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16
General / Drunk history
« on: November 15, 2009, 12:31:04 PM »
Derek Waters and Jeremy Konner find a historian and ask him or her to get raging drunk and then tell about a historical event. Then they get actors to reenact the story as told. Comedy ensues:
[youtube=425,350]6V_DsL1x1uY&[/youtube]
[youtube=425,350]YjZR1Rjj_p0&[/youtube]
[youtube=425,350]ABFQ-T3uAVI&[/youtube]
[youtube=425,350]bqzUI1ihfpk&[/youtube]
[youtube=425,350]CDukCTcITLY&[/youtube]
[youtube=425,350]6V_DsL1x1uY&[/youtube]
[youtube=425,350]YjZR1Rjj_p0&[/youtube]
[youtube=425,350]ABFQ-T3uAVI&[/youtube]
[youtube=425,350]bqzUI1ihfpk&[/youtube]
[youtube=425,350]CDukCTcITLY&[/youtube]
17
General / Open letter to Carrie Prejean
« on: November 14, 2009, 04:11:48 PM »
Dear Carrie,
I apologize for not reading your book. I was thinking I would so that I could understand your perspective better, but most of the people on Amazon say the writing is horrible, and besides that it was published before the whole sex tape thing happened.
I find myself feeling kind of sorry for you. Not because you're being persecuted by the big bad liberal media who hate conservative women. Not because I think you were treated unfairly by the officials of Miss California USA-- I'm pretty sure they were well within their rights to strip you of your title, and you shouldn't have sued them. But because you're 22, were raised in an evangelical Christian household and continued on to attend an evangelical university, and you don't seem to know which way is up right now.
I don't think you should apologize for the partially nude photos, or even the sex tape. Stop talking about how making it was the "greatest mistake of [your] life." It wasn't even a bad thing to do-- a matter of bad judgment, yes, but not immoral. People who aspire to public positions probably shouldn't make sex tapes....at least, not if they're going to be upset about those tapes being revealed later for all of the world to see. I understand that you feel that you need to apologize for making these tapes in order to get back in the good judgment of people like Maggie Gallagher and Sarah Palin, but....you know, you can be a conservative without being like them, without kissing up to them.
You've said, in response to criticism, that the Bible doesn't say anything about breast implants. That Jesus wouldn't mind if you made nude photos. I can't say I agree with that because Jesus said that even lusting in your heart is a sin, and breast implants and nude photos-- and surely sex tapes-- are made to inspire precisely that sin. It might be tricky to figure out how to remain a Christian and conclude that Jesus was mistaken about that, but I think in order to be honest with yourself you should either figure out a way, or re-assess your Christianity. But heck, doesn't the Miss USA pageant itself include a swimsuit competition? If that's not made to inspire lust in loads of people, I'm not sure what is.
In regard to the gay marriage thing: yes, I think you're wrong. And yes, I thought your statement on the subject during the Miss USA pageant was pretty dumb. But you know, regardless of what I think of your position on gay marriage, I don't really see what any amount of nude photos or sex tapes has to do with its validity or invalidity. Probably it does for you, because for you it's all part of being a good Christian or not. But I think you would do well to stay off Hannity and Larry King for a while and think about what your Christian ethics really mean. Is gay marriage worse than the way you've been acting? Are sex tapes worse than your rhetoric about how you're being persecuted by the evil liberals for standing up for conservative principles? These are some things you should think about.
In closing, I'll say that I don't view you as another Ann Coulter...yet. Sorry to be patronizing, but I think you're young and very in over your head at the moment. You thought this would be an excellent opportunity to jump-start your career, and didn't realize the hot water it could get you into. I don't know what your future holds, but my suggestion would be to step out of the spotlight for a while, and do some serious soul-searching. It's a golden time for it, and you won't feel so persecuted when you're not out there continuing to dig your own grave.
Very best,
Me
I apologize for not reading your book. I was thinking I would so that I could understand your perspective better, but most of the people on Amazon say the writing is horrible, and besides that it was published before the whole sex tape thing happened.
I find myself feeling kind of sorry for you. Not because you're being persecuted by the big bad liberal media who hate conservative women. Not because I think you were treated unfairly by the officials of Miss California USA-- I'm pretty sure they were well within their rights to strip you of your title, and you shouldn't have sued them. But because you're 22, were raised in an evangelical Christian household and continued on to attend an evangelical university, and you don't seem to know which way is up right now.
