Hmmm. Unlike the dead mice and birds that would end up on my doorstep as a cat owner, I think if my dog presented me with that, I'd take it back home, bake it with a nice honey marinade, and give half back to the "hunter".

...Okay, maybe only a quarter of it.

Really? I'l delete it if it is.

That said, I'm exceedingl drink at the moment so I can't guarantee I'll live up to thios tomorrow.

In reply to this comment by EndAll:
Definitely a dupe..

TL;DR. also yo momma is so fat.

I did in fact read it, and I think some of it is a bit too nationalistic. The second and third paragraph paints the picture that people from the US, London, Madrid etc. are basically assholes, which I don't think is particularly productive. The outrage that a man from Munich doesn't feel responsible for the holocaust, when he wasn't even born, is also reprehensible, I think. I mean, I'm not responsible for the Danish vikings invading all over Europe either. The fact that a man is from German does not automatically put blame on him for all of Germany's faults.

Like America, I think Israel has a fevered dream about their own exceptionalism (I'm making generalizations here, but I mean that there's a growing trend in the general populace). This ultra-nationalism is ultimately a bad thing - people are people where ever they are from. People are as good and as flawed anywhere, the rest is cultural influence.

I think the first part plays into that, so that he can dismantle it in the latter part, which I like a whole lot more.

"You can't keep talking about the Holocaust if you don't look after the Holocaust survivors starving at your doorstep; You can't be mad at Jew-hatred if Arab-hatred is running your life; You can't expect to be taken seriously if three outlaw 17-year-olds can run your life from a trailer in the Territories; You can't keep asking for credit for being "the only democracy in the middle east," if your democracy is dysfunctional."

I don't want to take sides between Arabs and Israelis, because I think both sides have their hands covered in blood and shit - one side is not a monster, while the other is pure and innocent.

I'm not as educated on the subject as I'm sure many of the rest of you are, so I'm just giving my opinion from the sideline.

I know it's fake, but isn't that just like us? Humans, I mean. We find something we've never seen before and the first thing we do is prod it and pour soda on it.

Yeah. The aliens are beating a path to our doorstep.

Now let's see - Deltron Z
Art avenger, let's start the adventure
Hit ya with nerve gas, absurd blasts
Crashin space craft, I'm bio-enhanced
Hiero advanced series, monstrous evolution
Headed, tooth and nail, scoop the trail
Super-sleuth, a new race
Mad creator, savage nature
World Wide Web, the ebb and flow
Light years from watchful eyes while my thoughts provide
objectives to ostracize the pompous prophecies
Underground societies are hard to lead
Asteroid surfing, castor-oil burping
The darkest side of humanity animated
The grand awakening, plan to take it in
I demand your patronage, mobilize my battletanks
With clusters small, NTR's to empty Mars
Many MC's cruise low earth orbit
Easier for me to use my search warrant
Drift by a star, absorb it, and store it
Leave tourists pourous, my galaxy's gorgeous
Quantum jump - I'm right at your doorstep

Now I catch more wreck with fast ignition
My last decision, pulse amplification
Terror with napalm, I want y'all to stay calm
Alien annihilation, I stay armed to the grill piece and kill beef
20 percent matter, 30 percent is energy
Assimilating to become a living being
Evaporative radiation fades your station
I get high as aviation

I rise like helium, you're falling rapidly
Trapped in apathy, while I track your speed
I'm what you call a legend, dominance with armageddon
Gives me a warm reception
Verbal war with weapons, installation
Blowin the star dust, distance twelve parsecs
Enthuse your phalanx with my literary talents
Just a bit of balance, rip the silence
in space, all-star systems are our victims
Atomics, anonymous with ominous
implications of information, or information, and entertainment
Cyber-tech dialect, you gotta earn my respect
I'm like Gamera to amateurs, hit em with a cannonball
And in all this confusion
The fusion of music and mind precipitates translucent illusions
Search the ruins with Automator
Hit the walls with a carbonator
Hit-or-missiles, just regenerate
The sonic soldiers allow us to demonstrate
Emergency dispatch, skyscrapers ripped back
from the impact, their flow is mismatched
My style's protected by heat shields and ceramics
Don't panic, I landed on planet Mercury
Gave it atmosphere, set up my headquarters
I'll never get captured here
Rap your tear clap your ear with Soulsonic Mantronik phonics
Turn your brain to an omelette
I'll hold a comet in bondage, with my dominance
Take a space shuttle to escape trouble
Bounce through the Milky Way
Not many MC's feel this way

Reagan began his speech by eloquently deploring the violent acts of bullies who threaten freedoms of individuals and ends it by making threats of his own, thereby becoming bully himself. --No doubt the cold war (nuclear?) threats were meant intimidate the neighbours of a country occupied (at least in part) by the American military (ie West Germany).

