At 8/15/05 06:10 PM, Camarohusky wrote: I want to ask one question to clear up a feeling I'm getting.

How many of you have worked/volunteered for the homeless, at a shelter, foodbank, etc.?

I've worked in a food bank, but it was only for a very short period of time.

On top of that a good number, close to the majority if not a vast majority of the homeless are too old, too mentally ill, or too addicicted to drugs to get a job.

Yes, that is absolutely true. I live just a few minutes away from downtown Toronto, and every time I walk on the streets, I can spot a mentally ill homeless person. Some people who volunteer by giving out food to the homeless in one of my school's extracurricular activities were once attacked by an enraged homeless person, until the teacher intervened. I even saw a homeless man clapping his hands while walking down the street, asking in a loud tone "Who farted?". Now, I am not sure whether that was simply for attention or if it was more serious, but given the many other cases I've seen, I can agree with that statement.

Though ( in all sincerity) I cannot personally compare the amount of homeless people in Toronto to many other cities, I've heard several times that it contains a very high number. A lot of people utter "you're too young, get a job" and such, but many passers-by (myself included) cannot truly realise in what situation they are.

I believe Orwell (Eric Blair) said it best with:

"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. "

I've actually been thinking extensively about this, too. Of course, one can say what he/she likes (haha..see how I'm being politically correct already?), but such a person will always have to face popular opinion.

I haven't seen intolerance so much in the 'real world' (obviously because of its suppression), but rather on forums, where anonymity and flaming are rampant. Many intellectuals have suggested to "not swim against the current" but to conform to such an ideal creates a sense of helplessness, at least for me. The truth is, people are easily offended (or at least they believe so). Expressing a 'negative' opinion or trying to change someone else's pattern of thought will very often warrant negative feedback and reactions in return.

The solution? Silence truly is golden in this case. Even though you're entitled to it, announcing your opinion is futile and possibly even detrimental among the wrong crowd. Expressing it may sometimes even lead others to believe you are imposing your opinion upon them. However, whatever happens, you can always entertain the idea in your mind, where it is safe from all denigration.

Of course, this is only my solution; there is no definite one.

At 7/12/05 11:50 AM, Proteas wrote: -----------------------

However, it is worth noting that Bush failed to translate this policy into securing the U.S.-Mexico border through which the nuclear weapons and al-Qaida operatives are believed to have passed with the help of the MS-13 smugglers. He did, however, order the building of underground bunkers away from major metropolitan areas for use by federal government managers following an attack.

Hahahaha...
That's gold RIGHT there. Aren't any of you enraged (if it's true) by this comment?

I personally find the existence of such a multitude of nuclear devices within the United States very unlikely, even despite the vast stretches of the border with Mexico; the surveillance techonology seems to be relatively advanced and well-equipped to detect such 'smuggling runs'. They have even begun the development of a self-flown plane which is able to find immigrants and smugglers, using the latest instruments. Then again, you never know. Of course, they are smugglers and they have lots of (presumably) undefended terrain to cross.

Ingsoc (English Socialism), by far.

Lawsuites, are those lofts for lawyers?

With the advent of the concept of genetic engineering, a huge amount of movies and other media productions based on futuristic societies that feature constant struggles, antipathies, competition and simply relationships between “purebred” and genetically-enhanced humans have emerged. Among these are computer games such as StarCraft, movies such as Gattaca and recent television shows such as Gundam Seed and Witch Hunter Robin, to name a few.

Each of these media projects has a somewhat different approach. In StarCraft, “Project Purification” is carried out, which involves eradicating the “degenerate facets” of society, including genetically modified humans. In Gattaca, one’s true value is his or her DNA structure; the protagonist of the movie is unfortunately a “purebred” who is greatly inferior to his genetically modified co-workers and thus struggles greatly. In the movie, there is incredible ostracism of “natural humans”, including insurance services refusing to cover them, favoritism of potential candidates for jobs, etc. Then, in Gundam Seed, there is a war between the genetically enhanced “coordinators” and the purebred “naturals”.

