Your video, After failed assault on chick, crab amputates its own claw, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Failing to pick-up chick AND amputated right hand?

No pr0n till the next molting cycle.

The punishments of those who wage war against Allah and His Prophet and strive to spread disorder in the land are to execute them in an exemplary way or to crucify them or to amputate their hands and feet from opposite sides or to banish them from the land. Such is their disgrace in this world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom save those who repent before you overpower them; you should know that Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Ever Merciful.

source is Koran surah 5:33.

Is anyone here really trying to spread disorder across the sift?

What we have here is squabbles.

... The pursuit of interests generates various types of conflict. Thus conflict is seen as a normal aspect of social life rather an abnormal occurrence. Competition over resources is often the cause of conflict

source: wikipedia

The sift should have a positive atmosphere, period.

But banhammers aren't going to start disputes from starting, these disputes are just going to simmer underground.

If flamewars spill over into every channel, see my Koran quote above. Cut them up.
otherwise, current system is good. very good. no?

<troll>
This product has been around for at least 10 years as a prototype and the main issue with it is the blood pressure and chronic bruising which could lead to amputation. Unless the user has Multiple Sclerosis or some other local debilitating disease, they will not feel the pressure or bruise below the waste and this could lead to a deteriorating situation over time. If they could add some type of pressure sensitivity to the exoskeleton, that would be a more viable solution.
</troll>

>> ^draak13:

People make stupid comments all the time. Whether or not it was intended, this thread was essentially trolled off-topic with enormous rants about religion vs. atheism. Instead of going on forever about it, why not pay as much attention to it as it deserves? Immediately after the religious posting, Enoch magnificently addressed and concluded that religion doesn't consistently shape behavior nearly as much as good parenting in just 1 post. Of course the religious faction is going to reply back; their religion is a strong component of their identity. Just don't mind it and continue the thread forward.
If it's possible to salvage this thread at all, we were actually talking about how behavioral shaping comes most strongly in 2 forms revealed so far:
1) Mass showing of materials which help instill understanding of people who are very different from normal in some way, with sincere discussion (such as dealing with bullying the gay or mentally retarded individuals)
2) Parenting, to ensure that children hold strong values about understanding each other and treating each other well.
Are there any other interesting ideas to add to the list? Also, point 2 is huge; how do you get more parents to parent better?


I think 2) is in fact overrated. Most of a child's development nowadays comes from social interactions at school and in their neighborhood. Judith Harris expounded on this in her book, The Nurture Assumption. Parents have the most impact on their child's early development, before they can socialize on their own. In that small period of time, you can develop a child's intellectual potential, but the moral character, if not already determined or strongly limited by genetics, will be molded by future social interactions. Of course, parents are included in these social interactions, but their influence will be much diluted, especially compared to the school authority figures, the real authority in a school kid's life (they can make life miserable for them both at school and at home, by telling the parents).

So, as the saying goes in Africa, it takes a village to raise a child. Again, something known in the time of the ancient Greeks. Even Plato admitted this, although he tried to bring religion in, hence why he wasn't taken seriously. In this perspective, 1) should be an integral part of society's behavior at large, not just in videos. Although of course videos can have a pregnant effect on a child's mind and act as a surrogate to real life examples. The problem arises when those children are let go after school: they see that real life is not like the videos. They can then try to change the real world, become apathetic or worse, become cynical. And this is what is wrong with preaching: the hypocrisy of the "do as I say not as I do".

To prevent this, you have to teach intellectual self-defense at the same time as the reasons why behavior as shown in the videos is more desirable than behavior seen in real life. This would be hard for even philosophers to do, not to mention underpaid elementary school teachers. In our philosophy department here, there is a minor in "philosophy of children". It has nothing to do with describing the essence of children, but more with how to talk about philosophy with children: how to approach concepts in general and how to touch difficult subject matters. Still, the goal is not for the philosopher to teach children about moral/ethics, but to teach how to think about such things.

So, as a parent be a good role model and teach your child how to fish (think) instead of just giving him fish (preaching). For example, instead of trying to always be the best you can be around your child, be yourself. And when you fail to uphold a principle or whatever, instead of giving excuses be frank and explain why people sometimes fail even if they start with the best of intentions. The important thing is not that you be the best today, but that you be better tomorrow.

Also, never think you can shield your child from anything. Better it be you that show him the ugly things than he finds out by himself or through friends/society. That way you can explain and answer his questions. So: sex, drugs, violence and death education at a very young age repeated at various times to ingrain the facts (not the moral preaching). No need to be hands-on of course! Don't want you all to go rape and kill your children or something.

This is as much as you can do, I think, to "protect" or "arm" your children against society's more nefarious influences without resorting to indoctrination or physical confinement (although these last two options sound more like blinding and amputating than protecting really). If all children were educated like this, we may not get a perfect society (the genes!), but at least it should be a better society and certainly a more honest and open one.