I don't think you should apologize for the partially nude photos, or even the sex tape. Stop talking about how making it was the "greatest mistake of [your] life." It wasn't even a bad thing to do-- a matter of bad judgment, yes, but not immoral. People who aspire to public positions probably shouldn't make sex tapes....at least, not if they're going to be upset about those tapes being revealed later for all of the world to see. I understand that you feel that you need to apologize for making these tapes in order to get back in the good judgment of people like Maggie Gallagher and Sarah Palin, but....you know, you can be a conservative without being like them, without kissing up to them.
You've said, in response to criticism, that the Bible doesn't say anything about breast implants. That Jesus wouldn't mind if you made nude photos. I can't say I agree with that because Jesus said that even lusting in your heart is a sin, and breast implants and nude photos-- and surely sex tapes-- are made to inspire precisely that sin. It might be tricky to figure out how to remain a Christian and conclude that Jesus was mistaken about that, but I think in order to be honest with yourself you should either figure out a way, or re-assess your Christianity. But heck, doesn't the Miss USA pageant itself include a swimsuit competition? If that's not made to inspire lust in loads of people, I'm not sure what is.
In regard to the gay marriage thing: yes, I think you're wrong. And yes, I thought your statement on the subject during the Miss USA pageant was pretty dumb. But you know, regardless of what I think of your position on gay marriage, I don't really see what any amount of nude photos or sex tapes has to do with its validity or invalidity. Probably it does for you, because for you it's all part of being a good Christian or not. But I think you would do well to stay off Hannity and Larry King for a while and think about what your Christian ethics really mean. Is gay marriage worse than the way you've been acting? Are sex tapes worse than your rhetoric about how you're being persecuted by the evil liberals for standing up for conservative principles? These are some things you should think about.
In closing, I'll say that I don't view you as another Ann Coulter...yet. Sorry to be patronizing, but I think you're young and very in over your head at the moment. You thought this would be an excellent opportunity to jump-start your career, and didn't realize the hot water it could get you into. I don't know what your future holds, but my suggestion would be to step out of the spotlight for a while, and do some serious soul-searching. It's a golden time for it, and you won't feel so persecuted when you're not out there continuing to dig your own grave.
Very best,
Me
19
General / Jay Smooth on personal responsibility in the context of hip-hop
« on: November 02, 2009, 02:15:49 PM »
Man, I love this guy.
[youtube=425,350]t6WtiJjIQ9w[/youtube]
[youtube=425,350]t6WtiJjIQ9w[/youtube]
20
General / Neat game: Machinarium
« on: October 20, 2009, 05:20:10 PM »
In 2003 a Czech guy named Jakob Dvorsky created a beautiful flash game called Samorost, in which a guy living all by himself on a planet discovered that he was on a crash course with another planet, and flew in his rocket over to that planet to try and divert its course.
Then Dvorsky's independent gaming company Amanita came out with Samorost 2, in which our hero's dog is stolen by some aliens who have landed on his planet to poach some fruit from his trees, and decide that they should take the dog as well.
Their new game, released October 16 of this year, is Machinarium. It has a different protagonist-- a robot who has been ejected by other robots from his home and is trying to work his way back in and rescue his friend. I think that's what's going on, anyway....have just started playing.
Samorost is free, as far as I understand. With Samorost 2 you can play the first few levels free, but after that it's $5 for the full version. With Machinarium the first three levels are free and the full version is $20 and includes a download of the soundtrack.
That bit is important because the music is just enchanting for all three games. I've played Samorost 1 and 2 several times and still love them, and am excited to try Machinarium now. Check them out-- I bet you'll dig them. If you get absolutely stuck at some point, there are walk-throughs online. But only use that as a last resort; it's much more fun that way.
Here's a scene from Machinarium:
Then Dvorsky's independent gaming company Amanita came out with Samorost 2, in which our hero's dog is stolen by some aliens who have landed on his planet to poach some fruit from his trees, and decide that they should take the dog as well.
Their new game, released October 16 of this year, is Machinarium. It has a different protagonist-- a robot who has been ejected by other robots from his home and is trying to work his way back in and rescue his friend. I think that's what's going on, anyway....have just started playing.
Samorost is free, as far as I understand. With Samorost 2 you can play the first few levels free, but after that it's $5 for the full version. With Machinarium the first three levels are free and the full version is $20 and includes a download of the soundtrack.
