News thread.

It looks like South Africa's great white shark population has come under attack by orcas.

Orcas usually just eat livers of great whites, because the sharks urinate in their skin, but one fairly new carcass had it's stomach and balls eaten.

Rhedosaurus wrote:

It looks like South Africa's great white shark population has come under attack by orcas.

Orcas usually just eat livers of great whites, because the sharks urinate in their skin, but one fairly new carcass had it's stomach and balls eaten.

Well, there's an image.

Stevie Wonder criticizes Black Lives Matter.

Quote wrote:

“It is in your hands to stop all of the killing and the shooting wherever it might be,” Wonder said. “You cannot say, 'Black lives matter,' and then kill yourselves. Because you know we've mattered long before it was said, but the way we show that we matter, the way that we show all the various people of color matter is by loving each other and doing something about it. Not just talking about it, not just waiting to see the media and press come when there's a horrible thing."

Meanwhile...CNN producer says that the Trump/Russia coverage is bullcrap.

TMZ? You might as well quote the National Enquirer.

CT-1138 wrote:

TMZ? You might as well quote the National Enquirer.

I get why people are reluctant to believe it, but TMZ also got the tape of that one Ravens player beating the crap out of his girlfriend and then dragging her. So let's not totally dismiss it.

It's official. Cellphones make people dumber.

It's not every day that you feel outright bad about something that was regarded as a feat of technology has become such a menace to our cognitive abilities...

I shall probably try to keep my electronic devices in a cupboard away from where I sleep from now on. Personally, I refuse to adhere to the "idiocracy" theory, even if it means looking like the most arrogant bastard around.

BarrytheOnyx wrote:

Personally, I refuse to adhere to the "idiocracy" theory, even if it means looking like the most arrogant bastard around.

Why is that? I'm curious to know why.

Rhedosaurus wrote:

BarrytheOnyx wrote:

Personally, I refuse to adhere to the "idiocracy" theory, even if it means looking like the most arrogant bastard around.

Why is that? I'm curious to know why.

What I mean by that is that if the future does start to look more like the future that we see in the Idiocracy movie, then I will hold myself, family and friends to the same standards of intelligence that I have done for the last 24 years of my life. Even if I have to make a point of it. And as it stands, it's but one possible future of several. Maybe a likely one in many eyes, but one I will not allow myself to be dragged under by. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from on that count.

BarrytheOnyx wrote:

Rhedosaurus wrote:

BarrytheOnyx wrote:

Personally, I refuse to adhere to the "idiocracy" theory, even if it means looking like the most arrogant bastard around.

Why is that? I'm curious to know why.

What I mean by that is that if the future does start to look more like the future that we see in the Idiocracy movie, then I will hold myself, family and friends to the same standards of intelligence that I have done for the last 24 years of my life. Even if I have to make a point of it. And as it stands, it's but one possible future of several. Maybe a likely one in many eyes, but one I will not allow myself to be dragged under by. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from on that count.

You and me are the exceptions to the rule. I've come to the conclusion that we're living in a mix between Brave NewWorld and Idiocracy. It's not just our cell phones. It's the fact that we in the West as a whole have been spoiled. It's all about 'me, me, me' 'gimme, gimme, gimme', Materialism, hedonism, pleasure. All that is ruining us. Case in point, do you think that if it wasn't for stupid reality shows like the Kardashians, cell phones, and other stuff, that more people would actaully be engaged in solving problems and ending many of them (NSA civilian surveillance). Also, look at how many people are for drug legalization. And not just pot, but hard stuff like heroin and crack. While people are going the easy route to ignore the problems, they are letting them get worse by making more social problems which also means that their governments find it easier to manipulate them. And too many people are indulging in their pleasure to even care. Remember how I mentioned how the birth rates in Europe have been declining for a while? Well, it's because too many people are indulging in their materialist pleasures and having kids would end that. After all, it's well known that the richer/more materialistic one is, the less one is to have kids.

I admit all this is a VERY cynical view, but given how I've seen morals, customs, and norms fall down and get reduced since 2006 and get replaced by greed, gluttony, and selfishness, I have no choice but to believe that.

