Just have to remember to start the CD on the third roar of the lion . . .

Always wonderful seeing sifter meatbags hanging out in atmosphere and it looks like a rip-roaring good time. Thanks for all the photos! Feels like I was there.

I just got word from siftbot that your much sought after Meatspace badges have been doled out. Enjoy!

http://lyrics.wikia.com/John_K._Samson:Longitudinal_Centre

This spring made winter an insulting opening offer down the passing lane
It's getting harder to negotiate, thawing out and icing up again
Past the Mint, where a circle of provincial flags are flagging in the front yard
I'm tired of trying to make us think that it hasn't always been so hard

The sky looks sea-sick on the boxcar sway
Where the Atlantic and Pacific are the very same far away

So the sun pulls me out a bit and lets me go, I'm a vacuum power cord
In the back of that van full of kids, cleaning carpets for the Lord
And I make a little list of sounds I found have comforted us in the past
The roar of the rumble strips and the Mennonite meter of the flood forecast

Oh, how the wind strums on those signs that say
The Atlantic and Pacific are the very same far away

Steer this boat around the slowplow spray
While the Atlantic and Pacific are the very same far away

>> ^quantumushroom:

The flip side is liberals roaring that a woman is not to be judged for her potential lack of morality, but when she gets knocked up without being married, we 'all' have to pitch in and subsidize her irresponsibility.


If we want to live in a society where we care for one another and that works. Also a society where having children is something of value, than I wouldn't call it subsidizing irresponsibility. I would call that being a "village" in the old world sense where we chip in and work together.

If viagra is covered by insurance, I don't see why an IUD or the pill can't be.>> ^quantumushroom:

All right, Cenk. You claim the insurance companies WANT to pay for contraception? Then why do we need socialists to pass this law to MAKE them pay for it?
Harsh language aside, who is the mentioned women fooling about "expensive" contraception? Can't afford a pack of Trojans? She can't convince the (presumable) dude to buy and bring them along? Bullsh1t. I pay for my own chloroform, they can pay for the lingerie.
It's been pointed out that 'small-government' conservatives are hypocritically invading the bedroom, and some of that criticism is warranted.
The flip side is liberals roaring that a woman is not to be judged for her potential lack of morality, but when she gets knocked up without being married, we 'all' have to pitch in and subsidize her irresponsibility.

All right, Cenk. You claim the insurance companies WANT to pay for contraception? Then why do we need socialists to pass this law to MAKE them pay for it?

Harsh language aside, who is the mentioned women fooling about "expensive" contraception? Can't afford a pack of Trojans? She can't convince the (presumable) dude to buy and bring them along? Bullsh1t. I pay for my own chloroform, they can pay for the lingerie.

It's been pointed out that 'small-government' conservatives are hypocritically invading the bedroom, and some of that criticism is warranted.

The flip side is liberals roaring that a woman is not to be judged for her potential lack of morality, but when she gets knocked up without being married, we 'all' have to pitch in and subsidize her irresponsibility.

You can make a cuica out of any drum. Just cut a small hole in the middle of the head, run a bit of small somewhat-gritty string or twine (friction is important) through it and knot it on the other side. Apply some tension to the head and you are good to go. Hold the string with one hand and apply friction with the other. A little spit on your fingers will help too. The deeper the drum, the deeper the roar.

Thanks man!
In reply to this comment by Boise_Lib:
*quality

But... not before rolling on the ground in histerical laughter after one of those wankers tried to ward us off with a ferocious "roar".
lmao

>> ^TheSofaKing:

I'm not surprised we killed them off if they sounded like that.

It sometimes bugs me when people assume a "sonic boom" only occurs when the aircraft passes into, and then out of, supersonic flight. When in fact, the boom is a pressure wave that continuously propogates along the flight path, more of a "sonic roar" and only a boom because YOU aren't moving.


(ps. this isn't a comment on anything people have said here, just anecdotal)

The bestial roar he lets out originally is 100,000 more emotional.

So many misconceptions to correct - sometimes the Videosift is like a part time job.

1. It is a distraction to say, "well the GOP ran up the debt too". Yes. They did. And the Tea Party hated that too. The Tea Party is against debt. That's pretty much their single issue. Tea Party members today were angry GOP members in 2008 that didn't vote for McCain, and stayed away from the GOP as a whole as Obama got elected. But in 2010 they roared back that they were sick of it because - no matter how hard the neolibs try to distract with the red-herring of GOP economic sloppiness - there was no denying that Obama and the Dems were 5X worse. Debt has increased under Obama in 2 years to the tune of over 3X as much as Bush's debt during 8 years. That's bad, and the Tea party hates it no matter who is doing it. And that's why they refuse to accept the typical Washington bullcrap and elect guys who will finally take a stand like Jason Chaffitz.