That bit is important because the music is just enchanting for all three games. I've played Samorost 1 and 2 several times and still love them, and am excited to try Machinarium now. Check them out-- I bet you'll dig them. If you get absolutely stuck at some point, there are walk-throughs online. But only use that as a last resort; it's much more fun that way.
Here's a scene from Machinarium:
21
General / Drew Carey bids big wad of cash to buy @Drew Twitter name, to be donated
« on: October 17, 2009, 01:47:03 PM »Quote
Make Drew Carey give away $1 million
Drew Olanoff, cancer-fighter and blogger, is auctioning off his enviable Twitter username "@drew" to benefit the LiveStrong foundation. Its value has already been raised to $1 million, thanks to that other Drew -- last name Carey.
"I thought we would find a Drew who would bid $10,000 on the last day and that was it," Olanoff said. "I certainly didn't think Drew Carey would get wind of it."
Get wind he did. After watching his favorite soccer team, the Seattle Sounders, win on October 3, the Cleveland comedian turned to Twitter to share his elation and saw that Olanoff was auctioning off his "@drew" moniker. Full of good vibes, Carey immediately put in a bid.
"I thought it was so much fun, that I bid $25,000," Carey told CNN. "I was in such a good mood that I raised it to $100,000."
Olanoff was taken back by Carey's generosity at the time -- especially considering they'd never "met" until Tuesday, when he sat down with Carey via Skype on CNN.com -- but Carey wasn't done bidding just yet. Video Watch the two Drews meet over Skype »
In the middle of an interview last week with CBS (the corporation writing Carey's checks, as he's the host of the network's "The Price is Right"), he upped the ante from $100,000 to a cool $1 million if he gets the same amount of followers by midnight on December 31.
Yes, you read that correctly -- Drew Carey plans to give away a million dollars to LiveStrong, if he gets a million Twitter followers by the end of the year.
"It was just one of those things that you felt compelled in the moment to do something," Carey, who said that he's had loved ones go through cancer treatments, explained. "I didn't talk to my agents about it or my account or anything. I thought, well, I could afford it, and it's a really good cause. I was really intrigued with all these people all over the Twitterverse to retweet things and follow, and raise a million bucks."
Judging by how quickly the follower count increases every time his @DrewFromTV Twitter page is refreshed -- on Tuesday evening, he had over 76,000 followers -- Carey is well on his way to doing so. Of course, if he doesn't reach a million followers, the donation will be prorated: If there are 500,000 followers when the clock strikes midnight, then $500,000 will be given to LiveStrong.
"It's going to be tough getting a million by the end of the year, and I'm worried I'm not going to make it," Carey admitted during his Skype interview. "If it's going the rate that it's going, it's going to come up short."
Nevertheless, Carey has become a faithful believer in the power of charity via Twitter. "I'm going to do another version of this next year in a bigger, better way," he said.
It may seem Carey is in some sort of popularity game, but it's not about getting millions of followers or the Twitter name, Olanoff said.
"There are obviously going to be skeptics, but Drew Carey is new to Twitter. Celebrities can get followers; Ashton Kutcher has 3 million," Olanoff told CNN. "What he's saying is, 'Follow me; you're worth a dollar, and it's going to LiveStrong.' "
This isn't the first time Olanoff's stirred up the "Twitter-verse." From the minute he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in late May, he turned to Twitter to air his frustrations.
"I'm a very public person, I'm a geek, and I've been on Twitter for years," Olanoff said. "I realized this is serious, and I started to blame things on my cancer. I'm not a whiny person and I didn't want to get negative [so the site] it was a nice way for me to focus all of my anger and being upset and worrying. "
With the help of a friend who's also suffered from Hodgkin's disease, Olanoff set up BlameDrewsCancer.com, where tweeters can blame his cancer for any and everything that's gone wrong, in 140 characters or less.
Lance Armstrong, LiveStrong's founder, blamed a broken collarbone on it, while Alyssa Milano found Drew's cancer to be at fault for her inability to resist chocolate drizzled popcorn; she then tweeted an offer to help out Drew's cancer awareness campaign in whatever way she could.
Famous or not, Olanoff found comfort in those tweets. "When I would go through my chemo treatments every two weeks, for me it felt like I had a huge support group, because when you're diagnosed with [cancer] you can feel alone," he said.
advertisement
As a result, Olanoff has decided to keep blaming cancer even though signs are pointing towards improved health; his last chemo treatment is November 2. Until midnight on November 9, his 30th birthday, Olanoff's resolved to round up as many @DrewFromTV followers as he can, and maybe accept Carey's invitation to meet up when Olanoff is back in Los Angeles.
