>> ^mentality:

This looks ridiculous. When he "dodges" all he's doing is shifting his shoulders back while his head stays as stationary as a dead log. I guess it works if you're fighting someone dumb enough to consistently aim one foot to either side of the real target...


now imagine you were aiming for the head- giving his arms all the time to move... there is a reason why in pretty much in all sword and knife fighting schools (japanese and elsewhere) you are taught to aim for the body.

Also, a katana is usually used in semi-vertical slices since it wasn't specifically suited for stabbing (it'd get stuck).

Ofc this is a movie yadda yadda, but in a "real" fight the aim was to cut the shoulder/arms so you wouldnt hurt yourself charging in and could be ready for the next victim/attacker (that overhead stance is for fighting stuff on horses btw- forgot the name).

I'm pretty sure there's a word for a Samurai sword master: Samurai.

Your video, Samurai sword master shows how it's done, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Just noticed your postes wern't private, thought I'd post my reply.

LOL I concede I am an ape!

This is long but addresses many of your questions I think. Also your assumption on my thinking was correct...can't remember what it was but I agree.

now on to the LONG post.

A) Willpower while it has limitations, it is not Limited to a finite value. Just ask any smoker who has quit. Or, a recovering alcoholic.

B) Repeat criminals do not appear to have willpower issues, they make conscious decisions to defy the law, and ether justify it to themselves or simply have contempt for the law. Some may feel the law is wrong or simply does not apply to them.

C) If all it took for a human being to lose their humanity, self respect, morality and honor was to be at the losing end of life why have we not seen a violent uprising of the homeless and downtrodden. The addicts who HAVE lost everything and wander the streets trying to survive would therefore be the most justified to go on a rampage would they not?

D) As for American laws relating to firearms, I am a Canadian and therefore will not argue those laws, as I have little knowledge in that area.
As for Canada, the process of licensing requires a full background check, questioning of witnesses towards your character and ultimately is up to the discression of the license issuer, as I mentioned before.

Are there flaws? Yes. But that is a result of the system. Ideally the system would prevent or remove firearms from any individual before violence occurs. However in order for that system to function flawlessly one must live in a system similar to Communist Russia during Stalins reign. Where every action or spoken word is monitored and reported to the government, by agents, or even by family.

Canadian restrictions to licensing are as stringent as the LAW curently allows them to be without infringing ( too much) on an individual's rights.

E) A piece of plastic does not guarantee the holder to be law abiding. However, the process involved to acquire said item does involve scrutiny. And the desire to legally go through that process as opposed to acquiring firearms illegally and with much less effort does say something towards the individuals intentions.

F) Firearms training and safety cources do indeed instill responsibility, confidence in the use, and the safe possession of firearms. Personally I believe everyone eligible should be trained in the safe responsible use of firearms. Whether they choose to own or not. ( we have sex Ed in school, why not gun Ed )

G) As for F*** heads, they will always be F**** heads. One purpose of licensing is to prevent them from acquiring firearms legaly. Thankfully most of humanity does not fit into this category. ( however they do seem to be breeding at an alarming rate)

H) As for the Katana, not only was it a weapon, it was a symbol of honor for samurai and was passed down through generations with a reverence bordering on a relic. Spend time and look up the 7 virtues of the Bushido code.

Regarding Nukes, while their application is abhorrent to any rational human, think about how many were actually used for their intended purpose. TWO!, out of how many thousands. And both were released by human hands. Possession does not equate to application.

I) Yes firearms were designed for military use, but for us to cover everything we use in our lives that started out or were improved by the military (essentially to make it easier to kill the enemy) would require more effort and space than is practical in an Internet disscussion.

J) The legitimate use of firearms.
The big Taboo, Killing:
The military uses firearms, and other tools to kill the enemy. This enemy is defined by the state who are elected officials. I won't go into depth as to why, as that is best served by a political debate. Suffice it to say that guns could be perceived to actually combat evil.

Hunting: another form of killing, however for most, the game is hunted as a food source. The only distinction I make between wild game, and beef in the store is who does the killing ( and I could use a uphenism for the word kill, but let's call a a spade a spade )(also keep in mind hunters are the leaders in protecting the ecology, ducks unlimmited was and is a group of hunters)

Defense: when another human desires you harm what recourse do you have? You can try to run, try to hide, hope you don't get caught. Call the athorities (provided it is not them who desire you harm) and hope they arrive in time, or fight back. Should you fight back, hopefully you are more powerfull than your attacker, or that they do not have a weapon of some kind.

