I like how Ron Paul basically makes her pay for wasting his time by wasting her time with a meandering answer to the SECOND ATTEMPT at dragging him into bullshit.

I don't see where we disagree... Maybe I wasn't clear; the opinion pages and editorials in the NYTimes are left-leaning, just as the opinion pieces and editorials on MSNBC are left-leaning. The news on MSNBC and NYTimes are NOT left-leaning, just as the news (typically) is not presented as right-leaning on Fox News.

People don't blog about or tweet about Fox News or MSNBC when they are just presenting the news, they share Rachel Maddow digging into someone, or Bill O'Reilly yelling about something. These aren't the news, just as the opinion pages of the NYT or the WSJ are not the news.


---------
In reply to this comment by Yogi:
>> ^bamdrew:

This is MSNBC. MSNBC is the New York Times of networks... informative, accurate, and often very well presented, but with a left-wing opinion page. They don't pretend otherwise, unlike 'fair and balanced' Fox News. If you want the middle ground watch PBS or CNN (or BBC in the UK or ABC in Australia); the only bias on these networks is the unavoidable bias of choosing which stories to showcase (about international policy, about the environment, etc. can appear 'biased' but cover a topic of journalistic interest).
>> ^My_design:
Boy these guys are clearly routing for Obama ...



The New York Times is definitely not Left Wing. For instance they report WITH GUSTO the atrocities of others but not of the United States. The New York Times only appears Left because it reports some things that the US does wrong around the world, where as other papers around the planet report much much more. We are insulated from these things so things appear Left when they are actually very much Right and in support of the State.

I saw a low-key Obama quietly forcing Romney to define more and more of what he is supposedly running on.

I hope he continues to do the same in the next one. Gov. Romney has made it this far by making a lot of promises with no sense in how they will actually be paid for or accomplished.

... I still can't believe his example for ways he would find money was defunding PBS.

This is MSNBC. MSNBC is the New York Times of networks... informative, accurate, and often very well presented, but with a left-wing opinion page. They don't pretend otherwise, unlike 'fair and balanced' Fox News. If you want the middle ground watch PBS or CNN (or BBC in the UK or ABC in Australia); the only bias on these networks is the unavoidable bias of choosing which stories to showcase (about international policy, about the environment, etc. can appear 'biased' but cover a topic of journalistic interest).

>> ^My_design:

Boy these guys are clearly routing for Obama ...

What if I said that much of what we consider advanced human society is simply a network of selfish people individually interested in maximizing pleasure and avoiding displeasure?

What if I said that, other than hugely displeasurable experiences (disease, war, famine, etc., all displeasure) there are few other driving factors to advance modern human society outside of selfish desire for more pleasure?

The success of capitalism is the recognition that a society can be built around this with some rules that keep everyone from trampling everyone else.

We exist in a society built upon selfishness, where products beget products in an endless stream. Have you seen the new 'retina display' ipads? And the new Batman movie? And the new coffee brand that the local store is carrying that you heard is good? And the new treatment for that disorder you have? This is the current state of human society. Bernays and others recognized that tweaking things here and there for their own selfish gain was not only successful, but successful beyond their expectations. Bernays and people like him don't see themselves as 'taking advantage of' or 'cheating' others, though they will readily admit that marketing is manipulation.

Many of us look around now and say, 'this marketing and consumerism has gone to far!'. Why? I suggest this is because aggressive, constant barrages of these marketing tactics is leading your typical person to feel displeasure due to constantly being pitched to, and displeasure at recognizing the unending attempts at manipulation. This displeasure is outweighing the pleasure of participating in some areas of our society.

What will this lead to? Maybe a happy medium, maybe a swing the other direction, maybe an incredible swing to a 'matrix'-like dystopia where we are happily asleep in our minds, maximally pleased with the state of things.

>> ^Dread:

I'm of the opinion that these methods of massive crowd manipulation are unfortunately a blight... I do instead see a few very wealthy individuals throughout society whom most assuredly endorse and utilize these systems... I wonder if they are truly happy?

I'm pro-gay marriage, but this is just a guy refusing to accept money for a service due to personal beliefs/opinions. Gay marraige is non-traditional, and will remain 'atypical' in many people's eyes for a couple more decades. Personally, I can't be mad at people who think of themselves as traditional/conservative when they act in the way they self-define.

If a creepy 55 year old guy and a quiet little 17 year-old came into my hypothetical bakery, would I refuse to make a cake for their wedding? Maybe ... maybe thats my limit to what is socially acceptable... and I think it would be my prerogative to refuse serving them.


(p.s. I up-arrowed a good number of Shiny's comments to offset down-arrows... in my mind 'downvoting' on this site is reserved for innapropriate comments, like personal attacks.)

CAUTION: this is one man's hypothesis.

Serious research goes into improving and testing choking and resuscitation techniques.

This wonderful gentleman is sharing his thoughts on a potentially very useful solo-Hemlich technique, not teaching something that has proven utility in real situations with variable body types (not just muscley ex-boxer firefighters, but busty middle-age women, skinny computer-nerd twenty-somthings, elderly post-hipsurgery grandpas, etc.).

I was going to say something about how thanks to that helmet he now has a second-chance to do something clever with that brain of his,

... but then the lens flare and 'rate comment subscribe!' promotion came up and I realized the best I should hope for is he won't follow trucks as closely.

Oh man, they missed their chance to become superheroes... or possibly travel through time

eeek, check out the passenger side of the front windshield... possibly someone wearing a white shirt launched forward from the backseat

I think he's being Chrometastic.>> ^kymbos:

Are you being sarcastic?>> ^Quboid:
Does anyone else get messed up quotes when they're nested several times? I think I've got them ever since switching to Chrome.

I also tend to laugh and smile immediately after (and sometimes during) overwhelming situations. I think it at least in part is a reflexive way that we socially acknowledging with others that an intense thing just happened, and we rode it out and we're now in the aftermath of it right?

Also... adrenaline.

>> ^shagen454:

I can't tell if he is smiling the whole time or if that is his "fuck" face.

I thought he seemed rather ... cocky.

>> ^Jinx:

This was fucking excellent.
That Tommy guy seems really sweet. I hope he finds what he is looking for.

I live in a smallish town in the midwest; there is a community orchestra and a generally 'old-person' community band that play outdoors a few times each year. Also community theater. Also an inexpensive 'artist work space' thats really a big warehouse that a guy rents out sections of for people to work on, view and collaborate in art projects. Also... well, a lot more.

When I first got here I needed not only to find people and pay attention to postings about these things, but also to appreciate that these things are actually fun, and the quirkiness and unprofessional-ness of much of it can actually be charming when there is no pretentiousness.

>> ^Payback:

Why does neat stuff like this only happen in foreign countries?
I mean, other than them all being arrested for disturbing the peace or street performing without a permit.

Was in Texas recently... drive through BBQ down there. Heaps of 'em.

>> ^Grimm:

What's lazy about a drive-thru ATM? Doesn't every kind of drive-thru qualify as lazy if that's how you're looking at it. Why not go one step further and say we are lazy for using a car in the first place.