For now, Olanoff is resting up and tossing around new Twitter names. One in the running is @TheOtherDrew, but no word on how much that one could go for.
I like Drew Carey. He's done some bang-up videos for Reason.com, so I went ahead and started an account just to follow him. Will probably never use it aside from that, but what the hell.
I don't know how to embed video, but here's a link to the video of Drew meeting Drew and talking about how this all happened.
22
General / Kinky Friedman running for governor of Texas again
« on: September 02, 2009, 04:39:41 PM »
..and I'm thinking of voting for him.
Like Ron Paul, Kinky has decided to run on a main party ticket-- but in his case, Democrat. His reasoning: "God probably couldn't have won as an independent" Also like Ron Paul, he has an unfortunate position on immigration.
A former country western singer and friend of Willie Nelson, hiis history is, shall we say, colorful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinky_Friedman
One quote:
Here's the article announcing his campaign
Penn Jillette interviews Kinky Friedman on July 4, 2006
Like Ron Paul, Kinky has decided to run on a main party ticket-- but in his case, Democrat. His reasoning: "God probably couldn't have won as an independent" Also like Ron Paul, he has an unfortunate position on immigration.
A former country western singer and friend of Willie Nelson, hiis history is, shall we say, colorful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinky_Friedman
One quote:
Quote
According to his official Web site,[19] Friedman's answer to the question "How does Kinky feel about abortion?" is "Kinky believes in a woman's right to choose." In person, he hedges his bet, saying "I'm not pro-life, and I'm not pro-choice. I'm pro-football".[24] On social issues he has supported gay marriage, answering an Associated Press reporter's question on the subject on Feb. 3, 2005, "I support gay marriage. I believe they have a right to be as miserable as the rest of us"[20] (Friedman himself is not married).
According to Cigar Aficionado magazine, Friedman plans to roll back "any and all smoking bans" if elected. One of his favorite quotes comes from Mark Twain: "If smoking is not allowed in heaven, I shall not go".[25] Friedman supports the decriminalization of marijuana, though he doesn't advocate making its sale legal. "I'm not talking about like Amsterdam," he noted, "We've got to clear some of the room out of the prisons so we can put the bad guys in there, like the pedophiles and the politicians".[26]
Here's the article announcing his campaign
Penn Jillette interviews Kinky Friedman on July 4, 2006
23
General / Just take a moment.....
« on: August 25, 2009, 07:22:04 PM »
...and imagine you were born in Afghanistan. What kind of person would you be?
Afghan husbands allowed to starve their wives if she refuses sex under new law that legalises 'marital rape'
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 4:15 PM on 17th August 2009
* Comments (150)
* Add to My Stories
An Afghan bill permitting a husband to starve his wife if she refuses to have sex has become law as the country's president, Hamid Karzai, looks to seal victory in this Thursday's election.
The bill sparked international outrage when it was first introduced earlier this year, forcing Mr Karzai to back down.
But critics say the amended version of the law, brought into effect on July 27, remains highly repressive.
They accuse Mr Karzai of selling out Afghan women for the sake of conservative Shia support ahead of the presidential vote.
Afghan presidential candidate and former foreign minister Dr Abdullah Abdullah releases helium filled balloons into the stadium during the last day of campaigning at a rally in Kabul
The law governs family life for Afghanistan's Shia minority, which make up about 15 per cent of the 30million population.
It allows a husband to withhold food from his wife if she refuses to submit to his sexual demands.
In the original version, Shia women were ordered to have sex with their husbands every four days.
It also removed the need for consent to sex within marriage, effectively condoning marital rape.
Now in the amended version of the same bill, a wife must also get her husband's permission to work. Fathers and grandfathers have also been awarded exclusive custody of the children.
President Hamid Karzai is said to have approved the 'marital rape' law to win over Shia supporters
The bill was passed quietly with the apparent approval of Mr Karzai.
The Afghan president's government has also agreed local 24-hour ceasefires with the Taliban ahead of the elections where he is the clear front runner with 45 per cent of the vote.
It is hoped the truces will let people vote and could even form the basis of permanent peace talks with the Taliban, the man in charge of reconciliation has said.
But ambushes and explosions are likely to continue until midnight on Wednesday.
