magekillr

Rape is rape. There is no in between, there is no "real" rape and "gray area rape." It is violent and aggressive whether or not there are weapons used to coerce intercourse. Date rape and some guy on the street with a knife raping you are the same thing: unwanted, violent aggression that has nothing to do with sex and love and everything to do with power. You should read this: http://www.vachss.com/guest_dispatches/alice_vachss.html

Zionism also upholds fascist Capitalist doctrine because Zionist Jews want to create large corporations and monopolies across globe. They steal Palestinian children in the dead of night for slavery in factories. Капиталисты зла. Communism is the only hope to unite human race and end racial hatred. Uh, sorry, but this is very antisemitic, Serephurus. I hope this post isn't serious, and I'd hope that you'd apologize for such racist and crass remarks if it was. Also, on the story at hand, I also blame the judge more than the girl. I can understand why this woman reacted the way she did, being lied to and manipulated into sleeping with someone is pretty [cabbage]ty. And the guy is a jerk for doing that. But being a jerk =/= being a rapist and deserving of a conviction. What bothers me the most is that the judge handed out this sentence. It is completely [bleep]ed up. No way could this be construed as rape. I know some countries have "fraud" or "misrepresentation" penalties in situations like this, but I have only seen it used in marital contexts where the husband gets married by lying to the wife. The only time I've seen anything so close is when a twin brother lied to his brother's drunk girlfriend that he was his brother and had sex with her. I think he got charged with rape, but I never knew the outcome of it. If it's the same case I'm thinking of, he was convicted. Ah ok, thanks! Now that would be what I'd call rape, especially because she was drunk.

Zionism also upholds fascist Capitalist doctrine because Zionist Jews want to create large corporations and monopolies across globe. They steal Palestinian children in the dead of night for slavery in factories. Капиталисты зла. Communism is the only hope to unite human race and end racial hatred. Uh, sorry, but this is very antisemitic, Serephurus. I hope this post isn't serious, and I'd hope that you'd apologize for such racist and crass remarks if it was. Also, on the story at hand, I also blame the judge more than the girl. I can understand why this woman reacted the way she did, being lied to and manipulated into sleeping with someone is pretty [cabbage]ty. And the guy is a jerk for doing that. But being a jerk =/= being a rapist and deserving of a conviction. What bothers me the most is that the judge handed out this sentence. It is completely [bleep]ed up. No way could this be construed as rape. I know some countries have "fraud" or "misrepresentation" penalties in situations like this, but I have only seen it used in marital contexts where the husband gets married by lying to the wife. The only time I've seen anything so close is when a twin brother lied to his brother's drunk girlfriend that he was his brother and had sex with her. I think he got charged with rape, but I never knew the outcome of it.

Racist Zionism...what else needs to be said? This undermines the public's trust in the very notion of rape by deception by associating it with frivolous racism like this. Quite the blow to the real rape out there that's vastly underreported, and oftentimes ignored.

*Sigh* God damned MSM.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0dKMhYSX20 Today was a great day for progress: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100708/ap_on_re_us/us_gay_marriage_benefits So, now all federal benefits apply to married gay couples.

Dieting is worthless. You either make a change in your life style, or you don't. The reason diets never work is because people go on them, make progress, and then go back to business as usual. Some questions: 1.) What's your metabolism like? 2.) What other things do you eat? Like, what's your average daily eating schedule like? 3.) How much do you exercise? What is your exercise plan like? I can't answer if you can eat chicken strips in moderation and successfully tackle this stomach fat without knowing. If you're looking to lose weight on the tummy, diet has the most impact, second being cardio. No amount of crunches or abdominal workouts will get rid of the flabbyness, you'll just develop strong muscles underneath. So you must absolutely reduce your fat content, and your simple sugars (sodas, fruit juices, dairy). Remember, diet is the most important part of fat loss, and it cannot be a "diet". You must have a lifestyle change.

