Just another one of those times you say exactly what I think better than I ever could have said it.

In reply to this comment by NetRunner:
^ I'm just trying to educate people! I don't know why anyone would think I was trying to "target" anyone!

Just because I show an endless loop of people named "Ron" beating, raping, and murdering people doesn't mean that I think all people named Ron need to be stopped by any means necessary.

No! I'm just a simple filmmaker trying to get the truth out to people about Rons. I know it will take a lot of processing and reevaluating, but sometimes that's just how education works.

I would give you some information about peaceful efforts to try to bring them to justice, but I'm on a budget, so instead I'll give you a link to some sites that collect Ron horror stories for all to see.

Maybe the next film can blow the lid on Mexicans. Or Muslims.

Eh, I'm beating a dead horse, I think you get my point.

Let's not kid ourselves about this being educational. Shocking, and deeply troubling, but it's designed to generate heat, not light.

It'd be good to try to channel the heat into something positive, rather than let it just fester.

^ I'm just trying to educate people! I don't know why anyone would think I was trying to "target" anyone!

Just because I show an endless loop of people named "Ron" beating, raping, and murdering people doesn't mean that I think all people named Ron need to be stopped by any means necessary.

No! I'm just a simple filmmaker trying to get the truth out to people about Rons. I know it will take a lot of processing and reevaluating, but sometimes that's just how education works.

I would give you some information about peaceful efforts to try to bring them to justice, but I'm on a budget, so instead I'll give you a link to some sites that collect Ron horror stories for all to see.

Maybe the next film can blow the lid on Mexicans. Or Muslims.

Eh, I'm beating a dead horse, I think you get my point.

Let's not kid ourselves about this being educational. Shocking, and deeply troubling, but it's designed to generate heat, not light.

It'd be good to try to channel the heat into something positive, rather than let it just fester.

>> ^Winstonfield_Pennypacker:
Under this so-called 'awful' system in the U.S. I had a family member who was diagnosed with NHL and skillfully treated by excellent doctors in top-notch medical facilities. They recieved over a half-MILLION dollars in medical care and I paid a grand total of $5,000. I'd be paying just as much (or more) under a social system in the form of taxes and 'denied care'. Every social plan so far includes premium payments, copays, and prescription drug costs - so 'free' it ain't...
People get medical care in the US just fine. The sad-sack horror stories that neolibs drag out are rare exceptions. Most people in the US get fantastic medical care at very affordable prices. For every person who has a bad experience in the US system, there are equal numbers who have horror stories about thier socialized medicine.
This dictomatic language of "Oh my social system is PERFECT and your private one is hell on earth...!" is so typical of the neolib left. Neolibs can't have a discussion on an issues without resorting to propoganda, logical fallacies, exaggeration, and outright deception. They have no sense of nuance and substance.
The fact is that there are many very valid arguments against socialized medicine. The US government's current medical care programs are abject failures. With a track record like Medicare and Medicaid, why would anyone with a brain assume that the US government is going to run a clean, tight ship with its so-called 'public option' of Obamacare? And PLEASE... Spare me the bologna of "well the government runs medical care just fine for congress and the military..." People who say that crap are comparing grapes to basketballs.


I'm a cancer survivour and a type I diabetic, I had a tumour on a nerve branch, and had to have six weeks of radiation therapy, total cost to me: The parking at the hospital, and the skin cream for the therapy, which was fifteen dollars. The only thing I waited for was for my doctor get better, after he was recovering from surgery (which was two weeks.) I had all these procedures appraised (including talking with a nutritionist who rearranged my menu while I was having the therapy.) The surgery and radiation, going off a hospital in Virginia, came to just over 180,000 dollars. Most of it being the surgery on the nerves.

How much would all those tests and surgery, and therapies cost in the US, with all the hidden costs of pharmaceuticals etc. And yes, Canada does have other expenses, we're helping fight in Afghanistan, so we're shouldering the cost at the same time. I doubt anyone has ever said their public health care is perfect, but everyone can agree: It's a lot better than Americas current one. So "every social plan" includes premium payments, copays, and prescription? Well, they don't cover all prescriptions, but they reduce the cost on a lot of them in Canada. But, I didn't have to pay for a damned thing for my cancer surgery and treatments, other than parking at the hospital and some cortazone. I pay my taxes, and I'm glad I can help people like me or who are worse off than me.