>> ^GenjiKilpatrick:

WTF?!?!
How often does it occur that a person needs only their knee amputated?
Wouldn't a prosthetic knee or knee reconstruction work just as well?


Bone cancer, bro. You don't want that spreading. Better to have a foot/knee.

*WTF?!?!

How often does it occur that a person needs only their knee amputated?

Wouldn't a prosthetic knee or knee reconstruction work just as well?

This phenomenon is very similar, albeit in contrast to, the phantom limb phenomenon, by which amputees continue to feel sensations in the part of their body that is no longer there. For this reason, neurologist, VJ Ramachandran has used a mirror box to help relieve phantom limb pain by using multisensory input to convince the mind that the amputated limb is not in distress.

Amazing! Now do the paraplegic in the 2nd row! No? Well how about this Iraq veteran with the amputated limbs? No? But you said God could do anything and heal any injury.... ok how about this paper cut a lady just got fishing out money for you? No? Oh well at least the bleeding stopped as you were pressing on it praying to Jesus.

Land mines are evil.

Fascinating video. No idea they left the wound open like that, and that guys arm in the first part was a complete mess. If anything I am amazed they can salvage anything when so much muscle and bone is showing. Amputations are pretty grim too, takes a certain kind of person to do that job.

>> ^GenjiKilpatrick:

Animal shelters in every state put down thousands of fully able cats everyday.
So why on earth, after having been electrocuted and plummeting 25 feet, would you remove all of a cat limbs in order to "save its life."
Sure it can't walk or feed itself or scratch itself or clean itself or do anything besides on the ground crawl.. but at least it alive. ..right?
Cats and humans don't compare really but put yourself in the same scenario.
Awaking to quadruple amputations, I'd bet you'd have a HUGE smile on your face because you'd be so happy you're still alive. ..right?
<div><div style="margin: 10px; overflow: auto; width: 80%; float: left; position: relative;" class="convoPiece"> ant said:<img style="margin: 4px 10px 10px; float: left; width: 40px;" src="http://static1.videosift.com/avatars/a/ant-s.jpg" onerror="ph(this)"><div style="position: absolute; margin-left: 52px; padding-top: 1px; font-size: 10px;" class="commentarrow">◄</div><div style="padding: 8px; margin-left: 60px; margin-top: 2px; min-height: 30px;" class="nestedComment box"> I was like the cat too. So, I should be terminated when I was born with multiple disabilities?
</div></div></div>
<div><div style="margin: 10px; overflow: auto; width: 80%; float: right; position: relative;" class="convoPiece"> GenjiKilpatrick said:<img style="margin: 4px 10px 10px; float: right; width: 40px;" src="http://static1.videosift.com/avatars/g/GenjiKilpatrick-s.jpg" onerror="ph(this)"><div style="position: absolute; margin-top: 1px; right: 52px; font-size: 10px;" class="commentarrow">►</div><div style="padding: 8px; margin-right: 60px; margin-top: 2px; min-height: 30px;" class="nestedComment box">really. sometimes you just need to let things go..
</div></div></div>

So if you lost your arms and legs, should we keep you alive?

>> ^ant:

>> ^GenjiKilpatrick:
really. sometimes you just need to let things go..

I was like the cat too. So, I should be terminated when I was born with multiple disabilities?


Animal shelters in every state put down thousands of fully able cats everyday.

So why on earth, after having been electrocuted and plummeting 25 feet, would you remove all of some random cat's limbs in order to "save its life."

Sure it can't walk or feed itself or scratch itself or clean itself or do anything besides on the ground crawl.. but at least it alive. ..right?

Cats and humans don't compare really but put yourself in the same scenario.

Awaking to quadruple amputations, I'd bet you'd have a HUGE smile on your face because you'd be so happy you're still alive. ..right?

Too bad the dog can't use that fifth leg. I was born with a deformed, unmovable finger on my left hand. I got it amputated when I was like ten years old. Annoying finger!

His legs fell asleep, so they laid him down and kept going. Both of his legs were later amputated after they turned gangrenous from hours of insufficient blood flow.

Happy birthday, kid.

Sad. From where I stand, as a christian, these kinds of people do infinitely more damage than any critics like Hitchens and Dawkins could ever dream of. They are also infinitely more offensive to me, and I wish more people would publicly stand up and denounce this kind of thing.

If you are sick, then go and get help from a doctor. By all means pray as well, but do both. Refusing to go to the doctor because you prayed is like starving to death in a house full of food while you pray for help with your hunger. And as was said up thread, if you so deeply believe God is planning a miracle, how do you expect a mere mortal doctor to stop him? Surely if the leg is amputated you can still pray for it to be restored. Sorry, but being hysterical and illogical over your daughter's illness is NOT the same as having a grounded faith.