Got a reason for that snipe? Only organization in this country that even cares about the rights of people anymore. Because their "care" for rights is quite corrupted. They indiscriminately back anyone who is in supposed right violation, regardless if they have broken the law or acted completely uncivil and the only right being impeded upon is their right to their incivility. So, you don't like that people who have broken the law still have rights? Why even give people a trial? The government can just declare that you're uncivil, or that you broke a law, and send you straight to prison. Notice, every case you just named? They won, and their plaintiffs won. Why? Because they were correct in viewing the law. I'm sorry that you find this controversial, but that's what makes the ACLU awesome: if your rights have been infringed upon, they will represent you, no matter how controversial you are. You find that to be a mockery, I find it to speak truth to power; everyone has rights, no matter how "uncivil" that they are, and when those rights are infringed upon, they deserve a day in court to challenge the infringement. Yeah, I'm sure the ACLU is fighting all of these things just for attention, when they're running low on funding as it is, and will abandon money if it goes against their belief systems (Patriot Act)). You also seemed to leave out the fact that they were instrumental in ending segregation, ending interracial marriage bans, battling racial profiling, working to end the death penalty, and were key in getting our government to admit to torturing people and releasing incriminating documents.

Got a reason for that snipe? Only organization in this country that even cares about the rights of people anymore.

I mean to be honest I think it's a valid argument. Not that it's true, but it's a reasonable conclusion that if a baby can only be born with a man and a woman, that both would excel at raising it. A yin and yang approach by all logical means should produce balanced beings, though in reality it rarely does. It's not a valid argument for banning adoption for gays because a loving home that can provide for a child is certainly better than a foster home or an orphanage. Source: "The Separation Experience of Children in Long Term Care: Theory, Resources, and Implications for Practice" However, there is a legitimate argument that children need a "father figure" in their lives, and a "mother figure". http://www.physorg.com/news122039148.html (Which is why Sweden argues so heavily for paternal as well as maternal leave. You know, true "family values" that actually nurture a stable environment). One point the opponents are missing: that "figure" doesn't have to be a parent or guardian. For more: http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights_hiv-aids/overview-lesbian-and-gay-parenting-adoption-and-foster-care

I thought it was just about "teh marriage is sacred!"? The right wing religious zealots reveal their true colors any chance that they get, and soon they won't be able to hide behind the religious refuge anymore: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-0707-hawaii-veto-20100707,0,3449228.story This is the person who vetoed it:

http://daily.sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2009/11/18/how-carbon-markets-work-in-europe http://www.eea.europa.eu/pressroom/newsreleases/2009-greenhouse-inventory-report http://www.pewclimate.org/docUploads/EU-ETS-In-Perspective-Report.pdf http://www.wri.org/stories/2009/11/truth-about-cap-and-trade-europe http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/group-says-european-cap-and-trade-system-reduced-emissions/ I'm not saying that it's a problem, but again, I would not call this a failure. These risks of a cap and trade system are known, which is why most economists and environmentalists prefer a carbon tax. C&T is the only viable option. I suspect bio-fuels won't be lasting long, and the switch to electric cars should be more or less in full swing by 2025-2030.

There's a debate about whether or not the bombs were necessary, you know. And whether or not you agree, the fact that they were dropped directly on civilians with the intent on killing as many people as possible would normally have been considered a war crime. We were on the winning side, so it took a different perspective. I'm of the camp of subscribing to the Doctrine of Double Effect: purposefully attacking civilians is wrong under any circumstance. This is a tough issue, one that not everyone will come close to agreeing on.

