1. Politics - 3947 votes cast (politics talk)
2. Comedy - 2094 votes cast (comedy talk)
3. Election 2008 - 1785 votes cast (election08 talk)
4. Domestic Policy & Foreign Affairs - 965 votes cast (worldaffairs talk)
5. Global War on Terror - 901 votes cast (waronterror talk)
6. One Nation Under Truthiness - 866 votes cast (lies talk)
7. What the F*ck Just Happened? - 664 votes cast (wtf talk)
8. 1stTube: the best clips of television - 652 votes cast (1sttube talk)
9. What's Fit to Sift - 626 votes cast (news talk)
10. Everything geek - 546 votes cast (geek talk)

I wonder how many other people will have a non-Comedy #1. So far it's just me and Eklek.

As for changes...I have no idea what I had 7 months ago (I was still a sleeper agent then), but I'd bet Politics was still #1 then too.

^ I dunno that you can say male minds are more malleable from this...not a large enough batch to make a solid conclusion. I agree that it would have been nice to hear from sleeping beauty there. I think I'd end up being a sleeper too.

That's actually a pretty funny flick.

Impossible to package, but a sleeper all the way.

Wow, two promotes right after it touched and left the top 15, this one's been a bit of a sleeper. Thanks MycroftHomlz and Fjnbk for the promotes.

While Competition is for the most part shunned by the Aikido community, "Tomiki" Aikido was developed to introduce Aikido to Japanese School systems and to replace existing Judo programs by adapting it to a competitive setting.

Basically, Tomiki Aikido competition is performed with one competitor wielding a wooden dagger (a Tanto), while his opponent attempts to disarm him. Points are scored to the wielder for successful attacks with the dagger, and to the unarmed for performing successful takeaways - the dagger is then placed on the ground and he retreats to neutral territory to await the next attack. Halfway through the round, they switch roles.

As NordlichReiter pointed out, Aikido-ka are trained first and foremost to avoid confrontation. We are trained to diffuse situations with diplomacy to let cooler heads prevail.

Chilax, you would be VERY surprised to see just how effective these techniques are in "street" settings, and as I said before, these Aikidoka are very skilled. The techniques they demonstrate are based on concepts that are centuries old, and have survived the test of time. Not to mention that Aikidoka are trained to take falls and throws with control and grace. Most Yudansha (that is, those who have attained a first-degree black belt or higher, usually requiring 5+ years of dedicated training) gain not only the requisite toughness through ukemi (safe-falling), but the confidence to tap into their knowledge at a moment's notice. Irimi-nage, and Kote-Gaeshi, as well as the perennial hip-throw technique, Koshi-nage, are all swift techniques that use your opponents energy against them while exposing the user to very minimal risk, and Aikidoka are trained to initiate these techniques from a wide variety of attacks.

You can divide basic hand-to-hand attacks into two basic categories: grabs, and strikes. Strikes can be further subdivided into at least three deliveries - from a tsuki, or thrusting attack (like a punch), shomen-uchi (a vertical-motion attack, like a hammer swinging downward), and yokomen-uchi (a horizontal-slashing attack, like a slash with a dagger or sword). Grabs are more numerous: same-side grabs to your wrist, cross-side wrist grabs, both wrists grabbed at the same time, two-hands grabbing one wrist, lapel grabs, chokes, grabs from behind like sleeper-holds... the list goes on. Aikidoka learn the basic techniques, such as Ikkyo, from simple grabs and shomen-uchi strikes in the beginning, and move on the more advanced techniques from stronger attacks as they progress.

You don't start by teaching a white belt hip-throws before they know the basic concepts of ma-ai (literally "distance harmony" or your basic attack range - I'm 6'1", so my ma-ai is going to be wider than someone say 5'5"), the importance of being centered and grounded (you're going to be supporting the weight of your attacker on your hip, if you don't know how to keep your feet and knees, you'll buckle under their weight), or the ukemi to take the fall without injuring yourself.

o/~ My baby gave me the Innsmouth look.. o/~


>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
^Good catch Zonbie. Is Bush a Cthulhu sleeper agent?

^Good catch Zonbie. Is Bush a Cthulhu sleeper agent?

>> ^NordlichReiter:
I highly doubt that this will work, because if hes has partners or sleepers, and they don't take out the whole passenger section at once. They would have to subject every one in the plane to this in order to stop three terrorists. I smell all sorts of litigation!


That's what I'm saying. Gas the entire passenger cabin. And of course, waivers would be mandatory. You don't sign, you don't fly. (I know this will never happen, but the idea is sound. It's the litigator-assholes that would have a feeding frenzy...)

None of these systems will actually work. Which is why I would rather not fly. Or take a train, just video conference!

I highly doubt that this will work, because if hes has partners or sleepers, and they don't take out the whole passenger section at once. They would have to subject every one in the plane to this in order to stop three terrorists. I smell all sorts of litigation!

"At night I hear the shots
Ring so I'm a light sleeper
The cost of life,
it seems to get cheaper
out in the desert
with my street sweeper
The war is over
So said the speaker with the flight suit on
Maybe to him I'm just a pawn
So he can advance" Gorillaz Dirty Harry

Ok, here are Lacan and Mao-Tse-Tung, loved-things destructors, sleeper of feets, food askers, general entertainers and the best cats in the universe.

Here is a funny review of the film.

Also the following from VicSarjoo at Amazon.com...

Extremely reminiscent of cold war sleepers like "Gorky Park" and "Reds", Gymkata is one of the most carefully scripted and brooding commentaries on American foreign policy during the Reagan years. The film is more like a documentary than a work of fiction in its deep attention to historical accuracies and avoidance of hyperbole.

Robert Clouse's directorial adaption of Dan Tyler Moore's Pulitzer-shortlisted novel manages to capture timbre of the times and the voice of the decade in a script of intricate complexity. Kurt Thomas's portrayal of the hero across from Tetchie Agbayani's heroine is one of the most dynamic and surprising chemistries since Bogart and Bergman's 43 years before.

However, where "Casablanca" fell far short of documenting the spirit (and fears) of the times on a granular level, Gymkata and its cast is unafraid to take this plunge.

In characterizations deeply respectful, and yet photo-accurate, regarding world cultures and global motifs, Gymkata manages spell the poly-sided views of complex conflicts that occurred during the final grey gasps of the Cold War.

Amazingly Gymkata manages a foreshadowing the rise of the Neo-Cons some 20 years later in its depictions of the United States use of aggression in strategically important hotspot regions -- and as well -- the film is able to show that the nationalistic concerns of the competing sovreignties (both ally & foe) remain unchanged despite which decade these events play themselves out in.

A timeless film, Gymkata should be a core film study in every graduate level political science class.

Pretty profound words there... i'm starting to think that if Obama doesn't get elected, my dreams of one day transferring my consciousness into a computer will never come to light (that is, unless he is a sleeper agent of the CFR/Trilateral commission/Bilderbergers)

not good. not good at all.

Nice.
look at this .. lol
http://www.videosift.com/video/Kronosposeidon-gives-me-advice


In reply to this comment by kronosposeidon:
PS: Why don't you say some thing nice to one of your fellow sleepers here.

PS: Why don't you say some thing nice to one of your fellow sleepers here.