apparently.

Ryllharu
Wed, 11-06-2024, 05:28 PM
Not many countries in the world are ready to vote for a woman for president. The USA are very far from being ready for that.
And she's black. So a little too much against her. I know Obama is black, I was quite surprised he was elected.

This, this, 1000 times this. He won twice and both times he defeated women. They didn't vote for a white one and they were not going to for a black one. The disconnect there is so disheartening.
Please.

The Democrats first picked the only candidate who could possibly lose to Trump in 2016 because she was so deeply hated as a person and not because she was a woman. A reputation developed from decades in politics (they very notably bought her way into the US Senate in NY State as a carpetbagger and then-record spending for a 2nd term) and controversies (all the way back to the 80s) and PR fumbles (her Secretary of State tenure). A person who proceeded to insult the electorate repeatedly, completely ignored multiple swing states, and operated extremely arrogantly on the campaign trail under the presumption that she would win. She still won the popular vote. Hubris undid Hillary Clinton, not misogyny.

The second time, they bypassed an Open Convention for their party's convention and installed the only candidate who polled so poorly in 2020 that she dropped out before the Iowa Primaries Caucus because she was eviscerated in the debate by other candidates. Bypassing an open convention alienated members of their own party. Interviews with the press went exceptionally poorly for the past two months and were non-existent prior to that while her opposition was scheduling rallies non-stop. Harris' election campaign repeatedly ignored lesson's learned from 2016 and 2020. They focused on ideology instead of economic (read: 13%+ inflation) issues/concerns, which is a repeated leading issue cited from exit polling. She had overwhelming support from the US and International Press and celebrities. The Democrats lost the popular vote for the first time in 20 years from poor campaign strategy and Party Leadership incompetence, not from misogyny.

Literally the only two people in the US who could lose to Donald Trump due to his own overwhelming unpopularity.

edit: Heaven forbid the Democratic Party do some self-reflection on their actions the last 10 years instead of blaming identity politics and their own voter base.

Kraco
Thu, 11-07-2024, 02:06 AM
I'm just looking forward to seeing how Trump solves the war in Ukraine in 24 hours like he promised.

David75
Thu, 11-07-2024, 10:27 AM
Do what you want with Ukraine mister Putin...
And then Poland...

shinta|hikari
Thu, 11-07-2024, 10:44 AM
I agree with Ryllharu to a certain degree. While I also think the people that didn't show up to vote are absolutely lazy and stupid, I realize that as a political organization, the DNC has to plan and strategize with what they have, even if that is an uninformed electorate. While I do still think racism and misogyny are factors, I also believe they are not the only reasons. The DNC needs to seriously become the party of change, not institutionalism.

KrayZ33
Thu, 11-07-2024, 12:52 PM
Welp, Germany gets to vote early because the current coalition failed and will 100% disband either before the end of this year, or very shortly after. Scholz will not survive the vote of confidence. (And it's honestly a fair / completely acceptable development - Scholz' speech was actually, for once, really solid and *good*)
But we are currently facing a crisis due to whats going on everywhere, which means people will vote for nazi-parties like the AfD, which in turn will make everything worse for everyone in Germany and that will make the whole situation spiral downwards.

Get ready Europe/World.

Feels like it's going to be a crazy HoI4 game.

Sucks to live in today's times.
"Social media did this" - will be written on my tomb stone - when shit hits the fan.

edit: didn't want to sound like I'm offing myself. No worries, I just play, game and watch movies and anime until the world turns sour, for as long as possible. No way I'm gonna start a family "in this economy"

shinta|hikari
Thu, 11-07-2024, 01:13 PM
We will survive. We must push on. History has taught us this is possible.

Kraco
Fri, 11-08-2024, 03:00 AM
Welp, Germany gets to vote early because the current coalition failed and will 100% disband either before the end of this year, or very shortly after. Scholz will not survive the vote of confidence. (And it's honestly a fair / completely acceptable development - Scholz' speech was actually, for once, really solid and *good*)
But we are currently facing a crisis due to whats going on everywhere, which means people will vote for nazi-parties like the AfD, which in turn will make everything worse for everyone in Germany and that will make the whole situation spiral downwards.

In my foreigner's eyes Scholz always seemed too meak and weak, gray and without any presence, to lead the largest European economy in a situation like this. Of course he got to shoulder a terrible legacy since Germany was even deeper in Moscow's energy pocket than great many other nations. But especially so, the chancellor should have been a person of zero hesitation and a lot of strength. Germany has supported Ukraine the most after the USA, as individual countries, but due to Scholz's personality and lack of presence, Germany is often remembered for what it didn't do, rather than everything it did. It's quite sad. That being said, with a stronger person than Scholz leading Germany, I reckon Germany wouldn't be lagging behind so much in the aid measured in GDP percentage. But at least Scholz can be proud he achieved a whole lot more than Macron, who has been nothing but pitiful.