My question (haha..well, maybe more than one..) is, do you think this is a reality? Is it possible for the events portrayed in these media productions to happen? ? If so, what do you think would happen? Would humanity favour the purebreds or ones who are genetically enhanced (and presumably superior)? Can you think of any other instances of this topic being addressed on a show/game/movie etc. ?

I suggest you look up a philosophy called Existentialism, specifically the stuff written by Jean-Paul Sartre. There is free will, but all of our decisions (due to free will) directly affect everyone around us.

At 11/1/04 04:24 PM, MegaGold wrote: I don't live in Saskatchewan, but some people are trying to take away Halloween in Saskatchewan and so far Halloween is not going to be up next year. There are three people that started it wihich makes them Politics.

Does it really matter any more? The majority of children nowadays don't even go trick-or-treating. Eventually, that tradition will probably die due to lack of interest.

At 10/18/04 04:19 AM, Spookshow wrote: I've noticed a heavy decline in both jobs, and ambition here in my city. It seems that the rich are getting richer, while the poor are either: Barely making it or are heavily in debt.

That's sustainable development for 'ya =).

Dammit, sorry guys.

Here's the link:
http://www.freewebs.com/infinity_haven/artwork.htm

-RuthlessBastard

OK, I've been a bit pissed lately because hardly anyone I know can make any sense at all out of some comics I've been drawing for my school newspaper.

Yes, the majority of these comics don't have much political relation, but I would say the last one does for sure. Anyways, you guys are perhaps the only serious people in a forum I can ask. If you guys have any free time, can you:

1) Try to identify the figures in comics 2 and 3 - especially if you are Canadian (The guy in number 3 is NOT Bush).

2) Give me your opinion on the comic?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

-RuthlessBastard

At 8/7/04 01:34 PM, Burning_Liberal wrote: I can't find the 2004 DNC Platform anywhere that doesn't give me a pdf file. I can't read pdf files because my reader is fucked. I need a link to a webpage. Does anyone have a web site I can print the platform from?

Why don't you just download your PDF viewer again?
Click here .

At 8/7/04 10:30 AM, GOOIE wrote:
I think it was carried out as planned. I read one of the original copies of Mein Kampf (in german) and it clearly stated that the extermination of the Jews was a necessary step in World Domination.

With Hitler in power, I have no doubt that he told everyone that it was going to work that way. Round them up and kill them off.

Oh, and I've never met anyone that has denyed it (except for Peter on Family Guy). Germans are upset about it, though.

*Gasp*

You met Peter?!

On a serious note, GOOIE is correct. I read an abridged copy of Mein Kampf, and I can tell you guys that the Jewish Genocide was by no means an accident. Perhaps it escalated past a level that they wanted it to, but it was still planned.

At 8/6/04 04:40 AM, -Brandon- wrote: And this one.

(In Billions)

Do you have an accurate, legitimate source for these statistics?

Hmmm..

My history teacher told us a story a while back about a man that was both one of the history teachers for a high school and the mayor of the town that it was located in. He taught his students that the Holocaust didn't even exist. Eventually the kids' parents found out and were outraged. Anyways, to make the story short, he went to the supreme court of Canada and made a case that he should be able to deny its existence under our constitution because of freedom of speech. He was still punished, however, because he was teaching students in a classroom. Had he done it on a street corner or something, it would've been much different.

I think that the Jewish Holocaust is much too over-hyped. Yeah, sure, millions died in the genocide; I understand that. But, I think it's unfair how the Jewish genocide received so much more attention/coverage/whatever than many other genocides. For example, have any of you heard of the Rwanda genocide? If you haven't (excluding for those who have learned about it in history class or whatever), I'm not surprised. More than 800 000 people died over the course of merely 100 days. Better yet, the countries protecting the people that were going to be slaughtered deliberately pulled out their troops before things got too nasty and let the people fend for themselves and ultimately, die. There have been tons of genocides we haven't even heard about that are much worse than the Holocaust. Isn't it unfair?

[Read more about the Rwanda Genocide, if you're interested]

It doesn't stop there. What bothers me most is the fact there are much worse things happening in the world right now. About 24 000 people die every day from starvation. That equals over 8 million every year. [Source]

If my math is correct, isn't that already more than the number of Jews that died in the Holocaust? I've never seen a T.V. station broadcast these figures on the news. The worst part is people dying from starvation don't only die for only a few years (such as the Jewish in the Holocaust). No, these people have died for ages and will continue to die for many more unless we intervene. I do realise that there are organisations present for this matter, but it's still not enough. The Jewish Genocide is over now; other genocides continue and thousands more die. We live in a sad, sad world...