Under this so-called 'awful' system in the U.S. I had a family member who was diagnosed with NHL and skillfully treated by excellent doctors in top-notch medical facilities. They recieved over a half-MILLION dollars in medical care and I paid a grand total of $5,000. I'd be paying just as much (or more) under a social system in the form of taxes and 'denied care'. Every social plan so far includes premium payments, copays, and prescription drug costs - so 'free' it ain't...

People get medical care in the US just fine. The sad-sack horror stories that neolibs drag out are rare exceptions. Most people in the US get fantastic medical care at very affordable prices. For every person who has a bad experience in the US system, there are equal numbers who have horror stories about thier socialized medicine.

This dictomatic language of "Oh my social system is PERFECT and your private one is hell on earth...!" is so typical of the neolib left. Neolibs can't have a discussion on an issues without resorting to propoganda, logical fallacies, exaggeration, and outright deception. They have no sense of nuance and substance.

The fact is that there are many very valid arguments against socialized medicine. The US government's current medical care programs are abject failures. With a track record like Medicare and Medicaid, why would anyone with a brain assume that the US government is going to run a clean, tight ship with its so-called 'public option' of Obamacare? And PLEASE... Spare me the bologna of "well the government runs medical care just fine for congress and the military..." People who say that crap are comparing grapes to basketballs.

>> ^HadouKen24:
>> ^bobknight33:
Health care need to stay out of the Government hands. Look at the VA system. What a piss poor under funded system. If out government can't get the VA right than we should not let the Government screw the rest of us.

The VA system used to be crap. Reforms pushed through in the middle and late 90's have dramatically improved its quality of care. The VA health care system now outperforms the private sector in nearly every area.


That should be the case, since the military screens out applicants who perform poorly on its cognitive ability test, and low cognitive ability scores correlate with poor medical outcomes. (It's hard to manage your health when you have difficulty reading). If the studies you're referring to weren't looking at cognitive ability-matched samples, then their conclusions are meaningless. (Scientists make these kinds of mistakes constantly.)

Even given the above expectation, in the last couple of years (after the 90s), all we hear about the VA are horror stories. That would be great if your claim is true. Can you provide citations to support it?

That is a very good *viral. Maybe inspired by one of the oldest virals:



http://www.thebloodfactory.com/ itself seems like a pretty cool site. Too bad they don't have embeds.

*edit
I have now seen each short gory horror story they have. And I must say I'm impressed. Those videos are really sick, twisted and smart. I recommend going to the site and also seeing the videos, if your not put off by large amounts of gore, that is.

I hear the original had to do with the xenophobia happening in south africa currently. Now, 15+ years after apartheit, it's not black vs white, it's local vs foreigners .. the foreigners being , zimbabwean, nigerian, angolans etc. these are percieved as bringing more poverty to already poverty striken areas. so with the foreigners drugs and crime follow and so does fear and hatred towards them. I have a couple of zimbabweans employed and can tell you horror stories. the one guy during the violence couldn't reach his wife in a township. clever thing is they patrolled the "taxi" ranks , knowing there was no alternative means of getting into the township. it's like canned lion hunting they get delivered to you neatly wrapped in a box. (for those that don't know the taxi companies run rackets here, so they are normally involved in this sort of stuff)

This video should be put in front of anyone who belives that the media is free and balanced. It should mandatory viewing for all journalists.

For anyone interested in the horror story behind the case, see www.schapelle.net. The censorship is against someone whose human rights have been systematically abused. Schapelle Corby never had a chance: she has been in her cell for going on 5 years, with 15 still to serve (she may well not survive).

For the Australian government, their strategic relationship with Indoensia trumps her human rights every time. The media play ball.

Here's a good horror story.

http://www.videosift.com/video/The-Black-Cat

>> ^imstellar28:
you are not demonstrating a clear understanding of market forces, nor are you demonstrating a clear understanding of our educational system.

Feel free to tell me what part of my prediction is inaccurate when you make slurs against my intelligence.

>> ^imstellar28:
currently the bulk of our educational system is paid for by state property taxes. the argument in this thread is about relinquishing federal control--namely over curricula and standards.

