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Why Everyone is Going to Iceland Lately

RFlagg says...

Aren't large chunks of Game of Thrones also filmed there? Film location tourism? Sort of like New Zealand's bump due to the Lord of the Rings movies.
That said, long before GoT, I wanted to visit Iceland... some day.

STRAPPED INTO A SINKING HELICOPTER (with U.S. Marines)

RFlagg says...

Did he just sneak in a life lesson at the end?

As someone who doesn't know how to swim very well (my feet and hips sink and I basically make big splashes across the water in an huge effort to avoid sinking) I'd be super panicked in this situation.

Heat Shrink Self-Solder Butt Splice Connectors

Phil Robertson: What Liberals Did to Kavanaugh Is SATANIC

RFlagg says...

This is probably the greatest trick the GOP and the evengelical leadership managed to pull on the Christian masses, to make them believe that somehow the GOP is the most Christian, while the Demoncrats are just that, Demons.

Christ said, let those who haven't sinned toss the first stones, but Republican Christians are the ones who fight to deny equal rights under the law to LGBTQIA+ just for sinning differently.

Christ said to treat others as you'd have others treat you, but Republican Christians are the ones who fought all the way to the Supreme Court for the right to deny service against somebody, again for sinning differently, then while they are still cheering they can hate gays more openly, get upset and call for civility when the queen of lies under the king of lies gets kicked out of a restaurant. I guess, judging by the way Republican Christians treat LGBTQIA+, immigrants and the like, want to be treated like they are pieces of absolute shit.

To those they typically say they don't hate gays, they "love the sinner, hate the sin", lacking any sort of empathy on how it would be to be told "I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU, but I love you... in a distant way as one should love any human". They somehow think all the bigotry and hatred they do in the name of Christ is showing the love of Christ... despite the fact Christ said Love was the greatest commandment.

They also then try to put the blame of hatred of LGBTQIA+ people on Sodom. And while it is true that Sodom's sexual immorality didn't help, as it is specifically mentioned, it wasn't Sodom's sin. Also mentioned as a thing Sodom was guilty of was being hostile to foreigners, but they don't focus on that, just the sexual immorality. And they never focus and the actual sin of Sodom, which the Bible specifies as "This is the sin of your sister Sodom, she was a land of plenty and did little to help the needy and poor in her border." They ignore that, they ignore the hostility to foreigners, ignore that Sodom was vain and arrogant, and everything else listed after it says Sodom sinned greatly, ignore everything except the sexual immorality.

They love the rich, though Christ said that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. To which they'll typically try to say Christ was talking just about that one guy, but he said "a" not "that", as that guy had left the scene. Now the instruction to sell your things and follow after me, was directed right at that guy.

Christ said to help the needy and the poor, and they are the ones who most want to stop programs to help the needy and poor, so they can save tax money on themselves, or make said needy and poor dependent on the church.

Christ said blessed are the peacemakers, but they are the biggest warmongers of them all.

Christ said heal the sick, and they are the ones most opposed to medicaid for all, and other programs that would guarantee everyone access to AFFORDABLE health care. Somehow they don't care about affordability, and focus only on "the ER isn't going to turn you away just because you can't afford to pay then"... no but you'll be in massive debt for the rest of your life, meanwhile every other Christian nation in the world has medicaid for all at the very minimum.

Christ said Love is the greatest commandment, but they are the most hate filled and bigoted people I know. The most loving and Christ like of people I personally know, Pagans, followed closely by Unitarian Unversalists, followed a way back by Atheist, then liberal Christians, Muslims and way at the back is evangelical Christians... they are one of the biggest reasons why Christianity is loosing numbers, because they don't show the love of Christ, and they don't really care, they just have to do what they feel is right.

Abortions are at the lowest rate ever, because Obamacare gave women access to affordable health care, which was the key all along, but they want to get rid of those protections, because they don't actually want to stop women from having abortions by any means other than making it illegal and punishing women, you can't have them having any birth control or anything like that.

But Republican Christians somehow think they are the only real Christians, that no real Christian could vote Democrat... which you'd think would be their first clue that they are in a cult, when they start judging other Christians as not being Christian enough.

newtboy said:

I looked, they and their policies are amazingly, astonishingly more moral and Christian than the Republican party who gives Jebus public lip service when it serves their hatred but thoroughly ignores his instructions and blatantly worships the dollar.

Remember, your party embraces child molesters, frauds, thieves, rapists, and certainly would support murderers as long as they'll vote with Trump, the Democrats oust comedians who make an off color joke.....so who's immoral?

Is it just your position that Republicans are totally amoral (lacking any morals), so they can't be immoral (violating their morals)?

Btw, isn't that one of those fake hillbilly duck call millionaires that turned out to be a preppie who realized he could scam hicks by pretending to be one?

Diversity delusion in American Universities and society

RFlagg says...