Simply the presence of a firearm in a potential victims hands, can dissuade an nefarious individual from attempting an attack. Should that fail, and you need to shoot, I would much rather the criminal be injured or killed than myself or a loved one.

Sporting use: primarily enjoyment, competitions, black powder heritage days and cowboy action shoots promote an awareness of history and promote thought on how life was in days gone by.

Bonding: the passing of knowledge between two individuals engaged in an activity both find enjoyable. In the case of parent/child, or mentor/student, the teaching of the responsibilities of firearm use and the skills involved is important. If more people knew how to safely handle/store firearms, accidental deaths would be greatly reduced.


In closing, while I applaud the idealistic and utopic view that any form of killing is wrong and can/should be prevented, this is simply not the way life works.

Trying to persuade others to view the world as you do is the essence of debating, however, forcing your ideals upon another human being is the essence of tyranny. Irregardless of how honorable the intentions

So if you read all that I thank you! I'm prepared to say we agree to dissagree and leave it at that but I'm open to more dialog if you wish.

I wish you lived in my area so I could take you to the range to see first hand what it's all about.

Big Ape signing off

>> ^Deano:

>> ^ChaosEngine:
Superman?
A boring character with almost no vulnerabilities and no interesting character traits.
Zack Synder?
Technically competent but artistically bankrupt. Don't believe me? See what he comes up with when he doesn't have two of the biggest names in comics writing for him. Derivative, immature and vaguely creepy (and not in a good way).
Will have to do a lot better after the Avengers (solid action, genuinely funny script) and the Dark Knight Rises (visually stunning with real emotive weight).

I loved The Avengers. Bright, colourful, uncomplicated superheroes having fun. The story was very simple but that was needed to allow room for all the characters to breath and interact. As you say a nice script and some good lines.
It's much more my cup of tea than the foreboding, depressing Dark Knight films.


I loved every minute of both The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises.

Also, have to disagree with wtih @ChaosEngine about Zack Synder. He simply can't write, but he can sure as shit direct and has such a fantastic eye for visuals. Not every director should be able to write, as long as they can take good material and make something excellent from it, which he has done, multiple times.

>> ^ChaosEngine:

Superman?
A boring character with almost no vulnerabilities and no interesting character traits.
Zack Synder?
Technically competent but artistically bankrupt. Don't believe me? See what he comes up with when he doesn't have two of the biggest names in comics writing for him. Derivative, immature and vaguely creepy (and not in a good way).
Will have to do a lot better after the Avengers (solid action, genuinely funny script) and the Dark Knight Rises (visually stunning with real emotive weight).


I loved The Avengers. Bright, colourful, uncomplicated superheroes having fun. The story was very simple but that was needed to allow room for all the characters to breath and interact. As you say a nice script and some good lines.

It's much more my cup of tea than the foreboding, depressing Dark Knight films.

Superman?
A boring character with almost no vulnerabilities and no interesting character traits.

Zack Synder?
Technically competent but artistically bankrupt. Don't believe me? See what he comes up with when he doesn't have two of the biggest names in comics writing for him. Derivative, immature and vaguely creepy (and not in a good way).

Will have to do a lot better after the Avengers (solid action, genuinely funny script) and the Dark Knight Rises (visually stunning with real emotive weight).

All these reimaginings of classic fairytales where the heroes are now professional assassins, master samurai, and general baddasses rather than innocent children in scary situations are getting very cliche.

Samurai Champloo was totally awesome.

Wait wait. I was with you up until you implied that Avatar: The Last Airbender was crap. It wasn't! Someone from the sift even worked on it, I forget who. Shamalama may have totally FUCKED the movie, but the cartoon was great fun, and actually quite poignant in parts. Not to mention, the artwork is gorgeous (see the fight between azula and zuko that I sifted, for example).

Of course maybe I read too much into your comment and you weren't implying that at all. In which case please ignore this comment entirely.

>> ^ChaosEngine:

Cartoons are the thing most likely to bring out the grumpy old man in me.
Transformers (the original, not the rubbish bayhem or the anime crap), Thundercats, Ulysses 31 were all awesome. Hell, even later stuff like Animaniacs, Samurai Jack and Dexters Lab were excellent.
Kids these days with their yu-gi-mon the last air whatever! It's crap.
now get off my lawn!

