Your video, The Red Drum Getaway, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

I don't think it's supposed to be taken in a general way and applied to "gay" people, but rather telling the story that isn't very often heard about those people who don't identify as either gay or straight, or who fall into the bisexual, asexual or questioning (gay/bi/trans curious) categories of the LGBT[QIA].

The truth is, we want to believe SO BADLY as a society that we are either gay or straight. And then we want to label ourselves to find community and identity SO BADLY, that some people get caught in the middle of two (or more!) different worlds, and that neither normative communities quite describe their sexuality. Hence the final comparison with the romantic comedy Sliding Doors. Also, that's why these crazy parties exist in the first place. (You're NOT invited.)

Let's see, there's:

L is for Lesbian, which is women's special gay letter. Technically you could just call LGBT, GBT, as some women identify as gay but not lesbian, or vice versa, or both. But women are special because of feminism, so they get L and G but men only get G.

Don't get on my ass because I speak the truth. I attend plenty enough GBT events to know the fluctuating social stigmas within the group, as well as the bitter rivalries between different letters of the acronym (or those who want to lengthen or shorten the representative letters). It's confusing to people who have this misconception that all stories of gay or lesbian people apply to all gay or lesbian people. It's so diverse, what's even the point of labels any more?

Anyway, moving on.

G is for Gay, which is women or men, but in common usage was (or is, depending on your perspective) for men. Yet as time goes on and the information age fills in our social gaps, women have begun to identify as gay. In fact, I have a genderfluid friend who was born female, but often identifies as a gay male, and has even been accepted into the ranks of the the Gay Men's Chorus. Take that label obsessed society!!

B is for Bisexual, which is a broad category that I'd say more aptly covers this situation, but even more so I think the Q (Questioning) with a little or a lot of A (Asexual) of the greater acronym LGBTQ or LGBTQIA is an even better term for these two star crossed lovers.

T is for Transgender, which is another broad category but with very specific splinter factions of crossdressers, transexuals, transvestites, genderfluid, etc. etc. Some of these terms, depending on the context are either outdated, have new or older and more specific defining characteristics, or even more often, people define themselves as the umbrella term itself, transgender, because the feelings of one or the other specifics oscillates and changes as transgender people (male and female) age. I know trans people of all ages and wow, the perspectives are vast, and are rarely consistent throughout the years. (You just DON'T know how you'll identify at the age of 65+.)

Q is for Questioning, which is for people who just don't know what they are. This one is really an open ended letter and often isn't included because it represents an ignorance of the self. Maybe you figure out your sexuality or gender specifics right away or maybe it takes you years of experimentation to find your niche. Or maybe you transcend the boundaries forever, always changing and never staying the same throughout the years. The main thing here is that you don't know. Maybe you have a gay romance and then you're like, "Damn, I'm definitely straight" and now you're not even part of LGBT. Q is like the gateway letter. lol

I is for Intersex, which is for people who have genitalia or other gender defining anatomy which is different, not entirely present, is equally both, or more of one than the other. Look it up, because I'm the least familiar with this one, though I do have friends who are intersex. I just haven't asked them enough specifics out of respect. Also, recent research into genetics has shown that you could have a portion of your body that isn't gender defining, but which is made up of the opposite sex's genetic code. I've heard of people who have had their toe or their heart identified as male, but the rest of their body is female. Some people will never even know they're intersex, and depending on what part of their body is intersex, may not experience any feelings other than their body's dominant sex. (I don't have a scientific link, but it was part of a topic that I attended at PRIDE.

A is for Asexual, which is for people who don't have sexual feelings, or who don't act on sexual feelings for any number of reasons intellectual, physical, or both. I don't know how broad this category is but I myself go through periods (sometimes years) of asexuality. A defining characteristic for some people who have misidentified as gay or bi. For example, my parents thought I was gay and I had friends who would openly call me gay, despite me not showing ANY sexual emotions towards either sex. Though I did have both guys and girls who would hit on me or have sex (oral or otherwise) with me on the down low, despite my half interest in both! People are curious and when you can't figure out someone's sexual identity, some people will lay it on so thick, it could be seen as sexual harassment. I knew several girls that just wanted to have sex with me so bad to figure out if I was gay or straight. I just didn't care about either sexes at the time, though I was pleasantly stimulated to varied effects.

I think this is the story that isn't told. If you're asexual or going through an asexual period, that doesn't make you gay!

There could be more movies or shorts out there telling this story, but this is the first honest look into the Q and A of LGBT that I've ever seen. Shit, and I thought when I published my book I'd be the first. Damn. heh

And here we see one of the reasons I stopped listening to metal for a while.

Fuck "true" metal and anyone who says they know what is or isn't "real" metal. You go down that path and you end up listening to nothing but Manowar.

It's either a good heavy song or it isn't.

Sandman's pretty far from my favourite Metallica track, but it's a decent tune and a good "gateway drug" into heavier stuff.

They say that reporting on drug bursts is a gateway to reporting on harder news.

@deathcow what was your gateway telescope?

Working okay for me. Although a refresh may be needed as it has said bad gateway once for me.

Wouldn't it be better to check your robots.txt rather than blacklist the crawlers? I get 502 Bad Gateway for http://videosift.com/robots.txt

thumbnails... vote up/down graphics... etc...