Today security guards for Abdullah Abdullah, Karzai's former foreign minister and his main presidential rival, beat back enthusiastic supporters with rifle butts at the rally in Kabul's National Olympic Stadium, notoriously once used by the Taliban as an execution ground.
Several thousand supporters waved blue flags and cheered as Abdullah gave a passionate address, whipping some in the crowd into a frenzy.
A makeshift platform used by television journalists collapsed in the crush, lightly injuring several.
Supporters stampeded through gates and shattered glass doors to get closer to Abdullah, an urbane eye doctor, while others clung precariously to a light tower.
One of Afghanistan's most notorious militia leaders threw his support behind Karzai today, the final day of campaigning for this week's tense election.
Thousands gave a rapturous welcome to former Uzbek militia chief General Abdul Rashid Dostum, who jetted back to Afghanistan on Sunday from exile in Turkey.
'We need to go with Hamid Karzai into the future,' Dostum told cheering supporters in Shiberghan, his dusty home city.
Dostum's backing could deliver enough support to swing the election for Karzai in a single round, despite grave fears expressed by the United States and the United Nations over Dostum's possible return to a position in government.
Afghan boys walk with their donkeys carrying ballot boxes to the remote areas in Baba Ali village, Dara district in Panjshir province, north of Kabul
Afghans will head to the polls on August 20 to elect the new president
Polls have shown Karzai firmly in the lead with about 45 per cent of the vote, but not enough to win an outright majority and avoid a run-off against Abdullah, Karzai's former foreign minister who has strong support among ethnic Tajiks in the north.
'We must not let it go to a second round and back Hamid Karzai,' the heavily protected Dostum said before throwing red velvet-covered copies of his political manifesto to the crowd.
'There will be a day, God willing, when I can help all of the people of Afghanistan again,' said Dostum, who addressed the crowd in Dari, Pashto, Uzbek and Turkmen.
Scuffles broke out backstage before Dostum arrived. A choir, led by a 15-year-old boy, sang 'our king is coming'.
The prospect of violence could hurt Karzai's first-round chances and Taliban militants have vowed to disrupt the poll, which could hurt voter turn-out, especially in the Pashtun south which has overwhelmingly supported Karzai, a Pashtun, in the past.
If Karzai fails to win a majority in Thursday's first round, he would face the second-placed candidate, most likely Abdullah, in a run-off in early October.
Mr Karzai has angered the U.S. by speaking highly of Iran - the pariah state whose leader has called for the extermination of Israel; and his commitment to democracy is increasingly uncertain.
Some of his actions in power have disturbed the U.S., the UK and other countries with troops in the mountainous central Asian country.
And they have raised huge questions over whether British troops should be dying in the name of Mr Karzai's government.
It is, however, his keenness to cooperate with warlords blamed for human rights abuses that has caused particular anger.
His appointment of Mohammad Qasim Fahim as his running mate for the election earlier this year raised huge questions
Marsham Fahim, a Tajik former warlord, has been blamed by human rights groups for mass deaths of civilians during the civil wars of the 1980s and 1990s, but despite this he was chosen as one of Karzai's vice presidential candidates.
Mr Fahim is unpopular in much of the population, who are suspicious of the money he has made since 2001. He is believed by many to be giving cover to criminal gangs and drug traffickers.
He is disliked by the west for his opposition to the disbandment of warlords' private armies in Afghanistan.
It is not the first time that Mr Karzai has faced criticism for bringing in warlords to Government following the toppling of the Taliban in 2001.
He has been accused of cronyism - early last year he attacked the British for making him get rid of the governor of Helmand, who was a friend, even though he was suspected to be a key figure in the drug trade of the province.
Mr Karzai said that when the governor was in charge, the Government was in charge of Helmand, but much of it was lost to the Taliban when Britain went in.
The president's commitment to democracy has also been questioned.
A UN election monitoring report found earlier this month that the government was using state funds to favour Mr Karzai.
Newspapers reported that the president's brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai was buying up voter registration cards to be used in vote rigging.
Although Mr Karzai is now implacably opposed to the Taliban - especially since they assassinated his father in 1999 - he was not always so critical of them.
In the 1990s he said there were 'many wonderful people in the Taliban', and now he is keen to bring moderate elements into his government.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1207026/Afghan-husbands-allowed-starve-wives-refuses-sex.html#ixzz0PFALGqUj
Afghan husbands allowed to starve their wives if she refuses sex under new law that legalises 'marital rape'
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 4:15 PM on 17th August 2009
* Comments (150)
* Add to My Stories
An Afghan bill permitting a husband to starve his wife if she refuses to have sex has become law as the country's president, Hamid Karzai, looks to seal victory in this Thursday's election.