I'm pretty sure we've been arguing about the place of any government in the education system. Otherwise this discussion is pointless (a distinct possibility). I'd be perfectly happy to get rid of the federal government's influence and go back to state controlled education. That was when it was the best education available in the world. I was fortunate enough to catch the tail end of that educational system, as the federal government was starting to interfere. Since that time I've listened to the horror stories of my parents (who were both grade school teachers) and friends who have become teachers after college. Nothing but contempt for the rapidly degenerating system.

>> ^imstellar28:
the beauty of the free market is that the price of milk, for example, is set by the millions of "votes" made every second worldwide. when someone buys milk, or doesn't buy it, or buys less or more, they are transmitting how much milk is worth to them.

Did you even read my post? That is exactly the basis for my prediction. Some people will place a high value on education, and allocate their resources accordingly, but far too many will either not value it at all, or be unable/unwilling to pay what is sure to be a much higher cost than parents currently pay in taxes. The current price per student in the US is somewhere around $10,000 per year, but the price per taxpayer is much less because the burden is spread. We do that because the education of the nation's youth benefits everybody (assuming we can repair the system so that our students actually begin to learn again).

>> ^imstellar28:
if i choose to home school my children, or pay a private tutor, or use online education such as dvds and video lectures in order to reduce the cost and/or increase the quality of education my child receives--who are you to tell me otherwise?

I am a single white male with no children. I have an average job and receive average pay. I cannot afford to purchase a house in the current market. Despite this, I will happily pay my share in taxes with the hope that it will increase the intelligence of the people I share this planet with. Who are you?

And just so we're clear, if milk went up to $8 per gallon, I'd stop drinking it. That's a lousy analogy.

>> ^MINK:
^whereas the pharmaceutical industry is a group of competent and honest people with incentives to make people healthy? how about that health insurance industry? they have your health as their number one priority?


They don't have to be competent and honest, they simply have to be put in an environment in which their desires to collude with government-specific powers are disabled. Neo-con socialists and democratic socialists alike (this includes you) vote for people who want to subsidize, charge income taxes, and inflate, but tell me: how does a company bribe a politician for a special subsidy when subsidies are illegal? How does a company bribe a politician for a special tax credit if income taxes don't exist? A libertarian like Ron Paul knows the powers were idealist in nature and can't but be abused, so he's going to remove them entirely. That's exactly how you solve the problem. It isn't by talking tough with one hand and taking a lobbyist's payout on the other like every other candidate. And it isn't Nader's solution to get ANOTHER government agency to oversee this bullshit which will invariably degenerate into another bloodsucking corrupt agency after his well-meaning sponsors die off and are replaced by the order of the day.

And regarding health quality, the average lifespan of a white American male has gone from 50 in 1900 to almost 80 today. That's pretty good considering we eat like crap. You want to cite socialist nations which are dependent on imports developed by capitalist sources? How about the horror stories where people are waiting months for a scan to reveal a tumor before it's too late? Or how about the true cases of people who had tumors, but the government hospitals refused to operate on them because they didn't believe their chances of surviving were good enough to justify the cost of operating? At which point they paid for private care and lived.

The two things you're missing are these: companies are out to make a sustainable profit. Government is supposed to make sure they're not infringing on rights, and to provide courts for recourse in the event that they do. In that environment, the only way to make a profit and keep it is to give customers what they want. Do you want bullshit drugs that make you sick? No. So how could a company profit from ruining your life? With the internet and informational publications as easy to obtain as ever, they can't.

If you research some more, you'll find that the HMO act and Medicare are some of the most fiscally irresponsible and collusive enablements out there. Those, the central bank, and inflation enabled by not restricting the government to non-inflatable money are THE reasons private health care costs (and gas, and groceries, and well... everything) are becoming increasingly unaffordable. These are all socialist policies doomed to failure and that's exactly what you're getting. And your solution is more government? You're NUTS. You're barking up the completely wrong tree.

>> ^MINK:
^jesus i have no idea why people want to privatise EVERYTHING. We live together in a community. A little bit of "commun"ism is natural. Otherwise you are talking about walking around with a concealed loaded weapon all day, paying corporations to fix your gunshot wounds. Instant utopia, eh?


