News thread.

'Polite' moose falls into family basement in Idaho

Poor little moose . Kind of reminds me of the "bull in a china shop" segment on Mythbusters (the bull barely did anything).

Existence of 3-Billion-Year-Old 'Lost Continent' Beneath Indian Ocean Island of Mauritius Confirmed, Study Says

Here's some news about outer space.

Galactic X-rays could lead to further proof of Dark Matter.

The Milky Way is being pushed around the universe.

The Nile Crocodile is Florida's newest invasive species. They are far larger and deadlier then our native alligators.

Males: 13-16 ft long and 1200-1500 pounds but some grow up to 16-20 ft long and weigh 1 ton.

Females-8-12 ft long and 700-900 pounds.

Needless to say, when full grown they have no predators and eat anything that moves. Oh and unlike alligators, they have no qualms about eating humans. Well, if there's a bright side to this, at least we have something that will finally keep those pythons in check.

Mississippi is going to bring back the firing squad because of the controversy over the new batch of lethal injection drugs.

Scientists are drilling into a volcano so it can basically become a giant geothermal power plant.

An orange skinned alligator has been spotted in South Carolina.

Jerry Sandusky's son got arrested for sexual child abuse.

Daddy must be so proud of him...

Scientists Dub Zealandia the World's Newest Continent

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard launch 'smart' and 'advanced' rockets that have a range of 62 miles.

Kim Jong Nan, the half-brother of Kim Jong Un, the Stalinist dictator of North Korea, was killed with VX nerve toxin. The deadliest chemical weapon ever made.

In other words, North Korea used a WMD to kill somebody. Here's how deadly VX is. A tiny drop the size of 1/9th of a grain of sand is enough to kill a normal sized man. Not even venom from animals and plants is that deadly to humans.

Students do better without homework.

Rhedosaurus wrote:

Students do better without homework.

Huh. Where was this program when I was in school??

Granted, I didn't hate every piece of homework given to me, but when it got painful it was very infuriating. Would it be a successful model in the long run, however? So much to wonder.

BarrytheOnyx wrote:

Rhedosaurus wrote:

Students do better without homework.

Huh. Where was this program when I was in school??  

Granted, I didn't hate every piece of homework given to me, but when it got painful it was very infuriating. Would it be a successful model in the long run, however? So much to wonder.

I think it can work, but mainly for kids with ADHD. I myself have this. I was drugged from 7th grade until 12th but my body got used to them so I quit taking them. And even then, there were days when it didn't start to work until a few hours later. Today, my body has odd reactions that make taking these drugs impractical. Not only that, but I think that we as a society should be better off if we realize t that we should be able to make the best out having ADHD instead of drugging them to conformity via Brave New World, which is something society has been doing since the 1990's.


http://nypost.com/2016/05/11/stop-drugging-adhd-kids-and-start-teaching-them-to-use-their-gifts/

the way i see it, it would be a decent social experiment to essentially start a new school, or reformat an old one, and just try out something completely different with it: not only this no-homework concept (while also making the "new homework" mandated guardian-supervised activities as outlined in the article rather than just defaulting to sitting around with your eyes glued to a screen) and also adding in the provision of doing what Japanese schools do where, instead of hiring custodial staff and the like, students are assigned to that in rotating shifts at the end of a school day. that's not me proposing something to make American schools look more like something out of anime, i think it could be legitimately successful and is at least worthy of the experiment to see if it could be adapted to Western culture and if it could help improve our society, in the latter case by hopefully giving students something of a work ethic to start them off before graduating

Oshronosaurus wrote:

the way i see it, it would be a decent social experiment to essentially start a new school, or reformat an old one, and just try out something completely different with it: not only this no-homework concept (while also making the "new homework" mandated guardian-supervised activities as outlined in the article rather than just defaulting to sitting around with your eyes glued to a screen) and also adding in the provision of doing what Japanese schools do where, instead of hiring custodial staff and the like, students are assigned to that in rotating shifts at the end of a school day. that's not me proposing something to make American schools look more like something out of anime, i think it could be legitimately successful and is at least worthy of the experiment to see if it could be adapted to Western culture and if it could help improve our society, in the latter case by hopefully giving students something of a work ethic to start them off before graduating

I see that happening with private schools/charter schools first. Then we might see a few public schools do it. That or do some sort of fusion between this method and the current one. The problem is with the teachers unions who would oppose all this.

Sweden returns to conscription
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39140100

We at Finland never stopped conscription  (something I never agreed with but whatever), but it's still voluntary for women unlike at Sweden now. However, it looks like Sweden won't still actually force everyone to go, but it's more like Norway where only selected groups are thrown to army camps. So all in all, even though it's technically conscription for men and women, it's not absolute as Finland and some other countries

It's kind of sad to see the slow return of mandatory army services in Europe after a period when they were slowly abolished few years ago.

It's not really surprising with the resurgence of Russia under Putin via the actions he took via Georgia and the Ukraine. The Baltic Nations have every reason to this. Even more so considering Russia's aggression and threat level to them since the Stalin era. Surely you know of how he tried to conquer Finland twice.