First, global warming is very real and it is probably the largest threat that humanity will ever face in this coming century. America will probably be fairly safe, domestically, but we will lose most of Florida and probably big portions of the coasts. Still, we have a lot of the Mid West to populate. The worry with us, though, is that food will become more scarce, as will water. On the whole, America won't suffer that badly, especially not until 2100. Russia will probably benefit, putting aside the fact that their border will become a major source of chaos, terrorism and war. Most of Europe will probably be alright, as well. Africa, Australia, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and South America are more or less [bleep]ed. The glaciers in the Himalaya Mountains provide water to over one billion people, and they're receding into nonexistence. This is a region that's already constantly at war, deprived of food and water as it is, and is mired in poverty. This is why the United States military considers climate change to endanger our own national security. Where did you hear this? Glenn Beck? Alex Jones? I'm not trying to be impolite, but this is absolutely false. First, watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nnVQ2fROOg Moreover, after the investigation, Michael Mann was cleared of any wrongdoing: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/mann-cleared-in-final-inquiry-by-penn-state/ If the data was indeed faked, as you claim, that would be a major falling out with many prominent scientists, and people like Michael Mann would never find a job again; however, it would do absolutely nothing to the fact that we're experiencing climate change and that it's anthropogenic. It would be like saying that the fake Piltdown Man disproves evolution. An example of faking the data was Andrew Wakefield, and we all know what happened with him; too bad the damage is already done, and whopping cough is making a comeback in states like California. Well, a price on carbon is needed if we're to move away from fossil fuels. The only other answer is to withdraw all oil, gas and coal subsidies worldwide (they're around the tune of $550 billion). Seeing as that will NEVER happen, the only option is to make a price on the negative externalities of coal and oil. This is larger than you, though. In an alternate universe, I would agree with you. I [bleep]ing hate the government; in case you hadn't noticed all of my posts about it in the Israel thread, they're very vibrant in the Fourth of July thread. Government sucks. However, it is necessary and because it is necessary, I fight to make it work better and for the people. Fair enough, but dealing with the real world in principle or how you would like for it to be is not a solution. We can't allow corporations like BP to make their own rules; they will cut corners at first glance, and now the United States, especially Florida, is paying for it. We can't allow banks to do whatever they want, as we've seen with Europe and the United States; Canada and Australia had strong regulations in place, and now they're the envy of the world for their banking systems. I have a friend from England, well not a friend, an acquaintance, who admits that the NHS is better than any free-market health care. However, he opposes it on principle. This makes zero sense when we're dealing with the real world, with real world problems, where people are actually suffering.

Right, and that will happen until the caps are tightened. Europe's biggest problem was giving away too many of the permits in the initial stage. Sweden in particular, assuming you're from Sweden, started early in the 1990's with a carbon tax. And if you think it has failed, then I don't know what to say considering Scandinavian countries will be off of oil and coal before we know it. They'll also be reaping in the benefits when they're allowed to sell their permits to other countries that have been slower. Sweden outpaced the Kyoto Protocol with cutting carbon emissions by 9% between 1990 and 2006, and has been out-pacing everyone with renewable energies. [1] I'd call it a fantastic success. Still, with the ability to sell carbon permits off when they're totally off of fossil fuels, the carbon will move elsewhere until everyone hops on board with a carbon tax.

Of course, even though I supported passage of the health care bill, it doesn't mean I think it made sense; it would have been cheaper and better to extend Medicare to everyone, and allow the government to negotiate drug prices and import drugs from other countries. Big Pharma, doctors and medical equipment providers would not allow that to happen, so I had to take a half of a loaf: attack the insurance companies first with a bungled up health care bill that helps 30 million people. To wit, cap and trade is in the same caliber, but not quite as bad. A carbon tax makes much more sense, and most economists agree. Cap and trade, however, is the only way, politically feasible way, to place a price on carbon. And, theoretically and practically, it can and has worked. So, what are your misgivings with cap and trade, and why do you think it doesn't make any sense? Just a note, Kerry and Lieberman's American Power Act does more at a lower cost than anything the Republicans have put up to the table (it was the Graham-Kerry-Lieberman legislation, until Graham withdrew support from a bill that he wrote); not to mention that cap and trade was the old Republican position, and Democrats used to support a carbon tax.

Any particular reason that you're not living on campus or in an apartment near the campus? Is it a community college?

