I didn't express disapproval of the demand for sex work.

I am creeped out by men who bring sex into the workplace.

I am a huge fan of Dan Savage. He is a deeply moral man who is helping people become more fully themselves. That includes sexual expression in the privacy of the home or other agreed upon public spaces, while respecting the agreements made consensually between adults.

I also didn't say anything about the women being forced to look the way they do. It is their free choice to sell barter themselves on their sexual attributes in an arena that has nothing to do with sex -- a shooting range.

And I think it is creepy that men want this. To bring sex out of the dating world. Out of strip clubs. Out of sex clubs. And into a mundane world of a shooting range. It has implications about the treatment of women, the objectification of women, that creep me out. The blindness of it creeps me out.

Anyway.

Glad to know you weren't talking about me. Because I don't recognize myself in the way you talk about the conversation I have been engaged in. Sooo many times I say -- I didn't say this. I didn't say that.

It does get frustrating having a conversation on the Sift (not just you) where my words get twisted and embroidered.

And I love it when someone says something that shows I am incorrect or have stated something that doesn't clearly communicate my point of view. It helps me understand the world a little bit more, helps me see my own bias, and teaches me to communicate better. (Like blaming Keanu -- that was a huge mistake.)

Thanks for engaging with me. I appreciate you taking the time.

This guy kept showing up on that horse and he is the shittiest rider possible. Really, it's painful to watch him. If he had an ounce of self awareness he'd understand how bad he looks.

If I was on a trail ride with this guy I'd make him get off the horse and walk it to an enclosed arena where he'd at least be a little safer.

And I feel bad for that horse, getting it's head yanked around with a tom thumb bit like that.

I do agree, but on the other hand sometimes these things go well beyond legitimate "questions about your actions / statements / plans".

Subject even the most patient person in the world to enough stupid / leading / clickbait-y questions, and eventually they'll get annoyed with it. Which is of course the entire point, so that they can clip that reaction out of context and run it with a headline like "Watch as Senator X flies off the handle after being asked a simple question!"

Some of these incidents are definitely sleazy politicians trying to weasel out of scrutiny to the greatest degree possible. But I'm sure that many of them are the political version of Marshawn Lynch just wanting to do his goddamn job without being constantly peppered with pointless questions from the media. And we all thought he was awesome for showing up to media days and saying only "I'm just here so I don't get fined", right?

Not trying to trivialize the political arena down to the level of a public spectacle like professional sports, but I think the comparison is at least a little valid.

arena has been seconded for banination by newtboy. This account will now be disabled. If you would like to appeal this banination, arena, you may contact the administrators.

*ban self link. arena animation in yt title.

arena has been nominated for banination by eric3579. This may be due to abuse or violations of the posting guidelines. If this nomination is seconded, the account will be permanently disabled.

Agreed, I was stoked by this trailer. The music fits perfectly. And I laughed out loud at Thor's reaction to the Hulk's appearance in the arena. Fingers crossed it will be as awesome as the trailer looks.

Okay, folks. History is converging here through six degrees of separation.

Long story. I think it is worth your time.

I grew up with a father who said terribly racist things, the n- word, disparaging remarks about all races. There was much screaming and bitter words from me for a lot of my childhood and well into my 20s.

After he died, I got into a short email exchange with someone I didn't know at all. A former co-worker of my father.

My dad's job, as I have said here before, was Range Safety Officer. His job was to blow up missiles that went off course. (No person has blown up more missiles, and no one will ever catch up to him, since they know how to do it now.)

In my email exchanges with "Teddy", I find out slowly that Teddy is a woman. The first woman in the Range Safety Flight arena. She tells me that she was treated horribly in those early days. Except for three of her co-workers, who mentored and helped her.

One of those men was my father.

Oh.

And then she reveals that she is Hispanic.

Dang.

So my dad talked nasty at home, and acted MORE THAN honorably at work. I wish I had known that when he was alive.

Then she tells me that her daughter became an engineer also, and is currently working in Range Safety.

Wow.

Fast forward to last week. I watch Hidden Figures, the movie about black women helping in the first manned space launches. They were in Langley VA, while my dad was stationed in Cape Canaveral, not NASA but the Air Force, working on unmanned missions. But still. It all came flooding back to me -- how my dad was one of the good guys. (It was also cool to see all the actual news footage of people on the beach and parades and what-all -- I was there with my family, doing those things.)