502 Bad Gateway
MaxCDN/2.6.0

A new link of my own:
http://cdn.videosift.com/thumbs/l/as/Last_Week_Tonight_with_John_Oliver_Wealth_Gap.jpg?1405333122

Also gives me the same result.
502 Bad Gateway
MaxCDN/2.6.0

Using that link, I receive this:

502 Bad Gateway
MaxCDN/2.6.0

Ok, for any and everyone who says "we're just too weak": welcome to the hyper-macho culture. For starters, you're right, I know your husband beats you, but seriously, deal with it. Grow the fuck up and get over yourself. Right? No?

The problem with certain forms of abuse is that many recognize they may in fact be participating in it, and to defend themselves from feeling bad, they justify it. For instance, in extreme examples, SLAVERY!

I posted a link to another video which makes the point: when you start dehumanizing the subject of your intentions, it becomes okay because they're just objects. That's the real issue here: these catcalls become, if you want to call it, a gateway drug for dehumanization.

And I'm sorry, but anyone who thinks we've just become pansies and these women need to suck it up, well, I'm sorry but __|__

How is being denied a job because of your sex a "suck it up" situation? Oh, you wanted to get the manager position? Well, we gave it to your less qualified male counterpart for more money than we intended to pay you anyway.

Why is there still a pay disparity? Equal work = equal pay? Unless you're female. Not to mention all the women passed over for promotions because they're simply not pretty enough. Or hell, just go to a Hooters . . . or Tilted Kilt, Winghouse or any other establishment that's frequented by males who are simply there because of the "hot chicks". I doubt many of those places could exist on their food quality alone.

While stopping to asshole YouTube comments isn't going to solve women's equalities issues, it will help. Intolerance for intolerance will be the only solution. Letting these YouTuber's harass females (yes, it is harassment, not a compliment) and putting women into uncomfortable situations because you feel like you're giving them compliment will only make matters worse.

For instance, go to a gay club and see how you feel when guys are constantly catcalling you, telling you they'd love to fuck you etc. Trust me, when it happens to you, it's not a compliment. It's damned creepy.

Now, if your female friend did her hair, got a new dress etc and you tell her she looks pretty, that's one thing. Telling a random stranger "Hey beautiful" etc doesn't win you any favors.

ahh the slippery slope argument.

..gay marriage will lead to bestiality!

..marijuana is a gateway drug!!

..Anything Obama-related is the first step to socialism!

I can tell you this. No one enjoys asking their employer for a raise. I think if it were up to most people, they would never ask, but that's dependent on employers providing their workers with a living wage.

This is what happens when employers refuse to raise wages to match inflation. Even I think 15 bucks seems steep, but that's what economists say will give people shelter, food and healthcare. It's frustrating that the cost of living varies wildly in the US. I live in Nebraska where the cost of living is low so I always get sticker shock when I see prices nearby in Colorado, and even then, I know it's still cheap compared to the coasts. I wish we lived in a world where the cost of living was more even. But we don't

In a perfect world, I would say let the states figure out what's a good wage in their areas...and some do, But a lot ignore it, so it's on the fed to step in.

And it's absolutely a moral argument because it comes down to whether or not you believe even the lowest paid workers are deserving of decent food, shelter and healthcare. It's ironic because most of these corporate apologists probably consider themselves pro-life, yet they don't seem to have any problem withholding that which promotes a productive and healthy life.

It's kinda hard to pull yourself up by the bootstraps when you can't afford bootstraps...or if you're too busy dealing with health issues to improve your job options.

It's sadder to me that they apparently don't understand (or worse, intentionally obfuscate the fact) that the outlawing of a substance makes it MORE available to children, always. Black markets have no scruples and sell to anyone. If you people want to limit the availability to your children and are really worried about it being a gateway drug, it needs to be REGULATED, not outlawed. (I have no children, so I'm not one of you).

...Was that supposed to be poignant, or just an extremely obscure inside joke?

Anyway, this "debate" was a bit ridiculous. Howard Samuels was, as others have already pointed out, very clearly straw manning - at no point was it suggested that opposing party thought marijuana should be legalized for recreational use by big companies.

It should also be noted that while Samuels runs a rehab center and in fact has a personal history of fighting addiction, this also has a negative effect on his ability to form an opinion on this situation. For him, extreme vulnerability to addiction is the norm. He himself is probably very prone to addiction, and he exclusively works with other individuals who are also extremely prone to addiction. I would say that the only people for whom marijuana can be seen as a gateway drug is the sort of people for whom alchohol, caffeine, nicotine, adrenaline or really anything that could possibly be abused could be seen as a "gateway drug."

These are the sort of people who always go too far. They drink too much coffee, they take too many risks, they smoke too much and they are always that one guy who gets embarrassingly drunk at parties because he just doesn't know how to limit himself.

But these people shouldn't be seen as the norm because honestly, they simply aren't.

And because Samuels apparently does think that these people define the norm, his view cannot be seen as being comprehensive. He's only looking at the extreme ends of the spectrum, and even then, he's really only looking at the potential negative extremes, because that is where he used to be, and it's where the people he now tries to heal are stuck.

King of Tokyo, Zombicide, Escape, Mansions of Madness, BSG the Board Game, Mice and Mystics (great co-operative game), X-Wing Miniatures game, Android: Netrunner (perhaps best 2 player game out there), Arkham Horror are just a few of the better games on my board game shelf... want to try 7 Wonders and many others... I play Small World, Forbidden Island, Eclipse, Ascension, and Summoner Wars on my iPad
Catan is a decent game, and does well as a gateway (I think Ticket to Ride is better, and perhaps even Pandemic)...
Love board gaming...