It's about the only right direction that the UK is moving in since the election. I'm really disappointed with the Liberal Democrats. So much for their comeback.

Various reasons. First, because it has potential to incite war, which I think is the biggest issue. Second, because many times nationalism leads to racism/xenophobia. There are some other reasons, but I think these are the main ones. See Howard Zinn: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0703-29.htm

No, it's not. However, I'm open-minded, and you've yet to substantiate your claim. So here I am, all ears. Explain, how is Black History Month a form of nationalism?

Nationality is more of a burden for me than a feeling of pride. I haven't explored all of America yet, I've been to roughly 26 states total. I have yet to feel that I am "at home" or "this is where I belong." I doubt that I ever will; I get sickened with myself for my overconsumption and impatience at the most mundane and trivial things. "God dammit, the page took 10 seconds to load?!?! What the hell?" The only time that I feel at home is when I get high and go to the mountains to go hiking, or if I'm doing service projects to help other people. Sometimes I want to renounce all of my possessions, though they are few relatively speaking, and travel; teaching English, or engineering/mathematics (as this is my profession) to the less fortunate. There is a sense of romanticizing "the plain life" among some Westerners, but I'm not sure it's romanticism as so much as guilt, feelings of powerlessness, and fear. Anyway, I'm going slightly off topic here. My basic point is, as was pointed out by harrinator1, as social beings, we need a sense of belonging in some way. Some are attached to their fellow countrymen, others their family, others to the world; I'm not sure what niche I fit into, but national identity is certainly not one of them. I've also been more uncomfortable in WASP settings whereas these feelings were totally absent in Indian parties or Mexican weddings, and all of my girlfriends have been non-white immigrants (this is not the racist jungle fever, by the way, it's just how it's happened). Of course, the only time I was truly uncomfortable was in a Cracker Barrel, so maybe my niche is what I think all along: the human family in its whole.

How is celebrating your nationality (Independence Day) any different from celebrating your heredity (Black History Month [that is, if you still support the cause behind celebrating that month])? As for that second part, couldn't agree more. I don't really care what holidays are about. For me, they're just an excuse to party. I don't see the two in equivalent terms. I see the celebration of Black History month more about a celebration of overcoming oppression; Muslims, Jews, homosexuals, immigrants, women, all of these groups are discriminated or prejudiced against in one way or another. There will be someone who comes in to say "But what about the British oppression!" no doubt, but they're simply not on the same playing field, ballpark, or sport. In any case, it's a difference in identity. There are proceeding layers to where one's pride comes from. Identifying with and being proud of your own family members, even though you had no choice of which family you were born into and had no bearing on their accomplishments, may be where one's identity lies. For other's, it goes further and farther to their country. Myself, I identify more with the world in general. National pride and ethnic pride are two different things, and there's levels of nuance that must be taken into account. Although, as some in the Things Gay People Can't Do thread tried pointing out, this pride in racial or gender identity isn't necessarily about pride in the nationalist sense, but a feeling of "here I am, who I am, and I can be this person without being persecuted." Anyway, it's not that I dislike the celebration of one's independence day, it's the American one in particular. We celebrate our triumphs at the expense of ignoring the woes of others. My love for humanity does not stop at the border, and American patriotism seldom takes the form of remembering the glorious things we have wrought for the world's benefit, only the glorious things we have wrought for our own benefit. And who is we, in any case? Our urban poor, the hundreds of homeless people with whom I interact on a daily basis at work, many of them veterans of our dirty wars, are they reaping the benefits of this great society of which we so self-indulgently pride ourselves on being a part? Our despised illegal immigrants, who do the work of slaves with almost nothing in the way of recompense so that we can enjoy our bloated standards of living while reviling the very people who make them possible? The millions upon millions in this nation who don't have access to even basic health care? That is vanity, not pride in a high achievement. Any country can strive to make itself better, to inflate the quality of life of its citizens. That's nothing exceptional. Something to be grateful for, yes, but that gratitude must go hand-in-hand with an appreciation of the arbitrariness of privilege and an awareness of the need to redress the imbalance between what you have and what the rest of the world has not. Until these things become the dominant themes of what America calls 'patriotism' I cannot take part with my whole heart. American-style patriotism ultimately serves to illustrate and enhance the differences and disparities among the human family in terms of wealth, achievement, safety, happiness, privilege, education...ultimately, indeed, to celebrate them; this I cannot bear. Maybe it's white guilt. If so, it's welcome.