Cartoons are the thing most likely to bring out the grumpy old man in me.

Transformers (the original, not the rubbish bayhem or the anime crap), Thundercats, Ulysses 31 were all awesome. Hell, even later stuff like Animaniacs, Samurai Jack and Dexters Lab were excellent.

Kids these days with their yu-gi-mon the last air whatever! It's crap.

now get off my lawn!

since they are bobbing up and down with their small steps I am going to go out on a limb and say they are taking small steps and trying to stay level Samurai style!
-karl

wait.. woah woah..

...isn't that the samurai representative from "Deadliest Warrior"?

Oh sorry, I thought you were having a conversation, not masturbating.

Now that we all know how great you are for doing the wrong thing even though you're kind-of-sort-of against it, maybe I could just chime in to clarify:

First of all: I can read as well. I know you see a picture from a bad movie when I post. But that doesn't make your regurgitated diatribe about intellectual property rights that can be found anywhere on the internet where there is a dialog about torrents any more intelligent or original than what anyone else has to say.

Second: In no way am I deluded about the concept of intellectual property. I did not ever imply that Louie C.K.'s work has no value. In fact, I called it "stealing" to download it. I also closed my comment by saying that I probably wouldn't download the show.

And I am not under the impression that just because I can't hold something in my hand, that it has no value. All I said was that it's "silly" to think that experiencing someone's comedy can be a crime. The thing about the T.V. is merely to point out the insubstantial nature of the subject. When I go to buy a T.V., I can negotiate sometimes based on whether or not it's a floor model or still in the box. I can't ask a website for a discount if one of Louie's jokes is bad. And with a T.V., I can keep it for a while and then change my mind. Maybe I decide I don't like it and I want to sell it and use the money to pay for part of the next one. Or maybe I've decided to go to Thailand, and I sell the T.V. to my friend Bob for papaya-salad-money. The point is, the two things are different, not that one is worthless and the other isn't.

And you know what the biggest difference is? Someone should not be punished in anywhere near the same way for stealing five bucks worth of Louis C.K.'s material as they should be for breaking into a person's house and stealing their T.V.

Third: Louis C.K. is probably a multimillionaire. I wasn't trying to justify my behavior as much as correcting Kymbos for saying that he wasn't. But now that you mention it: I see that you steal based on DRM and other issues, but (and call me crazy if you want) when I steal, I take into account the financial status of the person I'm stealing from. It might not justify my behavior but it helps me sleep.

Fourth: I steal download things a lot of the time based on whether I think they are fairly priced. I loved the original Conan the Barbarian, mostly for it's kitsch-factor, but I still own the VHS. When the new one came out, I said to myself "that looks like a giant piece of crap taking a crap." So I downloaded it and you know what? I was right. Fuck them. I'm glad I didn't pay twenty-five dollars for ten-cents-worth of soda, two-cents-worth of popcorn and zero-cents-worth of nap time. And all just to grant some Hollywood producer his million dollar reward to play it safe.

One of my favorite things I've ever gotten for Christmas from my wife was the Criterion Collection edition of "Seven Samurai." I love it. It's got this great cover art that looks almost transparent even though it's printed on cardboard. I think it looks so good because it's taken from the original cellulose of the title screen but I don't know. It's also got a great supplemental book, a great CD of special features and anytime I want, I can sit down to three whole hours of good solid movie. I think it cost around sixty-dollars at the time we bought it and it was totally worth it. Meanwhile, somebody gave me the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" DVD and the ugly yellow text on the menu alone is enough to make me want to burn it for the insult it does to people who paid good money for it.

And you know what else? I doubt that if Louis C.K. were to meet me, that he would hold it against me that I downloaded his show.

I guess I've rambled long enough. I just wanted to make the point that the issues involved with intellectual property are complicated but the concept is something that little children can grasp. So it might not be beneficial to the conversation to write off someone's point that you might disagree with simply because you want to sound righteous. Especially when in the end, you admit that it's all just stealing anyway.

PS: The last book I bought was the hardcover edition of "A Dance With Dragons". I paid the extra money because I find physical copies more satisfying, and I couldn't wait for the paperback.

>> ^Morganth:

the music sounds like Hans Zimmer - is that correct?


Yup; according to youtube it is Hans Zimmer - Final Charge (Last Samurai OST), probably should have put that in the video details.