The bill sparked international outrage when it was first introduced earlier this year, forcing Mr Karzai to back down.
But critics say the amended version of the law, brought into effect on July 27, remains highly repressive.
They accuse Mr Karzai of selling out Afghan women for the sake of conservative Shia support ahead of the presidential vote.
Afghan presidential candidate and former foreign minister Dr Abdullah Abdullah releases helium filled balloons into the stadium during the last day of campaigning at a rally in Kabul
The law governs family life for Afghanistan's Shia minority, which make up about 15 per cent of the 30million population.
It allows a husband to withhold food from his wife if she refuses to submit to his sexual demands.
In the original version, Shia women were ordered to have sex with their husbands every four days.
It also removed the need for consent to sex within marriage, effectively condoning marital rape.
Now in the amended version of the same bill, a wife must also get her husband's permission to work. Fathers and grandfathers have also been awarded exclusive custody of the children.
President Hamid Karzai is said to have approved the 'marital rape' law to win over Shia supporters
The bill was passed quietly with the apparent approval of Mr Karzai.
The Afghan president's government has also agreed local 24-hour ceasefires with the Taliban ahead of the elections where he is the clear front runner with 45 per cent of the vote.
It is hoped the truces will let people vote and could even form the basis of permanent peace talks with the Taliban, the man in charge of reconciliation has said.
But ambushes and explosions are likely to continue until midnight on Wednesday.
Today security guards for Abdullah Abdullah, Karzai's former foreign minister and his main presidential rival, beat back enthusiastic supporters with rifle butts at the rally in Kabul's National Olympic Stadium, notoriously once used by the Taliban as an execution ground.
Several thousand supporters waved blue flags and cheered as Abdullah gave a passionate address, whipping some in the crowd into a frenzy.
A makeshift platform used by television journalists collapsed in the crush, lightly injuring several.
Supporters stampeded through gates and shattered glass doors to get closer to Abdullah, an urbane eye doctor, while others clung precariously to a light tower.
One of Afghanistan's most notorious militia leaders threw his support behind Karzai today, the final day of campaigning for this week's tense election.
Thousands gave a rapturous welcome to former Uzbek militia chief General Abdul Rashid Dostum, who jetted back to Afghanistan on Sunday from exile in Turkey.
'We need to go with Hamid Karzai into the future,' Dostum told cheering supporters in Shiberghan, his dusty home city.
Dostum's backing could deliver enough support to swing the election for Karzai in a single round, despite grave fears expressed by the United States and the United Nations over Dostum's possible return to a position in government.
Afghan boys walk with their donkeys carrying ballot boxes to the remote areas in Baba Ali village, Dara district in Panjshir province, north of Kabul
Afghans will head to the polls on August 20 to elect the new president
Polls have shown Karzai firmly in the lead with about 45 per cent of the vote, but not enough to win an outright majority and avoid a run-off against Abdullah, Karzai's former foreign minister who has strong support among ethnic Tajiks in the north.
'We must not let it go to a second round and back Hamid Karzai,' the heavily protected Dostum said before throwing red velvet-covered copies of his political manifesto to the crowd.
'There will be a day, God willing, when I can help all of the people of Afghanistan again,' said Dostum, who addressed the crowd in Dari, Pashto, Uzbek and Turkmen.
Scuffles broke out backstage before Dostum arrived. A choir, led by a 15-year-old boy, sang 'our king is coming'.
The prospect of violence could hurt Karzai's first-round chances and Taliban militants have vowed to disrupt the poll, which could hurt voter turn-out, especially in the Pashtun south which has overwhelmingly supported Karzai, a Pashtun, in the past.
If Karzai fails to win a majority in Thursday's first round, he would face the second-placed candidate, most likely Abdullah, in a run-off in early October.
Mr Karzai has angered the U.S. by speaking highly of Iran - the pariah state whose leader has called for the extermination of Israel; and his commitment to democracy is increasingly uncertain.
Some of his actions in power have disturbed the U.S., the UK and other countries with troops in the mountainous central Asian country.
And they have raised huge questions over whether British troops should be dying in the name of Mr Karzai's government.
It is, however, his keenness to cooperate with warlords blamed for human rights abuses that has caused particular anger.