Anyways, that's my rant for today. Does anyone agree with me?

At 8/3/04 02:09 PM, mabzie wrote: people always how the nazis killed jews, but most people dont know (mostly because its not taught in schools) about how the japanese killed 20 million chinese civillians during WWII

That's not true; if you take any High School (or up) history course, you will most likely learn about that. Besides, the Japanese didn't only kill Chinese civilians during WWII -- they killed many troops stationed there from other countries, including Canada, I believe the U.S., and many more. What was even worse was the condition of their POW camps and how they treated captives.

At 8/3/04 01:11 AM, spanishfli wrote:
Has anybody else noticed this? Why is are some cases capitalized while others aren't?

Yes, I've noticed that a lot where I live. I know you're not Canadian, but our countries are very similar. Anyways, you might find the article that I'm about to post quite interesting. I hope it answers at least some of your questions.

http://www.canadiancontent.ca/articles/071502mediaracism.html

Check it out :)

Standing for Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting, this organisation keeps an eye out for stuff such as media bias, censorship, etc. I've been looking through this site for about a day now, and some of the articles are great. Anyways, I just thought some of you would be interested. Their URL is:

http://www.fair.org

At 8/2/04 02:52 PM, Fryl0ck wrote: I do jackass, I only forget to put commas in, which is punctuation not grammar. IM SORRY OK god damn

Do you mind explaining this sentence then?

"I think the year 2020 because of the national debt that Chinese has been so brilliantly buying from us so they can invade Taiwon one day and moral values"

From what I personally understand, a country, such as China can buy national debt from another nation? A country can invade moral values?

If a country could fall due to national debt, practically every country in the world would. The U.S. wouldn't fall, because so many more countries owe money to the U.S. than the other way around.

At 8/2/04 02:23 PM, Fryl0ck wrote:

:I think the year 2020 because of the national debt that Chinese has been so brilliantly buying from us so they can invade Taiwon one day and moral values

What the hell are you talking about? It would be easier to understand your point if you learned how to use proper grammar in your sentences.

Ahem, I'm asking what THEIR reaction to our planet would be, not OUR reaction to their presence.

Anyone?

If some sort of alien creatures that were completely ignorant of our customs, social systems, etc. visited earth, what kind of reaction do you think they would have concerning our ways of life?

Haha..I was laughing my ass off at this one..

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------
What Is Politics?

Son: Dad, I have to do a special report for school. Can I ask you a question?

Father: Sure, son. What's the question?

Son: What is politics?

Father: Well, let's take our home for example. I am the wage earner, so let's call me “Capitalism.” Your mother is the administrator of money, so we'll call her “The Government" We take care of your needs, so we'll call you “the People.” We'll call the maid “the Working Class,” and your baby brother we can call “the Future.” Do you understand, son?

Son: I'm not really sure, Dad. I'll have to think about it.

That night, awakened by his baby brother's crying, the boy went to see what was wrong. Discovering that the baby had seriously soiled his diaper, the boy went to his parents' room and found his mother sound asleep. He went to the maid's room where, peeking through the keyhole, he saw his father in bed with the maid. The boy's knocking went totally unheeded by his father and the maid, so the boy returned to his room and went back to sleep. The next morning he reported to his father.

Son: Dad, now I think I understand what politics is.

Father: Good, son! Can you explain it to me in your own words?

Son: Well, dad, while Capitalism is screwing the Working Class, The Government is sound asleep, the People are being completely ignored and the Future is full of shit.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------

This joke is actually phrased in many different ways and there are tons of versions. I got this one from jokes.com.

At 7/30/04 02:48 PM, ShadowMind wrote:
Here's how I figure:
It's all about greed, at the moment american greed. The american democracy has come to expect a higher standard of living. They live a better life because they can, while the rest of the world does their best to survive. The entire world could live better lives, but they won't; that's not the way things work or have ever worked. The rich will always live better lives at the expense of the poor, and the poor will be miserable and angry as a result.