Rhedosaurus wrote:

You and me are the exceptions to the rule. I've come to the conclusion that we're living in a mix between Brave NewWorld and Idiocracy. It's not just our cell phones. It's the fact that we in the West as a whole have been spoiled. It's all about 'me, me, me' 'gimme, gimme, gimme', Materialism, hedonism, pleasure. All that is ruining us. Case in point, do you think that if it wasn't for stupid reality shows like the Kardashians, cell phones, and other stuff, that more people would actaully be engaged in solving problems and ending many of them (NSA civilian surveillance). Also, look at how many people are for drug legalization. And not just pot, but hard stuff like heroin and crack. While people are going the easy route to ignore the problems, they are letting them get worse by making more social problems which also means that their governments find it easier to manipulate them. And too many people are indulging in their pleasure to even care. Remember how I mentioned how the birth rates in Europe have been declining for a while? Well, it's because too many people are indulging in their materialist pleasures and having kids would end that. After all, it's well known that the richer/more materialistic one is, the less one is to have kids.

Let us not also throw our Jurassic peers under the bus as well; I don't think we're as alone in this as you would maintain. Far beyond the confines of this forum, I know people who have been noticing these disturbing trends. As cynical a worldview as it is, there are times when I do wish things were as they were in the early 2000s. Believe it or not, I wasn't always the optimist. That actually had to come from somewhere.

I think this is a conversation we've touched on in the past, with the West becoming spoiled, corrupted and indulged to the point of indolence. I hope I haven't given the impression that I'm somehow ignorant of all of this, this is certainly not the future the optimistic 50s and 60s had looked to. As a history student, I find the situation alarmingly similar to how it was in the latter years of the Western Roman Empire.

[quote="BarrytheOnyx"]

Rhedosaurus wrote:

BarrytheOnyx wrote:

You and me are the exceptions to the rule. I've come to the conclusion that we're living in a mix between Brave New World and Idiocracy. It's not just our cell phones. It's the fact that we in the West as a whole have been spoiled. It's all about 'me, me, me' 'gimme, gimme, gimme', Materialism, hedonism, pleasure. All that is ruining us. Case in point, do you think that if it wasn't for stupid reality shows like the Kardashians, cell phones, and other stuff, that more people would actaully be engaged in solving problems and ending many of them (NSA civilian surveillance). Also, look at how many people are for drug legalization. And not just pot, but hard stuff like heroin and crack. While people are going the easy route to ignore the problems, they are letting them get worse by making more social problems which also means that their governments find it easier to manipulate them. And too many people are indulging in their pleasure to even care. Remember how I mentioned how the birth rates in Europe have been declining for a while? Well, it's because too many people are indulging in their materialist pleasures and having kids would end that. After all, it's well known that the richer/more materialistic one is, the less one is to have kids.

I think this is a conversation we've touched on in the past, with the West becoming spoiled, corrupted and indulged to the point of indolence. I hope I haven't given the impression that I'm somehow ignorant of all of this, this is certainly not the future the optimistic 50s and 60s had looked to. As a history student, I find the situation alarmingly similar to how it was in the latter years of the Western Roman Empire.

The comparison to Rome is a fair one, but I'd also like to add Weimer era Germany as well, since they also had a lot of social implosion as well. I'm not going to compare Trump to Hitler since he's just too old to take power (History has shown that people over 60 rarely become dictators and the few that have are usually puppets. Juan Peron in his 3rd reign is a good example.) and he hasn't promoted any state sponsored eugenics or any of that crap.

Edmund Burke, the father of conservatism, (though he's largely ignored here in America) once said that freedom/liberty must be moderated because to much of it can lead to people spoiling themselves to the point where an all powerful government rises and takes away most if not all of it. Sadly, we as a whole spent to much time indulging in freedom and not enough time protecting the cultural norms and customs. I only hope that the damage, or at least most of it, can be repaired and what can't have its damage be controlled and limited.

A new photo might prove that Ameila Earhart was captured by Imperial Japan all along.

This theory has been around for some time, but it's only recently did this begun to become the top contender.

North Korea successfully test-launched an ICBM that has the range to hit Alaska and maybe Hawaii.

Rhedosaurus wrote:

North Korea successfully test-launched an ICBM that has the range to hit Alaska and maybe Hawaii.

Absolutely bloody terrifying...

This more than anything gives me a swelling pit of dread that all out war will be upon us. My sympathies go out to the people of those regions, this news must have cast a dark pall over them.

BarrytheOnyx wrote:

Rhedosaurus wrote:

North Korea successfully test-launched an ICBM that has the range to hit Alaska and maybe Hawaii.

Absolutely bloody terrifying...  

This more than anything gives me a swelling pit of dread that all out war will be upon us. My sympathies go out to the people of those regions, this news must have cast a dark pall over them.