The similarity to the situation in Iran is that it too is bordered by countries presently occupied by U.S. troops, has been subject to intimidating rhetoric from the U.S., and is nearby to Russia (sharing a trade border via the Caspian Sea). Many of the conflicts the U.S. has been involved with since the conclusion of WWII have had the partial aim of creating either a firm foothold or civil unrest about the doorstep of the Soviet Union--to "prevent the spread of socialism."

Reagan's comments in 1981 did little to defuse the cold war. If nothing else, his threats likely heightened existing tensions, and the cold war itself. Hannity seems to want to step back into the Fear-driven state that the Cold War was, when the tyranny of Fear was used to whither personal liberties in exchange for state-provided personal "safety" set in motion by McCarthyism.

The difference now is that most people are weary of occupying foreign lands, and tired of footing the bill for such imperialistic conquests to the sole benefit of war profiteers. The comments made by Obama and his administration reflect those wishes not to create even more conflicts than they are engaged in already. Earlier this year in his statements to Iran, Obama made effort to extend an olive branch to take the chill off that diplomatic climate. Rescinding that gesture will do nothing to aid the Administration's goal of creating a sense of stability in their policy, foreign and domestic.

Besides that, America can not afford another war-not even a cold one-and most of the world knows it.
Hannity stands alone in his ignorance.

Excellently informative post. Thank you.

Sometimes we're vulnerable to accepting one side of a debate unquestioningly without hearing the other side, which is how many people seem to be approaching Reza Aslan's argument.

In reply to this comment by burdturgler:
Was good until around 4:20 but after that Reza is full of shit on many counts.

- It is complete speculation on his part that there is no nuclear weapon ambition or program in Iran. He mentions the IAEA in 2003 but in 2003 the IAEA said the following:

"it is clear that Iran has failed in a number of instances over an extended period of time to meet its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement with respect to the reporting of nuclear material and its processing and use, as well as the declaration of facilities where such material has been processed and stored." (PDF)

Meaning the nuclear material could be stored anywhere and processed for anything. They don't know.

- Saying that the U.S. has taken all military options off the table regarding Iran is complete bullshit. Never happened.

- The C.I.A. has never said that Iran is "many many many years away" from having a nuclear weapon. Regardless, how did the CIA discover that India had nukes? Anyone? They caught them when they were just a year away right? No, the CIA and the rest of Earth found out because India detonated one. Making the argument that Iran isn't pursuing nukes based on the fact that they say so is foolish.

-Israel has nukes. They have had them for decades. To say they are threatening Iran with them is ridiculous. Israel has made no demands from Iran other than to recognize that it is a sovereign nation. The weapons are a deterrent against Iran and the other nations in the region which have said in no uncertain terms that Israel, as a nation state, should not exist.

- Just because some person ("Benny Morris" who is a hero of the Palestinians) wrote an article for the NY Times, does not make it the policy that Israel will launch a nuclear first strike against Iran. That person does not speak for the government of Israel. He doesn't determine the foreign policy of any nation. He does not control or affect in any way Israel's nuclear launch capability. In other words, it's bullshit.

-It has never been the policy of Israel to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike upon anyone unless they were themselves threatened by nukes. That is U.S. policy also. That doesn't mean you can't have a scenario where you strike first. Some people just refuse to understand this. They can not have an enemy on their doorstep that has vowed their destruction to obtain the weapons and strategy needed to carry that threat out. It's just that simple. We didn't allow the missiles in Cuba for the very same reason. Iran needs to dial back it's rhetoric and hate speech and get more in line with the international cooperation and dialog that it's people wants. The type of dialog we all need. Open handed Vs. clenched fist. But that isn't happening and now we see that elections there to make it happen have no meaning.