2. "Tea Party is destroying the system." Bullcrap. The system was busted way before this debt debate came along. We're 17 trillion in debt, and the "deal" (ha) cuts a piddling 2.1 trillion over 10 years and it BACKLOADED to the butt-end of years 8, 9, and 10. That's a pathetic 200 billion a year - and they aren't even going to start doing the cuts right now. And yet the 'deal' (HA!) allows them to go 2.4 trillion further into debt right now. The S&P downgrade is not unfair. It is - if anything - rather generous considering the nation is spending 28.5% more than it takes in, and is in debt to the tune of 591% of the budget. Add on that the fact that the Democrats have refused to pass a budget for the past 800 days, and only the brain of an addled neolib could possibly conclude that this is all the Tea Party's fault.

3. "We can't cut anything!" Bullcrap. The US government builds in an 8% growth in every budget every year. There is no business or nation on the PLANET or in ALL HISTORY that has ever sustained a constant YOY 8% increase in growth even in GOOD times, let along times of flat GDP growth or economic reduction. WHy should the Feds get an 8% budget increase when the GDP has only been at 1%? The federal government has built in this baseline budget as a means of insulating themselves from reality. Well - it is time to strip the insulation away. The entire federal budget can be immediately frozen at 2011 numbers, and it will represent a TEN TRILLION dollar 'cut' over 10 years (the way Washington defines it). But the reality is that they would not be 'cutting' a single dime. They would simply not be GROWING at a ridiculous 8% rate. The assumption that every federal program MUST have 8% (or more) of growth every year or face default is preposterous. And yet you neolibs swallow this completely idiotic premise as if it was ironclad reality. Just think - a simple freeze of the 2011 budget would reduce our 17 trillion dollar debt to a far more managable 7 trillion. And yet we are expected to believe the government even sacrifice its massive rate of GROWTH without defaulting. Bullcrap.

At fist I thought this was rather crazy. If you would of asked in the roaring 20's if there come a day when they would be forced to deliver their gold to the government, they would of thought you a mad man. But then, it is 1933 and the depression is in full swing. Executive order 6102 is issued for all to see. Great economic disasters silence critics. Now that the dollar is a "world reserve" currency, the world itself owes to the stability of the dollar, more or less. Times aren't tuff enough for us to be able to politically demand the worlds gold, nor does this president have the "right stuff" to make such demands. And perhaps the US isn't in the right place in peoples minds to make this demand, or get away with it should I say. But tomorrow is not always like today. I can't even make a claim to the unlikeliness of this to occur. For sure, though, I don't Obama could "get away" with it. It would have to be a more populous candidate, and I see Obama more of an elite. I am not for this, mind you, I just like war gaming out possibilities, and this wasn't as crazy as I initially thought.

You know what that tells me that I wouldn't make that joke at work? Because people I don't know may hear it, and telling jokes is not part of my job, since I'm an IT professional. This really isn't a hard concept to follow. You know what else I don't do at work? Talk about religion for the EXACT SAME REASON! But by your logic, I should never talk about religion to anyone, because someone might get offended! I don't talk politics at work because once again, it's not related to my job, and many people misinterpret things. Again, this is completely unacceptable in any other social setting? OF COURSE NOT! There are times and places for jokes, politics, and religion. Work generally isn't one of them.

It's not racism wrapped in a joke. Period. Definition of racist:

1. the belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by *hereditary factors* and that this endows some races with an *intrinsic superiority* over others
2. abusive or aggressive behaviour towards members of another race on the basis of such a belief

My joke was that society tends to unfairly assume blacks commit wrongdoing just because they're black. Does that imply distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors? No. Does it say one race is super to others because of hereditary factors? No.

It's not racist. It is a social critique of inherent racism in society, mainly of people who are racist by assuming "the black guy did it" because he's black.

FYI, there are plenty of things I could say that aren't racist that are inappropriate for work. At work, you are to avoid doing or saying anything unrelated to your job that unnecessarily inhibits productivity. I really don't understand how you're having a hard time grasping this. It would be inappropriate to come to work wearing a clown wig in my job. Is that racist? NO! Is it wrong to wear clown wigs generally speaking? NO! You're being ridiculous.

HR departments exist to promote productive workplaces, period. Their gripe would be that I made a joke that could have been interpreted as racist, even though it wasn't. Sorting out whether it was racist or not is a waste of company time.

In summary, you're being ridiculous if you think all those comedians and I are racists for telling a joke that is social commentary speaking out against racism.

On to Bachmann...



You lose. She recounted her husband saying, "Now you need to go and get a post-doctorate degree in tax law." You're wrong, period, end of story. There's no "maybe" in that. He said "you need to", and she did it. According to her own words, her husband told her to do this, and she did it because the bible says "wives must be submissive to their husbands." Don't try to weasel your way out of this. That's a sexist view, period. Maher didn't mischaracterize her here in the slightest. He called out what he considers an idiotic stance that is sexist in nature. And he's right, it is sexist. Does he call her a bunch of names? Sure, but understand this - he never once implied that Bachmann or Palin are stupid or anything else BECAUSE they are women. They're stupid because they say stuff like, "I got a post-doctorate degree in law because my husband told me to, and after all, that's what the Bible says!" And guess what that means? His rant wasn't sexist. Biased? Rude? Sure. But let's call it what it was.

