Your video, Cows Stranded After New Zealand 7.8 Earthquake, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Youtube says Glenfield night market, Auckland, New Zealand.

Safe trip to the foody conquistadores!

Fingerprinting is a nice analogy, Buttle. How can we be sure that all that pollution, CO2 levels, nitric oxide levels and cow farts are A) our fault, and B) actually causing changes in climate?

We cant be sure unless we predict, and then wait a few decades and keep measuring, can we? So we have to say, along with the man falling from the skyscraper, everything OK so far!

So the hysteria about nuclear weapons was a bit silly, beacause we would not all die in an all-out nuclear war. Because people high on hillsides on the far side of New Zealand with food and water and seeds and medical supplies for a couple of years would make it fine. They would not freeze, it now turns out.

Then maybe climate change will be OK too.

So, it's your contention that the farms I have specific knowledge of, including my family's farm in Texas (and their friends and neighbors I've visited), and the countries best known for sheep are the only exceptions, and every place I can't speak to personally is sheep hell?
I'm sorry if I find that incredulous.

And...what about your statement "that happens to every single lamb"?....except for all the one's I've seen? Hmmmm....I guess they were all in committed relationships.

EDIT: so, if you admit that New Zealand and Icelandic wool are cruelty free, why are you still trying to tell people to give up wool? how about telling them to only buy quality wool from places like New Zealand and Iceland instead of lying about what happens to every sheep, but never adding "except in all the places that doesn't happen"?

Of course, an open farm like the one you stayed at has to be as least cruel as possible, otherwise nobody would stay there.

Iceland and New Zealand specifically have very good animal rights laws too, unfortunately they are the exception, not the standard.

The National Farmers Federation says that “mulesing remains the most effective practical way to eliminate the risk of ‘flystrike’ in sheep” and that “without mulesing up to 3,000,000 sheep a year could die a slow and agonising death from flystrike”.

A fiber farmer is heavily invested in the health and well being of their animals for the simple reason that an animal that isn’t happy and healthy can’t produce a sell-able product. An animal going through a period of stress of any kind produces a fiber that breaks.

Wool fiber has properties that make it unequaled by many other natural fibers/ Lanolin is also a critical oil that cannot be replaced with other oils. Lanolin and its many derivatives are used extensively in both the personal care (e.g., high value cosmetics, facial cosmetics, lip products) and health care sectors. Lanolin is also found in “lubricants, rust-preventative coatings, shoe polish, and other commercial products”

In some cases, the products derived from sheep make up a very large portion of a country's GDP. Banning sheep farming could cripple a country like New Zealand economically.

That said, obviously there are some horrible scenes in the video. Obviously there needs to be more oversight to control abuse to the animals. However, I would like to point out that the video did cherry pick a couple of companies that had egregious policies. Also, if the mulesing that was shown was part of the PETA video, it was staged with a fake lamb. PETA even admitted they staged that video for 'educational' purposes. I don't know if it was the same clip, but just putting that out there.

"Genetically engineered" in the same way he was genetically engineered to be an idiot.... by selective breeding, which is not artificial genetic modification as he intends to imply.
Having just come home from visiting Iceland, and after visiting farms there, and also farms in New Zealand, I can say unequivocally that most farms in those countries are what you think of, peaceful sheep in large bucolic fields enjoying their lives and not being injured during once a year sheering of wool that's otherwise a problem for them to shed naturally. I won't speak to Australia, since I've never been there...maybe all sheerers are dicks there.
No farmer would accept the behavior shown, you can't sell wool from a dead or bloody sheep. He needs to get his theory straight...are they only interested in maximum profit, or do they abuse their animals without concern, because it can't be both.
If he really wants to do good for the animals of the world, he should refrain from breeding himself. His kids will probably wear nothing but fur when they leave home just to spite him.

My birthday wishes are directed to New Zealand this fine day! Have a delightful celebration and enjoy the last year in your 30's ChaosEngine ... Good Times

High praise from a dude from Ireland living on the South Island of New Zealand. I know you've seen quite a bit of natures wonder.

Wait... so Australian's have a big problem with people from New Zealand?...

I was a little confused by this? Is this just her unique bigotry or is this a semi-common theme?

I sort of assumed she meant anyone not white.

Typical Aussies http://videosift.com/video/New-Zealanders-vs-Aussies

I guess it would be a rude awakening for her to realize that nobody in the rest of the world can tell the difference between the Australian and New Zealand ways of life.

Not only does it look like the DNC played foul, she picked Tim Kaine for her VP instead of a progressive candidate. It's like she and the whole party just said, fuck the progressives and all of Sander's supporters.

Unfortunately the media isn't paying attention to Jill Stein, and only noticing Gary Johnson, as she's the one who would most appeal to Sanders supporters and other progressives since the Democratic party seems to have moved to where Republicans were in the 80s while the Republicans make a huge shift even further and further to the right...

I'm starting to be genuinely afraid of America's future with Trump as President... hell, I'm worried for the world's future with Trump as President. I've got no skills that would allow me to move to Canada, the UK, New Zealand/Australia or any other place worth moving to.

To address your points

"Did you even read the article I linked?"
Sorry, I didn't. I opened it, but I really don't have time to read a 40-page law review article.

"In other words, you're flat out wrong when you say the 2nd amendment wasn't about self-defense".
Ok, we can agree to disagree there, but the point still stands that the statement "The WHOLE point of the second amendment... is so we can defend ourselves" (emphasis mine) is incorrect. I'll grant you it might be PART of it.

"I'm not sure why your tone is so dismissive in this thread."
Because I'm tired of trying to convince Americans to stop murdering each other.

"you're quite lucky to live in a country where your government protects you from growing your own food by throwing all those dangerous gardeners in prison. "
Please tell me you realise that's satire because your tone kinda makes me think you're taking that seriously. No, gardens are not illegal in NZ. Almost everyone I know grows some of their own food (at least, those of us lucky enough to afford a house with a garden).

"New Zealand has a shit-ton of guns (about one for every four people)"
Agreed. I even previously brought this up myself.

"people own them for a variety of reasons, from sport"
I know, I have friends who target shoot and hunt

"to self-defense"
cue wrong buzzer sound effect.

To get a gun in NZ you need a Firearms licence. To get this , you will be interviewed, and

You will have difficulty being deemed 'fit and proper' to possess or use firearms if you have:
...
indicated an intent to use a firearm for self-defence.

Have some people (shock, horror) lied to the cops to get a licence? Probably, but in general, no-one here actually wants a gun for self-defense.

Look, I have no problem with people using guns. I just think that maybe you could all stop fetishising them so much and realise that you live in the 21st century and not the old west.

Personally, I'm with Jim Jeffries on this one.
*related=http://videosift.com/video/Jim-Jefferies-on-gun-control