The hard line psychos in charge of Iran, not the people in general, view Israel as an abomination. They "should be wiped off the face of the map". I've seen this translated as "vanish from time" and several other iterations but however you want to play out the semantics of the translation of that quote from Ahmadinejad the end result is the same. He is echoing and fomenting the sentiment of his supporters .. Israel as a state should not exist. These are the same people who say the Holocaust never happened. Now I've seen some bad comments here, including someone wishing all Christians would die, but I hope most rational people can see this isn't just a religious point of view, it's a wish for genocide. They teach their children that Israeli's are less than human. They are pigs and it is good to slaughter them.

With that ugliness behind me, I will say, it is fun to watch Chris when he has a guest who isn't intimidated, but I don't see where he was "schooled" here. Reza is being naive at best. Iran knows what it's doing. It can't let itself be perceived as the weaker nation. Acquiescing to mandates and sanctions. They want to be a super power. They want to be at the table like India and Pakistan. They know they are close and have decades of work behind them (not in front of them) and will never give up until they have the same strength that is possessed by their perceived aggressors.

There won't be any dialog to stem the tide of a nuclear Iran with the current regime in power.

Does anyone honestly think a nuclear armed Iran is a viable option for world stability and peace?

Was good until around 4:20 but after that Reza is full of shit on many counts.

- It is complete speculation on his part that there is no nuclear weapon ambition or program in Iran. He mentions the IAEA in 2003 but in 2003 the IAEA said the following:

"it is clear that Iran has failed in a number of instances over an extended period of time to meet its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement with respect to the reporting of nuclear material and its processing and use, as well as the declaration of facilities where such material has been processed and stored." (PDF)

Meaning the nuclear material could be stored anywhere and processed for anything. They don't know.

- Saying that the U.S. has taken all military options off the table regarding Iran is complete bullshit. Never happened.

- The C.I.A. has never said that Iran is "many many many years away" from having a nuclear weapon. Regardless, how did the CIA discover that India had nukes? Anyone? They caught them when they were just a year away right? No, the CIA and the rest of Earth found out because India detonated one. Making the argument that Iran isn't pursuing nukes based on the fact that they say so is foolish.

-Israel has nukes. They have had them for decades. To say they are threatening Iran with them is ridiculous. Israel has made no demands from Iran other than to recognize that it is a sovereign nation. The weapons are a deterrent against Iran and the other nations in the region which have said in no uncertain terms that Israel, as a nation state, should not exist.

- Just because some person ("Benny Morris" who is a hero of the Palestinians) wrote an article for the NY Times, does not make it the policy that Israel will launch a nuclear first strike against Iran. That person does not speak for the government of Israel. He doesn't determine the foreign policy of any nation. He does not control or affect in any way Israel's nuclear launch capability. In other words, it's bullshit.

-It has never been the policy of Israel to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike upon anyone unless they were themselves threatened by nukes. That is U.S. policy also. That doesn't mean you can't have a scenario where you strike first. Some people just refuse to understand this. They can not have an enemy on their doorstep that has vowed their destruction to obtain the weapons and strategy needed to carry that threat out. It's just that simple. We didn't allow the missiles in Cuba for the very same reason. Iran needs to dial back it's rhetoric and hate speech and get more in line with the international cooperation and dialog that it's people wants. The type of dialog we all need. Open handed Vs. clenched fist. But that isn't happening and now we see that elections there to make it happen have no meaning.

The hard line psychos in charge of Iran, not the people in general, view Israel as an abomination. They "should be wiped off the face of the map". I've seen this translated as "vanish from time" and several other iterations but however you want to play out the semantics of the translation of that quote from Ahmadinejad the end result is the same. He is echoing and fomenting the sentiment of his supporters .. Israel as a state should not exist. These are the same people who say the Holocaust never happened. Now I've seen some bad comments here, including someone wishing all Christians would die, but I hope most rational people can see this isn't just a religious point of view, it's a wish for genocide. They teach their children that Israeli's are less than human. They are pigs and it is good to slaughter them.

With that ugliness behind me, I will say, it is fun to watch Chris when he has a guest who isn't intimidated, but I don't see where he was "schooled" here. Reza is being naive at best. Iran knows what it's doing. It can't let itself be perceived as the weaker nation. Acquiescing to mandates and sanctions. They want to be a super power. They want to be at the table like India and Pakistan. They know they are close and have decades of work behind them (not in front of them) and will never give up until they have the same strength that is possessed by their perceived aggressors.