His appointment of Mohammad Qasim Fahim as his running mate for the election earlier this year raised huge questions
Marsham Fahim, a Tajik former warlord, has been blamed by human rights groups for mass deaths of civilians during the civil wars of the 1980s and 1990s, but despite this he was chosen as one of Karzai's vice presidential candidates.
Mr Fahim is unpopular in much of the population, who are suspicious of the money he has made since 2001. He is believed by many to be giving cover to criminal gangs and drug traffickers.
He is disliked by the west for his opposition to the disbandment of warlords' private armies in Afghanistan.
It is not the first time that Mr Karzai has faced criticism for bringing in warlords to Government following the toppling of the Taliban in 2001.
He has been accused of cronyism - early last year he attacked the British for making him get rid of the governor of Helmand, who was a friend, even though he was suspected to be a key figure in the drug trade of the province.
Mr Karzai said that when the governor was in charge, the Government was in charge of Helmand, but much of it was lost to the Taliban when Britain went in.
The president's commitment to democracy has also been questioned.
A UN election monitoring report found earlier this month that the government was using state funds to favour Mr Karzai.
Newspapers reported that the president's brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai was buying up voter registration cards to be used in vote rigging.
Although Mr Karzai is now implacably opposed to the Taliban - especially since they assassinated his father in 1999 - he was not always so critical of them.
In the 1990s he said there were 'many wonderful people in the Taliban', and now he is keen to bring moderate elements into his government.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1207026/Afghan-husbands-allowed-starve-wives-refuses-sex.html#ixzz0PFALGqUj
24
General / Re: Liberty oriented reasons for home birth.
« on: August 04, 2009, 06:23:10 PM »
Home birthing screams "I am an individualist, perfectly capable of taking care myself and my family. I don't want or need your help, so fuck off!". It really is the ultimate in claiming personal responsibility.
It also screams "I'm prepared to accept the risk that my infant might have health problems which causes it to die or kill me rather than being born normally, which might've been easily fixed if I had chosen to go to a hospital" and "I'm prepared to go through absolutely excruciating pain without the assistance of drugs for no real reason." I was born Cesarean because I was a breech baby...who knows what might've happened if that hadn't been an option.
25
General / Goddess Desired for Awesome Relationship with Extraordinary Man
« on: June 25, 2009, 10:27:10 PM »
This man is looking for his goddess. Will you be her?
http://www.findingmygoddess.com/
(I'm pretty sure it's Richard)
http://www.findingmygoddess.com/
(I'm pretty sure it's Richard)
26
Boyfriend and I have been talking about building a chicken coop in the backyard and raising some chickens-- maybe three or four, and mainly for eggs although we wouldn't rule out eating them sooner or later. Anyone have experience in this?
To me, it sounds attractive as a) we have a garden, and apparently chicken poop is great fertilizer, b) home-grown eggs seem to taste so much better, and you know the chickens have been well cared for since you're the one who did it, c) they eat garden pests like grubs, aphids, etc. and d) they would probably satisfy my urge for pets, though that might get in the way of eating them eventually.
Doing some research on the subject led me to a blog called Three Chix a Day, about a guy who gets three very young chicks and takes a photo of them each day for two months and includes comments on their personalities: http://3chixaday.blogspot.com/ Their names might be the best part: Noodle Soup, Salad Sandwich, and Pot Pie.
To me, it sounds attractive as a) we have a garden, and apparently chicken poop is great fertilizer, b) home-grown eggs seem to taste so much better, and you know the chickens have been well cared for since you're the one who did it, c) they eat garden pests like grubs, aphids, etc. and d) they would probably satisfy my urge for pets, though that might get in the way of eating them eventually.
Doing some research on the subject led me to a blog called Three Chix a Day, about a guy who gets three very young chicks and takes a photo of them each day for two months and includes comments on their personalities: http://3chixaday.blogspot.com/ Their names might be the best part: Noodle Soup, Salad Sandwich, and Pot Pie.
27
General / Dr. George Tiller, abortion provider, shot this morning at about 10am
« on: May 31, 2009, 01:21:11 PM »
I'm visiting my parents in Wichita, Kansas this weekend. They just came home from church and said that Dr. George Tiller, a member of their congregation, was shot in the head and killed. Dr. Tiller performs abortions here in Wichita, and has for many years. He was shot in both arms in 1993 during the so-called "Summer of Mercy" protests but has continued his practice in spite of being kicked out of his former church. He then joined Reformation, my family's church since I was 12 or so, who refused to kick him out despite protestors showing up every Sunday and screaming at them through bullhorns. The protestors got ahold of the church roll and have sent ugly postcards and letters to members of the congregation, including my parents.