I don't like July 4th because American nationalism is very special in the world. Not that other countries don't experience nationalism, or exhibit it, but there's something about American nationalism in particular that irks me. Maybe it's our constant banter about being the best at everything, when it's far from it; or the American Dream, which as George Carlin always said, it's called the American Dream 'cause you have to be asleep to believe it. That's putting aside the fact that I hate nationalism (and most patriotism) to begin with. Still, I will get drunk and eat some food, and if there's a reason to drink, I'll be there. edit: Lol, why the badmouting of the Brits, btw? Christ, they've been like our foreign policy lapdog since the end of WWII and are complicit in our own war crimes in Iraq. We should be thanking them.

That sounds like... the perfect diet, nice. Do you buy/cook all your meals yourself? Because I would love to try a vegetarian diet but my parents love their meat way too much, I'm pretty much force fed red meat every day (not that I have anything to complain about). Also, is there a certain aliment that boosts your calorie intake to 3,500 or do you just eat tons of everything? Well right now my diet is less on course because I'm living with my aunt and uncle. When I get back to my apartment in August it'll be back on track and normal. Anyway, here's a standard day, and there are different changes that can be made if you need more variety: Meal 1: Two egg white omelette with spinach and cheese, two slices of Arnold's Health Nut Bread, one serving of peanut butter (Smucker's natural, get rid of the hydrogenated crap), a glass or orange juice. Meal 2: Bowl of Total or Shredded Wheat cereal with skim milk Meal 3: 4 cups of mixed vegetables with a glass of water mixed with protein powder Meal 4: 3 servings of pasta (spaghetti, macaroni, fettuccine, etc) GYM Meal 5: Protein shake: protein powder, 2 cups of milk, 1 cup of oatmeal, 1 frozen banana, 1 serving of peanut butter, 1 serving of brewer's yeast Meal 6: 3 servings of black beans, 3 servings of brown rice, 3 servings of garbonzo beans Lots of water throughout the day. Eat once every 1.5-2 hours. He needs to change his diet or he's going to have a heart attack by the time he's 35. Even if he burns it all off and looks healthy, the amount of pizza and fat he's consuming is dangerous to his health. Yeah, iunno how you can eat 7k calories in one day. My protein shake has like 1,000 in it, and each meal is roughly 400-600 calories a pop.

It's not a joke. It's not a satire about "traditional" men's views of the world. This is a replication and celebration of how many men feel. There is a reason why this "joke" was propagated in the first place. Sexism exists. It is rampant, it is violent, and it's overlooked by far too many as evidenced by this thread. Some don't even know something's sexist when they see it. Exhibit A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh1nZ5lfcco I had several arguments with many men on this ad by Twix, and many for the life of them cannot see how it's sexist; to me it's so obvious that I can't understand how one cannot see it. That's just evidence that our patriarchy is so ingrained into society that people see ads like that as the norm, nothing to see there. Rape is still very underreported, and it wasn't that long ago that women were asked what they were wearing when they were raped, as if it mattered; "oh, tight shirt and short skirt? Well, she was clearly asking for it." Seeing as that's gone with the wind for the most part, the new sexist claim is that women who were drunk when they were raped are partly at fault. It's the same sexist mentality. This macho attitude about how men are supposed to act isn't going to look good when men are still committing so much violent crime such as rape and murder. So I will not take this "joke" lightly when women's issues are something that are very important, and when I see such a flippant and overtly sexist tripe being celebrated, I will call it out.