There won't be any dialog to stem the tide of a nuclear Iran with the current regime in power.

Does anyone honestly think a nuclear armed Iran is a viable option for world stability and peace?

I'm mostly curious what leaders in China think about this. They're a little more hands-off than the US on the issue, but they seem to be getting irritated with the situation.

China doesn't want a big problem on their doorstep, and I doubt they will go to bat for N. Korea if N. Korea is the one starting the problems.

>> ^MINK:
>> ^deputydog:
dig a bit deeper around here, stop upvoting videos of cats wanking just because a friend submitted them and who knows - maybe the top 15 will change for the better.

unfortunately that's like putting a sign on a broken door saying "please close the door" instead of fixing the door.


i disagree. i'd say it was more like putting a sign on a functional door that says, 'please come in, have a look around and stop gathering on the doorstep complaining that the door itself is broken'.

I disagree with a bunch of the stuff he brings up. So new prince of persia is a very forgiving game, lots of games are pretty forgiving, you fall off a platform you get to try to jump on the platforms again. the GTA series is obnoxious when it comes to retrying failed missions especially if they are located across the map. But there are alot of games out there that are very accessible, little big planet for example simple platforming and you can pick how challenging the platforming level will be. I would say the most alienating thing about videogames is the perception of people who play video games and the wii has done a good job, but the arguement that its the difficulty of games that is keeping videogames out on the doorstep is too shallow. Videogame difficulty initially stems from the arcades where the games where built to be hard so you would die and had to spend more money on them, then the home console games where ports of the arcade games or used the model of those games.

I think it falls to the social function, the people who dont play videogames I am speculating here but in my experience they tend to be more extroverted and the single player aspect of many videogames is what is unappealing. Then if they do try with other friends it has nothing to do with the game being hard but just other people being much better at it. Guitar hero is really fun if you play with people who are at the same level as you, a group of people all playing it for the first time its a great thing, but if you sit down and the other people just kick your ass or vice versa it is boring. This applies to other things as well if you are good at a sport its alright to play with people who are new to it but its not that enjoyable and you wont continue to play nearly as much as you would with people who give you a challenge.

So I submit that it is the us the gamers and our social actions picking on noobs that is keeping videogames from catching on, the difficulty of the game itself doesn't matter, look at a 2 player game of street fighter. one player loses now seconds after KO they are back up for another round and get to play again, but if the person playing not only keeps beating them but likes to gloat and lord it over them then odds are they will stop playing.

I believe it falls on the douchebag gamers who harass and yell at noobs to chill out and not the difficulty of single player games.

Thanks The video just reeked of someone sucking every last bit of enjoyment out of life...

In reply to this comment by Peroxide:
Your comment just made my year! holy shit that's funny.

In reply to this comment by spoco2:
And ensure you have a klaxon constantly wailing from somewhere in your clothes
And have a blinding revolving light strapped to your head
And be armed with a semi-automatic handgun in case you are set upon by banshees or werewolves.
And perhaps don't go out at all but just yell 'trick or treat' from your doorstep.
Actually that might carry the risk of being shot from afar, so do it from inside... via a megaphone
And then if you do get any candy, well, don't eat that it might be poisoned.
In fact what the hell are you doing up so late anyway, get back to bed.

Your comment just made my year! holy shit that's funny.

In reply to this comment by spoco2:
And ensure you have a klaxon constantly wailing from somewhere in your clothes
And have a blinding revolving light strapped to your head
And be armed with a semi-automatic handgun in case you are set upon by banshees or werewolves.
And perhaps don't go out at all but just yell 'trick or treat' from your doorstep.
Actually that might carry the risk of being shot from afar, so do it from inside... via a megaphone
And then if you do get any candy, well, don't eat that it might be poisoned.
In fact what the hell are you doing up so late anyway, get back to bed.

And ensure you have a klaxon constantly wailing from somewhere in your clothes
And have a blinding revolving light strapped to your head
And be armed with a semi-automatic handgun in case you are set upon by banshees or werewolves.
And perhaps don't go out at all but just yell 'trick or treat' from your doorstep.
Actually that might carry the risk of being shot from afar, so do it from inside... via a megaphone
And then if you do get any candy, well, don't eat that it might be poisoned.
In fact what the hell are you doing up so late anyway, get back to bed.

upvote for the literal shitting on someones doorstep, oh how i've considered such things...