No, I most definitely do not know of a subject that's been taught to death in school and drilled to brain of every citizen, as well as having grandparents injured in them...

Times have changed however. Conventional armies in Europe are more like a public image of strength than actual workable defense grid nowadays, at least outside NATO barrier.

In any case, it is still sad to see conscription to have been reinstated so widely, whether or not one agrees with it's intentions. Would you like to endure through it if you lived in country with it?

As I personally went through 12 month civilian service, I'm not part of the actual reserve forces, however if hypothetical war did occur I would still have to serve in some sort of unspecified civilian aid job. Not that I think it will ever come to it, Finland (or Sweden for that matter) isn't exactly former Soviet satellite country like Ukraine or whatever, and also it's more tied to West even without NATO

Mistral wrote:

No, I most definitely do not know of a subject that's been taught to death in school and drilled to brain of every citizen, as well as having grandparents injured in them...

Times have changed however. Conventional armies in Europe are more like a public image of strength than actual workable defense grid nowadays, at least outside NATO barrier.

In any case, it is still sad to see conscription to have been reinstated so widely, whether or not one agrees with it's intentions. Would you like to endure through it if you lived in country with it?

As I personally went through 12 month civilian service, I'm not part of the actual reserve forces, however if hypothetical war did occur I would still have to serve in some sort of unspecified civilian aid job. Not that I think it will ever come to it, Finland (or Sweden for that matter) isn't exactly former Soviet satellite country like Ukraine or whatever, and also it's more tied to West even without NATO

Times change, but dreams and memories don't, at least not very easily. Ever since the end of the Cold War, the Russian people have dreamed of a return of the Russian Empire, which is what they saw the Soviet Union as after the WW2. Needless to say, Putin is clearly one of those people. And it doesn't necessarily require military force. That one pipeline is a good example.

I'm not saying that conscription is fun by any means. I sure don't want any country to have it since there are certain drawbacks. McNamera found that out the hard way. What I am saying is that given how many countries border on a Russia that's been more aggressive since 2008, this was sadly inevitable.

Rhedosaurus wrote:

Mistral wrote:

No, I most definitely do not know of a subject that's been taught to death in school and drilled to brain of every citizen, as well as having grandparents injured in them...

Times have changed however. Conventional armies in Europe are more like a public image of strength than actual workable defense grid nowadays, at least outside NATO barrier.

In any case, it is still sad to see conscription to have been reinstated so widely, whether or not one agrees with it's intentions. Would you like to endure through it if you lived in country with it?

As I personally went through 12 month civilian service, I'm not part of the actual reserve forces, however if hypothetical war did occur I would still have to serve in some sort of unspecified civilian aid job. Not that I think it will ever come to it, Finland (or Sweden for that matter) isn't exactly former Soviet satellite country like Ukraine or whatever, and also it's more tied to West even without NATO

Times change, but dreams and memories don't, at least not very easily. Ever since the end of the Cold War, the Russian people have dreamed of a return of the Russian Empire, which is what they saw the Soviet Union as after the WW2. Needless to say, Putin is clearly one of those people. And it doesn't necessarily require military force. That one pipeline is a good example.

I'm not saying that conscription is fun by any means. I sure don't want any country to have it since there are certain drawbacks. McNamera found that out the hard way. What I am saying is that given how many countries border on a Russia that's been more aggressive since 2008, this was sadly inevitable.

The top people in power might dream of Empires, but I don't think vast majority of the normal Russian people do, just like normal Turks don't dream of the return of the Ottoman Empire.

I see the "point" in conscription in majority of the former Soviet satellite states, even if I don't like it, because the likelihood of tricks is infinitely more likely there, as is lack of direct Western aid. But I think when it comes to Nordic and non-Eastern European countries the discussion should be different, and conscription abolished. Voluntary professional army should be sufficient enough in my book, as their primary job is to hold image anyway. And no I don't think NATO is the answer either, because that will just complicate ties to East further. But the question of NATO is eternal should we or should we not here.

Mistral wrote:

Rhedosaurus wrote:

Mistral wrote:

No, I most definitely do not know of a subject that's been taught to death in school and drilled to brain of every citizen, as well as having grandparents injured in them...

Times have changed however. Conventional armies in Europe are more like a public image of strength than actual workable defense grid nowadays, at least outside NATO barrier.

In any case, it is still sad to see conscription to have been reinstated so widely, whether or not one agrees with it's intentions. Would you like to endure through it if you lived in country with it?

As I personally went through 12 month civilian service, I'm not part of the actual reserve forces, however if hypothetical war did occur I would still have to serve in some sort of unspecified civilian aid job. Not that I think it will ever come to it, Finland (or Sweden for that matter) isn't exactly former Soviet satellite country like Ukraine or whatever, and also it's more tied to West even without NATO

Times change, but dreams and memories don't, at least not very easily. Ever since the end of the Cold War, the Russian people have dreamed of a return of the Russian Empire, which is what they saw the Soviet Union as after the WW2. Needless to say, Putin is clearly one of those people. And it doesn't necessarily require military force. That one pipeline is a good example.