Communism/socialism is defined as what percentage of your labor is owned "communally" via its populist government rather than its earner. If you own someone else's labor, why work harder than the next guy? Where's the disincentive to being the lazy, unproductive one in the group when you're gauranteed the same share? Where's the incentive to work and think harder than anyone and innovate new things to get a bigger share? What happens when the government dictates unproductive positions in society, like who the artists and athletes are? These are the crushing oversight that causes every socialist big government economy to degenerate into equal misery and financial collapse.

>> ^MINK:
^I mean private TV companies are so competent and efficient, right? Let's do for our health what we did for our TV networks!! wohooo!


Besides the fact that airwaves are heavily regulated by government already, you want the content itself to be owned entirely by the government because private owners have a political bias one way or the other? Guess what happens when the government owns it. All channels = one side. I must be dreaming you said that and got rated up by the idealist socialist smeg-for-brains on this site. You don't understand the inherent costs of the best system (capitalism), you're just blinded by the false promise of a benevolent dictator who will come in and sweep away the scapegoats, and in the process you and people like you will lead us to bankruptcy and fascism.

A horror story I think you might be interested in.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TShPYA-OuPs

I love how liberal Christians always manage to come up with a "different interpretation" of the Bible. It's pretty clear what it says in black and white, in literal terms... i.e. kill gays. The Bible is a giant horror story, and for you to live your life by it you have to be insane, deluded or just plain ignorant.

If you need a book and an invisible sky-daddy to live a good life, you should see a psychiatrist.

I wasn't a big fan of Ju-On, to be honest. I feel as though J-Horror opts for the shock instead of the story a lot of times. Their stories feel lazy even if the concept is attention grabbing, such as in Ringu where the concept is a VHS tape that can kill you.

Ringu wasn't nearly as good as The Ring. I've analyzed the US version forwards and backwards, and it is about as damn perfect as a horror story can be. I can write my dissertation on it, but I'll save everyone from sheer boredom. Let me say this, however. In the US version, The Director, Gore Verbinski, did a great job of crafting a great pace and tone for the story, and the screenwriter(s) did an excellent job of taking the lazier and unpolished Japanese version of the story and creating something a touch more in-depth. For instance, in Ringu it is suggested that the mother of Sadako might have had sex with a sea monster or something like that, but in the US version the father of Samara was a horse breeder, and because Samara's mother was incapable of giving birth, well, you can probably see where it went from there. They imply that Samara was birthed in a horse. What makes this significant over the Japanese version, in my opinion, is that the the US theme can easily be summed up as demonstrating the price of "crimes against nature" and we recognize it as something cautionary which is where the great horror mythologies begin.

The Japanese version isn't insinuating a cautionary tale, but rather just displaying a series of supernatural or metaphysical evils, because if the mother of Sadako was to have sex with a sea monster or the sea itself (or whatever is being implied there), then it's not grounded within our reality and therefore it's impossible for us to glean a cautionary tale from their story. It becomes fantasy horror at that point, and without a solid theme for us to relate with on a subconscious Joseph Campbell sort of way, then (for me) the story doesn't succeed as well. I've kind of glossed over the differences in the interest of not writing a diatribe. These are broad strokes here, but I think I did a decent job illustrating my point.

Luckily I stumbled across your comment while I was reviewing my old sifts. What a great comment! If we could sift comments here this would be the first one I'd pick. Thanks so much for sharing.

In reply to this comment by Jordass:
Whats sad about this is i have a friend that did 2 years in the peacecore in the highest concetrated area of AIDS and AIDS related fatality in the world. She left after that because it ate her soul and in her own words "its fucked". She lost hope because warlords and others spread rumors that America invented the AIDS virus and infected them on purpose to kill the black man and she said many people there believed it. She was in charge of AIDS education but many didnt trust her, they thought she was there to infect more people by saying its "treatment". They also all refused condoms or any other type of safe sex either because of religous reasons or again distrust but still held to their right to have sex when ever they wanted. Everyone had mistresses, men and women, multiple ones as well, that both parties knew about. She was able to get through to some but nothing seemed to change since a lot of the people that she did get through to died anyway. She use to write emails 20 pages long to me once a month (the only time she had computer access) that i saved. All with horror stories and how today she held a child in her arms while they died. She has never been the same since.