Dr. Tiller was an usher today, and was going to get a cup of coffee in the lobby when a man came out of the sanctuary and shot him. At least one other usher witnessed it, but was afraid to tackle the man because he was afraid he might get shot as well. The man made it out of the church and into his car. He drove off, but another usher got his license plate number.
I'm going to watch the news now, not that it will probably tell me anything new.....my parents commented that they heard the gunshot, but it sounded like a "pop" and they didn't realize what it was. The sound of a good man being murdered by a purpose-driven lunatic turned out not to be so ominous.
This man who shot him has attended Reformation a few times before, apparently looking for the best chance to kill Tiller. I'm sure some church members know his name, and many of them definitely know his face. He will not get away with this. I doubt he expected to. That, in a way, only makes it worse.
Dr. Tiller was an usher today, and was going to get a cup of coffee in the lobby when a man came out of the sanctuary and shot him. At least one other usher witnessed it, but was afraid to tackle the man because he was afraid he might get shot as well. The man made it out of the church and into his car. He drove off, but another usher got his license plate number.
I'm going to watch the news now, not that it will probably tell me anything new.....my parents commented that they heard the gunshot, but it sounded like a "pop" and they didn't realize what it was. The sound of a good man being murdered by a purpose-driven lunatic turned out not to be so ominous.
This man who shot him has attended Reformation a few times before, apparently looking for the best chance to kill Tiller. I'm sure some church members know his name, and many of them definitely know his face. He will not get away with this. I doubt he expected to. That, in a way, only makes it worse.
28
General / Bitching Thread
« on: March 24, 2009, 02:23:42 PM »
This thread is for bitching-- whatever you're annoyed or enraged about, big or small, feel free to talk about it here. If anyone has helpful advice concerning other people's objects of bitchery that's great too, but mainly this thread is for full-throated, vehement expression of whatever fucking pisses you off today.
29
The Polling Pit / Sexy? Misogynistic? Neither?
« on: March 09, 2009, 02:54:49 PM »
These shoes were worn by models at a recent fashion show by designer Oliver Theyskens for Nina Ricci. Amazing, they managed to walk in them....but it sure looks like it took all of their concentration.
[youtube=425,350]3yg0q2qX0kg[/youtube]
30
General / Thank you.
« on: February 17, 2009, 04:37:34 PM »
This forum drives me crazy sometimes, I'll admit it. The openness means that threads are often interrupted by jackasses, and that can get irritating after a while. But that openness also means that nobody is standing around ready to banish people for talking about a subject that makes others upset. If you want to push boundaries and challenge people's ideas about what is permissible, this is a good place to do it, and sometimes that's a really valuable thing to do....and it has come to my attention exactly how rare forums like this are. Bots and spammers are still not allowed (to my knowledge), but people who want to talk about eating babies, animal abuse, or pedophilia may do so to their heart's content. I think that's actually a healthy thing, because unexplored, unexplained taboos always seem to lead to people becoming judgmental without even knowing why. I would rather deal with a post talking about how it should be legal for nuns to fuck buffaloes any day rather than one announcing that debating about religion is useless and wrong because it just makes people angry, so we're not going to do it anymore.
It really can be depressing how eager people are to shut down conversation about things that make them uncomfortable. But freedom means having to deal with that discomfort, and I'm more than willing to make the trade-off. In fact, I have become so used to making that trade-off that it almost surprises me when other people won't. And as with any case of conversion, it's important to remember what it was like to be who you used to be, so you can actually speak to people who are still there.
So, this is just a post saying thank you, for keeping this forum wild and crazy and more free than any I've seen. The trolls shouldn't be the only ones who appreciate it.
It really can be depressing how eager people are to shut down conversation about things that make them uncomfortable. But freedom means having to deal with that discomfort, and I'm more than willing to make the trade-off. In fact, I have become so used to making that trade-off that it almost surprises me when other people won't. And as with any case of conversion, it's important to remember what it was like to be who you used to be, so you can actually speak to people who are still there.
So, this is just a post saying thank you, for keeping this forum wild and crazy and more free than any I've seen. The trolls shouldn't be the only ones who appreciate it.