Remember one of the biggest moves in the conservative movement, one of the main reasons why evangelicals support the GOP, was because the government forced desegregation on Bob Jones University. Though evangelicals started down the GOP path before that, it was a huge turning point in getting evangelical church's directly involved with politics and having them tell their members to vote for the GOP and part of why they call Democrats, who are probably doing more along the lines Christ Himself would, Demoncrats. It's when you'll see the 700 Club, TBN and many others start pushing the GOP agenda rather openly.

Study up on Christian Reconstructionism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_reconstructionism), dominionism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion_theology), and The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family:_The_Secret_Fundamentalism_at_the_Heart_of_American_Power). Remember to vet things along the way. You'll start to see how those at the top of the Christian right movement, are moving their masses like a cult to be what it is now... making their members think they are the ones who are most thoughtful and intelligent, while blinding them to any sort of truth. This why they accept "alternative facts" and "truth isn't truth" that truth in the eye of the beholder, and facts don't matter if they contradict what is being preached.

Sure the conservative movement is one of if not the main reason why people leave the faith and are turned off by the faith, but they don't care. Greed is now a good thing, and so long as they get in, they don't care what they make the faith look like to the world. They dig their heels in more and more and behave less and less Christ like, showing less of the love of Christ, and more bigotry and discrimination in concordance with the goals of the movement a the top levels.

Sayja said:

An old white lady spouting a bunch of tired talking points to a bunch of white people at a conservative Christian college. This is performance art. Pure babble.

Will This Trick Your Ears?

RFlagg says...

I didn't hear Smashmouth, and I'm familiar with the song, and I've never heard the jumping transmission line tower. I did however hear the talking piano, and legislators. The Risset Rythem has always been hit or miss for me and generally resets at a point before it gets too fast, but an odd subtle reset if that makes sense.

I do agree that he should have been silent a bit longer when telling us to listen.

How the NRA hijacks gun control debates

RFlagg says...

This has been one of my key problems with the ongoing debate. They represent the product, the companies. Though the GOP way now is to let the fox guard the hen house and say everything is fine... Have a lobbyist for an industry be in charge of regulating that industry... as if he'll have the public's interest and not the industry's interests. Have the lawyer for Verizon in charge of regulating Verizon and similar companies, and we've already seen he has no interest in the public good, just what is good for Verizon. Put a guy who hates the EPA and has tried to shut it down, in charge of the EPA... let the Cuyahoga River burn again by rolling back all the regulations that prevent it from happening again. These people have zero integrity, and the NRA is just an extension of this issue, and perhaps was the wedge in the door. Let the industry's lobby group control the debate, and people get used to the idea of the fox guarding the henhouse. It is rather maddening.

The Most Disturbing Painting

RFlagg says...

I'm going to guess he means the movie Cabin in the Woods, at which point there's probably a painting in the dinning room. It's been ages since I saw the movie though, so not sure I remember it. (I remember the painting/sculpture in Devil's Advocate, which then had to be edited a bit on further releases to be less like the original artist version as he didn't give permission to use it. Sort of unrelated though...lol)

ChaosEngine said:

Thanks for the promote. Do you have a link to the painting? (Googling "The Hunt from Cabin in the Woods" just gives me images of cabins in the woods!)

How Do Machines Learn? - CGP Grey

RFlagg says...

I never even thought to question why I've had to solve so many captchas of late, even on sites that should know me by now... but now that he mentions the fact they do all involve click on cars, click on street signs, click on storefronts (as seen from street view)... it starts making more sense. I'd guess it knows 98% of the ones it presents, but then thinks image 43 might be one, so it presents it, and when 99% of the people click it, then it adds that to the database of confirmations... and so it learns more...
*promote the future of AI and even more automation.

GET A HOBBY: Work with ROCKS and CEMENT like JOHN DUNSWORTH

RFlagg says...

Oh... the Trailer Park Boys guy... Jim Lahey. It wasn't until I searched his name I finally made the "where do I know this dude from" connection.

Why more pop songs should end with a fade out

RFlagg says...

That is what I thought the fade out was for, it allowed better overlap of going from song A to song B on the radio. I also figured it might have to do with physical records, making it easier to go from song A to song B, but couldn't figure out a really reasonable reason on why they'd have to do that, so figured most of it was for radio reasons.

It does sound very odd to have a hard stop and start to a song, and without the fade out, you manually have to move the volume of the songs on the mixer... of course most sons on the radio are done via digital methods, so they can setup an automatic fade, and automatic gain if needed. That or you add a second of silence between tracks.

vil said:

Fade-outs are (were) done for radio play (when not for artistic reasons), so that songs can overlap or someone can start speaking over the end. Youtube videos have a defined beginning and an end so it makes sense the music should go that way too.

The nice thing about fade-outs is they sometimes hold easter eggs, but mostly I find them annoying. For in-car listening I either make them louder or cut them short or both.