Indeed. Young, spoiled, psychopathic, ruthless, and-at best-only half sane...Not a good mix with atomic weapons and ICBM's.

The American response is having 2 B-1 Lancer bombers fly near the North Korean border and testing their THAAD missile defense systems.

Arrested For Leaving Child in Hot Car, Florida Woman Complains Police Cruiser 'Too Hot'

LUL

The founder of ISIS is confirmed to be dead.

Rhedosaurus wrote:

The founder of ISIS is confirmed to be dead.

Happy day.

They more than likely had someone ready and waiting to take over as soon as that happened.

I strongly encourage anyone to contact their congressman/woman about the fight for net neutrality and the fight for a free internet. This is serious and must be stopped. This reddit thread provides insight into what they are trying to pull and provides some great resources.

https://www.reddit.com/r/blog/comments/6mtgtp/we_need_your_voice_as_we_continue_the_fight_for/

The general idea of what's happening as i understand is that cable companies are fighting for the ability to charge more for streaming than ever and charge extra for access to certain websites. This is not what the internet is about

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865684703/Heres-how-a-rollback-of-net-neutrality-could-affect-your-internet.html

"The Internet was built on the simple but powerful idea that while you, the customer, may need to pay a service provider for Internet access, that provider doesn’t get to shape what you access," according to Fortune. "… Anyone who wants to offer a new Internet service can reach everyone on the Internet, without paying extra fees to any provider. Users, in turn, can make their own choices about which services they want to use — including the next Twitter, Facebook or Snapchat that’s being created in someone’s basement right now."

Please i ask everyone to take a few moments and take it serious. Only took me a few minutes to leave a message here. https://www.battleforthenet.com/

Troyal1 wrote:

I strongly encourage anyone to contact their congressman/woman about the fight for net neutrality and the fight for a free internet. This is serious and must be stopped. This reddit thread provides insight into what they are trying to pull and provides some great resources.  

https://www.reddit.com/r/blog/comments/6mtgtp/we_need_your_voice_as_we_continue_the_fight_for/

The general idea of what's happening as i understand is that cable companies are fighting for the ability to charge more for streaming than ever and charge extra for access to certain websites. This is not what the internet is about

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865684703/Heres-how-a-rollback-of-net-neutrality-could-affect-your-internet.html

"The Internet was built on the simple but powerful idea that while you, the customer, may need to pay a service provider for Internet access, that provider doesn’t get to shape what you access," according to Fortune. "… Anyone who wants to offer a new Internet service can reach everyone on the Internet, without paying extra fees to any provider. Users, in turn, can make their own choices about which services they want to use — including the next Twitter, Facebook or Snapchat that’s being created in someone’s basement right now."

Please i ask everyone to take a few moments and take it serious. Only took me a few minutes to leave a message here. https://www.battleforthenet.com/

Net Neutrality also calls for the government basically taking over/nationalizing the internet. And if the government can't run the health care industry, then what makes people think that they can run the internet? I agree their needs to be reforms to protect the little guy, but this is not it.

http://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/phil-kerpen/obamas-fccs-internet-takeover-would-reduce-internet-public-utility

A Marnie dog turned therapy dog that served 3 tours in Afghanistan got a fond farewell by hundreds of people before being put down via terminal bone cancer.

After their second long range rocket test, North Korea claims they now have ICBM's that can hit the American mainland.

After the last test, it was only a matter of time before this news broke.

Rhedosaurus wrote:

A Marnie dog turned therapy dog that served 3 tours in Afghanistan got a fond farewell by hundreds of people before being put down via terminal bone cancer.

That one hit me hard and I know it did you as well. Especially the soldier crying on their last ride.

Troyal1 wrote:

Rhedosaurus wrote:

A Marnie dog turned therapy dog that served 3 tours in Afghanistan got a fond farewell by hundreds of people before being put down via terminal bone cancer.

That one hit me hard and I know it did you as well. Especially the soldier crying on their last ride.

It did. I still see Sadie in my mind whenever I walk into the living room or when I walk into the backyard on nice days, like the ones we're having recently. The fact that the 10 anniversary of the death of my first dog is coming up soon, early Sept, doesn't make things easier.

Scaramucci Fired After 10 Days on the Job

I've had colds that lasted longer.

Damn boneitis. Should have gotten it cured instead of working.

The true identity of Jack The Ripper has been revealed as James Maybrick, a cotton merchant from Liverpool.

It looks like North Korea won't be saved by China if war breaks out. Kim Jong Un really pissed off China worse then we thought. It really is North Korea against the world.