I'm not saying that conscription is fun by any means. I sure don't want any country to have it since there are certain drawbacks. McNamera found that out the hard way. What I am saying is that given how many countries border on a Russia that's been more aggressive since 2008, this was sadly inevitable.

The top people in power might dream of Empires, but I don't think vast majority of the normal Russian people do, just like normal Turks don't dream of the return of the Ottoman Empire.

I see the "point" in conscription in majority of the former Soviet satellite states, even if I don't like it, because the likelihood of tricks is infinitely more likely there, as is lack of direct Western aid. But I think when it comes to Nordic and non-Eastern European countries the discussion should be different, and conscription abolished. Voluntary professional army should be sufficient enough in my book, as their primary job is to hold image anyway. And no I don't think NATO is the answer either, because that will just complicate ties to East further. But the question of NATO is eternal should we or should we not here.

Putin's high popularity in his country says otherwise. He wouldn't be so popular unless the Russian people see something in him, believe in him, shares his vision. Some countries are more nostalgic of 'The good ol' days' then others. Russia is one of them. Russian people still very deep roots of their Motherland since Peter The Great, or at least since how they beat back Napoleon.

Rhedosaurus wrote:

Mistral wrote:

Rhedosaurus wrote:

Mistral wrote:

No, I most definitely do not know of a subject that's been taught to death in school and drilled to brain of every citizen, as well as having grandparents injured in them...

Times have changed however. Conventional armies in Europe are more like a public image of strength than actual workable defense grid nowadays, at least outside NATO barrier.

In any case, it is still sad to see conscription to have been reinstated so widely, whether or not one agrees with it's intentions. Would you like to endure through it if you lived in country with it?

As I personally went through 12 month civilian service, I'm not part of the actual reserve forces, however if hypothetical war did occur I would still have to serve in some sort of unspecified civilian aid job. Not that I think it will ever come to it, Finland (or Sweden for that matter) isn't exactly former Soviet satellite country like Ukraine or whatever, and also it's more tied to West even without NATO

Times change, but dreams and memories don't, at least not very easily. Ever since the end of the Cold War, the Russian people have dreamed of a return of the Russian Empire, which is what they saw the Soviet Union as after the WW2. Needless to say, Putin is clearly one of those people. And it doesn't necessarily require military force. That one pipeline is a good example.

I'm not saying that conscription is fun by any means. I sure don't want any country to have it since there are certain drawbacks. McNamera found that out the hard way. What I am saying is that given how many countries border on a Russia that's been more aggressive since 2008, this was sadly inevitable.

The top people in power might dream of Empires, but I don't think vast majority of the normal Russian people do, just like normal Turks don't dream of the return of the Ottoman Empire.

I see the "point" in conscription in majority of the former Soviet satellite states, even if I don't like it, because the likelihood of tricks is infinitely more likely there, as is lack of direct Western aid. But I think when it comes to Nordic and non-Eastern European countries the discussion should be different, and conscription abolished. Voluntary professional army should be sufficient enough in my book, as their primary job is to hold image anyway. And no I don't think NATO is the answer either, because that will just complicate ties to East further. But the question of NATO is eternal should we or should we not here.

Putin's high popularity in his country says otherwise. He wouldn't be so popular unless the Russian people see something in him, believe in him, shares his vision. Some countries are more nostalgic of 'The good ol' days' then others. Russia is one of them. Russian people still very deep roots of their Motherland since Peter The Great, or at least since how they beat back Napoleon.

I wouldn't necessarily trust ratings given to effectively "president for life", but in any case, certain level of nationalism and want to get economy back to rails after the abyss of Soviet collapse isn't automatically indication that people want imperial dominance back.

It looks like the E.U. is considering it's own nuclear deterrent using the nukes France has as a backbone.

This is due to how Britain, which was the first Western European country the have nukes, pulled out of the E.U. and how Trump, and many on the right, want Europe to pull more military weight then it has done in the past. The problem is that this is all assuming that the E.U. lasts much longer. I can see Western European nations develop their own atomic weapons program, but under E.U. rule. That entity is dying. It's only a matter of time,10-12 years or so, before it implodes.

Has anyone here heard what happened at Queensland's "DreamWorld" theme park last October? If you didn't, the 'Thunder River Rapids' ride has been permanently closed after a malfunction caused the deaths of four riders.

WikiLeaks has released 8,378 pages of files from the CIA.

This is cool.

A rabbit hole winded up leading to a 700 year old cave network made by the Knights Templar.

The Clovis people, very early Native American people, died out 12,800 years ago due to a meteorite.

Adobe's San Jose semaphore has been decoded to be Neil Armstrong's words from when he landed on the moon.

I'm safe where I am in Wales, but my brother was alarmingly close to the incident. He's safe, thank God, but damn it if I wasn't scared for a while.

London attack: What we know so far

BarrytheOnyx wrote:

I'm safe where I am in Wales, but my brother was alarmingly close to the incident. He's safe, thank God, but damn it if I wasn't scared for a while.

London attack: What we know so far

I'm really glad your brother is safe. I saw that when I got home. I first thought that it was a drunk driver, but I soon learned quickly otherwise.