And that, my friend, is what you call today's problem with "sustainable development". The gap between the rich and the poor is increasing as we speak--not steadily or in small amounts, but massively as time progresses.

It's a pattern that has endlessly repeated itself through history to the dawn of man. I believe that we will never have true peace because people are unwilling to settle for having "just enough" they always want more, even if there is enough for everyone. We are always fighting for more, and that desire will forever prevent us from having lasting peace.

Yes, it's quite sad. Greed is a desire carried by all of us; it's part of our human nature. The reason for [monetary] greed is simply that people do not know what they want, so they use money as an escapism device.

Questions/Comments/Opinions/Flames?

You raise a good point in your post. I'm actually surprised that you just realised something like this at your age. In my opinion, peace is unattainable because we were not created for peaceful purposes. Humans were made to compete, to survive, to fulfill their urges. It's quite ironic that all of our laws, commandments and suggested social behaviour contradicts with our natural desires and behaviour. Anyways, good point. So far, there's no way to make a peaceful world.

In the words of Tom Waits, "I'd rather have a free bottle in front of me than a prefrontal lobotomy."

I only have some Bush quotes, but these are hilariously stupid. (Thank you dubyaspeak.com !

-At this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly outta Ronald Reagan Airport.

-Laura and I will thank them from the bottom of my heart.

-When you have your own money, it means you've got more money to spend.

-The benefits of helping somebody is beneficial.

-We're in for a long struggle, and I think Texans understand that. And so do Americans.

-Sometimes when I sleep at night I think of "Hop on Pop".

-I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn't here.

-And one of the things we've got to make sure that we do is anything.

-We're making the right decisions to bring the solution to an end.

-Border relations between Canada and Mexico have never been better.

-I've been to war. I've raised twins. If I had a choice, I'd rather go to war.

-I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for predecessors as well.

-You teach a child to read and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.

-No, I know all the war rhetoric, but it's all aimed at achieving peace.

-My mom often used to say, "The trouble with W" -- although she didn't put that to words.

-In 1994, there were 67 schools in Texas that were rated "exemplorary" according to our own tests.

-I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe -- I believe what I believe is right.

-Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease.

-I understand small business growth. I was one.

-Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream.

I did not believe it was possible that someone could make so many slipups until I browsed through that site.

One of my aunt's sisters works for customs in the Costa Rican airport. Whenever they ask people if they are carrying any possible weapons, if anyone jokes by saying "just a little bomb", etc. then they have to retain them for interrogation for almost the entire day and these people miss their flight, as well.

I can't believe how secure airports have become since 9/11. I remember Tom Fulp saying a while back that he was carrying two aerosol containers from Vietnam (I believe it was Vietnam, I don't really remember the country) and nobody stopped him in customs.

Haha..I'm not even American and I still watched it!

Anyways, I thought it was well written but he failed to address a few important issues. I have to agree with what many of the follow-up people on CNN were saying: he only had two and a half sentences to say about what should be done about the war in Iraq. I even browsed through his site and he has no policy whatsoever concerning its future.

I think that his homeland policies are all very good, and he certainly did put a lot of emphasis upon the "middle class" in the U.S. His campaign and policies sound very promising but we won't know until they are carried out (I hope successfully). However, I do believe that some of his new plans (such as supporting stem cell research) will cause much protest and controversy. I do admire that he's big on technology, though.

Overall, his speech was well delivered and devised. Many people said that he ripped off many former presidents' motos and whatnot, but I don't really care--it was good anyways.

Guys, guys..

I've seen WAY too many people making ridiculous claims without providing a credible and legitimate link (or any other piece of evidence for that matter). I don't want to sound like your school librarian or teacher, but it's important to give solid evidence when stating anything new or something that people may be skeptical about. That's all I wanted to say.

Thanks.

At 7/28/04 07:25 PM, 1Shot-Paddy wrote:
You could have stopped World Hunger for 5!!!! years.

Yes, that is true. But, does the U.S. make a profit while trying to solve world hunger? Apparently not.

I heard that they were thinking about drafting women, too. Is that true?