KrayZ33
Fri, 11-08-2024, 11:05 AM
In my foreigner's eyes Scholz always seemed too meak and weak, gray and without any presence, to lead the largest European economy in a situation like this. Of course he got to shoulder a terrible legacy since Germany was even deeper in Moscow's energy pocket than great many other nations. But especially so, the chancellor should have been a person of zero hesitation and a lot of strength. Germany has supported Ukraine the most after the USA, as individual countries, but due to Scholz's personality and lack of presence, Germany is often remembered for what it didn't do, rather than everything it did. It's quite sad. That being said, with a stronger person than Scholz leading Germany, I reckon Germany wouldn't be lagging behind so much in the aid measured in GDP percentage. But at least Scholz can be proud he achieved a whole lot more than Macron, who has been nothing but pitiful.

Scholz was a very weak chancellor, especially compared to his vice-chancellor Habek, who is also hated by low-iq social media fearmongers and hate driven people.
But it's just so unbelievable that we live in a time where Trump can be president (a second time!) and extreme right wing parties use propaganda and misinformation to gain traction and votes to the point where they might become, or already are, a mainstream party.
It's especially saddening in America's case, because how can a "normal" human being not see that Trump is a complete joke of a narcissist and sociapath character.

Fuck me, this is just scary as hell

https://x.com/KamalaHQ/status/1852549389224480854

What-the-actual-fuck.
And people really go there and say "yup, this person should have the most power in my country" and vote for a party out of spite for the other party.

Just.. fuck.
It's not like Biden was "much" better btw. (well.. much better compared to him, but still very bad) BUT THAT'S EXACTLY THE POINT.
The "greatest country" only had the choice between two, almost dead guys with barely anything left in the brain? I know that the people behind him in the video are paid actors but what the hell.
Jesus christ.

KrayZ33
Tue, 01-21-2025, 10:59 AM
My condolences to anyone living in the US.
Now that Mr. Nazi Salute Musk himself is in charge with the clown Trump in the front, I'd reckong your gonna face some serious problems if you aren't a superb speciman (typo intentional) of the race called "White Ubermenschen".

Can't believe I'm seeing US officials do the Hitlerdance before us, which will eventually happen here too once the AfD is in charge.
Glad I'm of superior genetics.

I for one welcome our Chinese overlords.

shinta|hikari
Tue, 01-21-2025, 11:37 AM
Trump admin just ended birthright citizenship, amongst a litany of crazy shit. The Nazi salute seems like a drop in the bucket in comparison.

KrayZ33
Tue, 01-21-2025, 03:06 PM
So exactly what I just said :>;;;;; .

It was just showing you what's going to happen. A preview, of sorts.

Ryllharu
Tue, 01-21-2025, 06:30 PM
You know what was surprising to me the first time I learned it some years ago? Broadly, only the New World has unrestricted Birthright Citizenship. Most of the world doesn't have it at all.

2142
Dark blue - unrestricted birthright citizenship
light blue - restricted birthright citizenship to varying degrees
grey - NO birthright citizenship

Source: wikipedia on "Jus soli"

Yet...hand wringing and international criticism from the media in countries that don't even come close to the wide-open rules that the US has/had.

Worth taking a step back to look at the bigger picture and think about things a bit more objectively.

And why does the New World have it? To encourage immigrants to displace native populations and aid colonization by the European powers at the time. Certainly not something so noble as freedom as it was later retconned to be.

shinta|hikari
Tue, 01-21-2025, 08:30 PM
It's not about comparing the US to other countries. It's about comparing it to itself, or its previous self, now.

It is also openly violating the 14th constitutional amendment, and the "interpretation" they used does not even make any sense, and neither does the resulting conclusions. That's why this is a big deal.

With the stacked Supreme Court, and if this gets their stamp of approval, it basically means anything in the constitution can be reinterpreted in whatever way Trump, Musk, and the oligarchy want.

Kraco
Wed, 01-22-2025, 02:01 AM
What I found the strangest thing is that Trump pardoned also the congress occupiers that were guilty of using violence against the staff/officers, resulting in deaths. At the same time, the Trumpican-nominated Supreme court majority verified that the president can't be held legally liable for anything he does in office (I say he because there has never been a female president in the USA, anyway). Yet the president can pardon killers no problem. A combination of absolute pardoning power and being immune to any legal consequences himself. Surely you see where this leads, huh, without having to type it down here.

KrayZ33
Fri, 01-24-2025, 05:28 AM
Is Trump seriously suggesting a world-wide trade war?
Rip fortunes. Doubledigit GDP losses for every country (including the US of course, which will suffer the most from it's own policies) incoming?

shinta|hikari
Fri, 01-24-2025, 10:11 AM
He ran on it, and his voters are counting on it too.