This reminded me of Teddy. I sent her an email, telling her that I was reminded of her story and how touched anew I was.

Then the Falcon 9 launch happened. This launch on this video.

The next day, I got a response from her. Here is her email to me, lightly edited:

Thank you so much for thinking of me. The 60's were a time quite different than today. This morning It came to me just how far we women have come since then.

I stood on the balcony of my house and watched the launch of a Falcon Rocket take off in all its glory from Vandenberg knowing my daughter was the Lead Flight Safety Analyst on that mission. For the last couple of months I have listened to her tell me about all the problems she has had to deal with in preparing all the destruct lines, impact limit lines and all the other things that go into getting the mission package ready for launch and knowing what she was talking about. Boy, was I jealous. I really miss being in the middle of all that. I was/am very PROUD of my little girl being part of the missions leaving out of Vandenberg and knowing I played a small part in making all that happen just like those ladies in Hidden Figures. I have not seen the movie yet but my friends and I are looking forward to it coming to Lompoc so I can see it

Your Dad would be surprised to learn that most of the new Flight Safety Analysts are now all women.

People are paying them to develop the game. As far as i know, very very people have spent up to 100K.

Even if someone has the best stuff. If they're terrible pilots, a good pilot with a cheap ship can easily beat someone in a expensive ship.

Yes people are pumping money into it, development is taking time, but the game is huge and a lot ifs being developed as far as ultra HD graphics, going from huge area flight and ground based combat.

"Oh but battlefield has flight and ground based combat!" yes all within a confines of a couple 10 KM. The bengal carrier is supposed to be in complexity of a couple BF maps crammed into one area.

But going back, once the game goes live fully, no one will have the ability to purchase in game ships with real money, though who knows, that might change.

But going back to "pwning newsbs" any one with a decent ship with excellent piloting skills can pwn someone with ha ultra expensive ship. This certainly isn't a , paying top dollar and being on top. If you're gonna pay top dollar, you're gonna be in the arena commanders playing vs bots and now vs other players in dog fight melees. Those people are going to be good because they're gonna be excellent pilots.

But, the game isn't all about dog fighting. You can be a miner, a merchant, a racer, an explorer, heck farming is going to be implemented as well.

But I mostly have a sense you don't actually understand the game in general. The game is leagues ahead of no mans sky just for the fact it'll be a persistent universe with players all over the place that you can interact with.

The moral of the story, if you happen upon an unadvertised concert by a relatively unknown band at a curling arena.....go see it.

Ah, I remember when QuakeWorld was released and how awesome it was playing it on my US Robotics 56k modem (or might have been a 14.4), though it wasn't until Quake 2 Rocket Arena 2 (and to a lesser extent QCTF/threewave) that I really got my FPS addiction on. I even recall the day I got my first cable modem and became one of the few LPBs on Canadian servers - this was way before the big three (id, Epic, Valve) started tweaking their netcode to "even" the playing field between HPBs/LPBs. Ah those were the days.

Even though I don't have much time for games anymore, I might have to give this a try for the sake of nostalgia.

First impressions is it is a visual update to the arena style FPS games we played and loved so many years ago.

Question is are enough people going to care? You have a half billions games just like it that you can buy for chicken feed or free even! Also back then if you were not a real good shot then you lived with not being high on the score table. These days many FPS games offer support roles for those who aren't the greatest shot, those people are not going to have any interest in coming BACK to the likes of quake multiplayer.

*related=http://videosift.com/video/Debbie-Wasserman-Schultz-Resigns-Sanders-Fans-React

*related=http://videosift.com/video/Hillary-Clinton-Accepts-Democratic-Nom-to-1-2-Empty-Arena

Debbie Wasserman Schultz Resigns, Sanders Fans React has been added as a related post - related requested by notarobot.

Hillary Clinton Accepts Democratic Nom to 1/2 Empty Arena has been added as a related post - related requested by notarobot.

Side note, there was also an awesome match where someone got their battery sawed through and the fluid spilled out all over the arena floor. =)