What I took away from all this is that a long version of "Life during wartime" is available sans fade-out, scratching a 30 year itch.

Also made me remember 70s singles which skipped on the last groove of the record - except I dont remember which ones those were...

Shear Pins are Smart (They're Mechanical Fuses)

RFlagg says...

I'm still at a loss on why he's waiting for a ride? Disconnect the tractor from the equipment, drive the tractor back... Heck, I'd think even once the PTO shaft was disconnected, he'd still be able to tow the equipment back using the tractor.

EDIT: Of course, I'd guess it would take a few tools to disconnect the equipment so it could drive back, or tow... so perhaps that's what he's waiting for, tools, not really just a ride, and then tow the tractor and equipment back...

Why isn't science enough?

RFlagg says...

What are you talking about? The people who argued that tobacco was safe are the exact same people that now argue climate change isn't real, isn't caused by humans. They are in the small minority of scientists that say it isn't happening, and they can all be ignored as they aren't climate scientists. When it comes to discussions on climate, you only pay attention to what research comes from those who's job it is to study it. If you had 90 brain surgeons saying to remove a tumor from your brain, but a podiatrist said, don't worry, you wouldn't listen to the podiatrist. Science is the same. Now among those climate scientists you have a 97% consensus that the primary cause in the uptick (uptick being a keyword, as it is not from baseline, but up from the expected natural rise, and that uptick is HUGE) in the undeniable warming of the planet, is caused by humans burning fossil fuels. There is no denying that climate change is real, there's no denying it is primarily caused by humans, there's no denying it will have a huge impact on billions of people. It is the idiot who doesn't believe that it is real.

Now I'd agree that some of the comments may seem extreme, and said suggestions may not be the best. That is an argument best left for a show like Utopia, a rather great show that sadly didn't make it to a second season. However, there a billions of lives at risk if we don't act soon on halting climate change. Perhaps not billions of lives conservatives care about, as they are poor, third and second world lives, but lives none the less. Droughts will get worse, deserts will expand, hurricanes will increase, tornadoes will increase, hotter hots, and colder colds, there are a ton of changes coming that will make it harder on the poorest of people, people who can't adapt as quickly as the top few percent in the US.

Should people have concern about wars, and the conservative powers that be that love them? Yes, and those issues have been raised by many scientists, especially the big name ones who appear on TV. However, you can't ignore the wars that will start if we don't fight climate change either. Resources will become scarce, and this will cause conflicts that may eventually embroil the US, a concern that the US military has over climate change... this may be why conservatives ignore it, because nothing makes conservatives more happy than murdering people via war. You want to stop war, then stooping climate change has to be a huge priority.

Despite the wars, we are still at the most peaceful time in all history. Yes, we need to do more. Moving off fossil fuels alone would stop a lot of the wars, as that's why the US has an interest in the region. If we could stop giving a fuck about oil, and the US oil market, then we'd have less reason to pick a side on which form of Islam is best for US interests... which of course is why the US was targeted in the first place (that, and our unwavering support of Israel's illegal actions).

Also, it's not like anyone has said climate change should be our only concern. As I already said, all the wars has been brought up many times, as has the conservatives love of giving weapons to those most responsible for the 9/11 attacks, while blaming others for stuff they never did. And, as I've said, those concerns have been repeated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, and others who appear on TV, and are well known with the public. Other issues that many scientists in the public eye have been brought up beyond wars: the potential for global pandemics; the idiots not getting vaccinations for their children, for unfounded fears that were proven false; the need for clean drinking water in poor regions; the lack of concern for real science education, and many many other subjects are brought to the public's attention via their social channels, books, talks, or other means. When they are on TV, that is the subject the media pretends there's a debate about though, so if the media at large is all that one pays attention to, then yes, that would seem to be the only subject of concern. The TLDR of this is that they have brought up many concerns beyond just climate change, blame the media for not spreading their other concerns.

coolhund said:

Comments show again what a totalitarian topic this is.
If you call this science, you can call scientists scientists who lobbied for tobacco firms, claiming it didnt cause detrimental health effects, claimed the leaded fuel issue wasnt linked to leaded fuel, eugenics proponents or people who used lobotomy and electro shock therapy.

Oh wait, they were.
Keep believing hypocrites. Humans and intelligent, if they cant even learn from history? Dont make me laugh.

Attack the imminent problems, like the hypocrisy in the conflicts in Syria or Libya. Then I am starting to take you seriously. But instead you whine about 0.1 C degrees and let millions of people die to people you elected and which will ultimately backlash to you too.
Just look at this fact: USA supporting ISIS and Al Qaeda through countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Israel, while also fighting it.
Unbelievable...

And dont tell me me "its not their job". Its everyones job to stop something like that, just like you claim on climate change. Even more so actually!

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