Calling both of them bimbos isn't sexist. He's stating they're both females who lack intelligence. He never implied all women are dumb, or dumber than men, or anything of the sort. Ditto every other joke he made, save the poll dancing, which was implying that's all she was capable intellectually of doing (not women generally), or he was being absurd juxtaposing an extreme conservative with pole dancing as a hobby, or perhaps pointing out that those so bent on "traditional values" are often the ones who commit acts that violate them repeatedly (see several high profile conservative leaders being busted for sexual harassment, homosexual encounters illegally in public places, etc). Not sure which of those, but it never suggested women are dumb because they're women. Unless of course, you're a conservative intentionally trying to misinterpret him, which in that case, kudos!

>> ^Winstonfield_Pennypacker:

I'm smart enough to know I'd never make a joke like that at work.
That should tell you something about it, should it not? If you wouldn't dare tell such a joke at work, why is the implied racism suddenly OK elsewhere? Racism and prejudice are not solitaire, or economic theory. They are cultural poison.
There's an entire section of culture that has been positive in this regard, and you don't see this?!
As I said - I see it. I just do not accept it as valid. I do not consider racism "OK" just because someone is being a racist while winking slyly. I do not accept prejudice as less vicious just because someone wraps it in a joke, or song, or some other form of entertainment. In fact, I think that sort of racism is (if anything) more subtle and therefore more pernicious and harmful. To me cloaking prejudice in entertainment is a cheap dodge, and I consider those who do it to be cowards of the lowest order.
It's therefore NOT RACIST!
And yet you admit you would not dare do it at work, even among your friends. Something "not racist" would be safe at work. The only difference is that at work there is an HR department that can punish you. Therefore you admit your comment IS racist, and your HR department would FIND it racist. But at home since there is no HR department around to punish your private conversations so it's all OK, ha ha ha aren't race jokes funny?
You've never heard of a christian husband telling their wife to do something and then she did it simply because he told her to? Uhhhh, Michelle Bachmann is on record saying that her husband told her to become a tax lawyer, and she did it simply because he told her to.
That's pure Bill Maher (I.E. BS). Bachmans said "the Lord" guided her to get a legal education, and her husband said "maybe you should go into tax law". Bachman has said that she was guided by her religious faith, and all her husband ever did was encourage her to follow her promptings. Her huband did not spank her, sit her down, and "order" her to be a tax lawyer, woman.
So according to Maher, a husband supporting his wife and encouraging her to follow her spiritual impressions is "sexist"? Really? As "sexist" as these wonderful gems?
"Michele Bachman's husband commanded her to become a tax lawyer? Guess she had already mastered pole dancing."
"Sarah Palin... Speaking of dumb tw&ts... (roar of audience laughter)"
"Bachmann, along with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would make two bimbos and then there’s Mitt Romney, a millionaire, Newt Gingrich, a professor. We just need a Skipper and a buddy and we got Gilligan’s Island."
And on and on. Oh - but it's 'funny', so that makes it OK, doesn't it?

I'm smart enough to know I'd never make a joke like that at work.

That should tell you something about it, should it not? If you wouldn't dare tell such a joke at work, why is the implied racism suddenly OK elsewhere? Racism and prejudice are not solitaire, or economic theory. They are cultural poison.

There's an entire section of culture that has been positive in this regard, and you don't see this?!

As I said - I see it. I just do not accept it as valid. I do not consider racism "OK" just because someone is being a racist while winking slyly. I do not accept prejudice as less vicious just because someone wraps it in a joke, or song, or some other form of entertainment. In fact, I think that sort of racism is (if anything) more subtle and therefore more pernicious and harmful. To me cloaking prejudice in entertainment is a cheap dodge, and I consider those who do it to be cowards of the lowest order.

It's therefore NOT RACIST!

And yet you admit you would not dare do it at work, even among your friends. Something "not racist" would be safe at work. The only difference is that at work there is an HR department that can punish you. Therefore you admit your comment IS racist, and your HR department would FIND it racist. But at home since there is no HR department around to punish your private conversations so it's all OK, ha ha ha aren't race jokes funny?

You've never heard of a christian husband telling their wife to do something and then she did it simply because he told her to? Uhhhh, Michelle Bachmann is on record saying that her husband told her to become a tax lawyer, and she did it simply because he told her to.

That's pure Bill Maher (I.E. BS). Bachmans said "the Lord" guided her to get a legal education, and her husband said "maybe you should go into tax law". Bachman has said that she was guided by her religious faith, and all her husband ever did was encourage her to follow her promptings. Her huband did not spank her, sit her down, and "order" her to be a tax lawyer, woman.

So according to Maher, a husband supporting his wife and encouraging her to follow her spiritual impressions is "sexist"? Really? As "sexist" as these wonderful gems?

"Michele Bachman's husband commanded her to become a tax lawyer? Guess she had already mastered pole dancing."
"Sarah Palin... Speaking of dumb tw&ts... (roar of audience laughter)"
"Bachmann, along with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would make two bimbos and then there’s Mitt Romney, a millionaire, Newt Gingrich, a professor. We just need a Skipper and a buddy and we got Gilligan’s Island."

And on and on. Oh - but it's 'funny', so that makes it OK, doesn't it?