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Topics - Turkey
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391
« on: April 14, 2015, 10:20:26 PM »
And nothing happened. My childhood is a lie.
392
« on: April 13, 2015, 10:04:10 PM »
Roguelike game about traveling down a procedurally generated river to gather supplies and survive the apocalypse.
393
« on: April 11, 2015, 11:51:57 PM »
 You might remember Vincent D'Onofrio from Full Metal Jacket, but now he's playing New York's biggest crime boss Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin, in the new Daredevil series. I can barely get through this guy's scenes, he's doing such a terrible job at his role. Yeah he's tall and fat and has nice suits, but that's the extent of his characterization. Amazingly, the actor that plays Fisk as a kid does a better job than D'Onofrio. Between growling out every line through gritted teeth and overacting his cliche 'rich guy just wants to save the poor neighborhoods' role, I can't wait for this guy to get killed off. Unfortunately, I really doubt they'll get the Kingpin out of the way any time soon, so we're stuck with him. I've seen other people saying they really like him in the role, but I just can't enjoy it. Thoughts?
394
« on: April 09, 2015, 09:07:15 AM »
Full article due to pay wall: Spoiler http://www.wsj.com/articles/frances-tv5monde-hacked-by-group-claiming-to-be-islamic-state-1428581883?mod=e2fb
ARIS—French broadcaster TV5Monde was working to get its systems back on track Thursday after an “extremely powerful” cyberattack by hackers claiming allegiance to Islamic State knocked the company’s channels off the air globally—a new indication of the militant group’s technological capabilities.
The broadcaster, which airs French-language content on 11 channels world-wide and is indirectly owned by the governments of France and other French-speaking countries, said hackers penetrated the computer systems at its Paris headquarters late Wednesday evening, shutting down everything from company email and production facilities to the computer servers TV5Monde uses to send its television signals.
At the same time, the hackers took control of the broadcaster’s social media accounts on platforms including Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc., posting terrorist propaganda in support of Islamic State, including some alleged personal details about French military personnel, a spokeswoman for the channel said.
“Those terrorists, as they are certainly terrorists—we are checking on the claim—are using the most advanced technologies,” said Laurent Fabius, France’s foreign minister, after a visit to the TV5 offices on Thursday morning. “Everything is being done to find the authors, punish them, re-establish broadcasting and then prevent such cyberterrorism attacks from threatening freedom of speech in the future.”
By Thursday morning, the company had regained control of its social media accounts, but had only restored one feed to its global channels and its website was still offline. Email and other internal systems that produce daily news programs remained inaccessible, the broadcaster said.
The hacking, which is now being investigated by French intelligence, offers potential evidence of the militant group’s growing capacity to conduct technological warfare. While hackers claiming allegiance to the group have been active in recent months in posting propaganda to websites and high-profile social media accounts—including one belonging to the U.S.—this appears to be the first successful takedown of a high-profile TV channel, experts said.
A former intelligence official, briefed on the cybersecurity systems at TV5Monde, said the channel’s essential broadcasting systems weren’t sequestered from its office functions, making an effort to hack those systems more achievable. The hack may have worked by obtaining the access credentials of staffers who work at the channel, the person said.
Since the summer, Islamic State has stepped up its propaganda targeting Western audiences by establishing Twitter accounts in French, Russian and Albanian, among other languages. The group also launched its first English-language magazine named Dabiq in July 2014, coinciding with its blitz across western Iraq in June. At the time, the insurgents consolidated territory seized there with gains in northeastern Syria to declare a caliphate, or Islamic Empire.
France has been a particular target. In the days following the Charlie Hebdo attacks, French officials said hacker groups linked with Islamist organizations in Syria and elsewhere defaced as many as 19,000 websites—frequently those of local municipalities and universities—by posting Islamic State propaganda. But officials said those attacks targeted mostly older websites without up-to-date security features.
Hackers also attempted—unsuccessfully—to gain control of the publication system of the French newspaper Le Monde, the paper said. That attack worked by convincing staff members to turn over internal email passwords and attempting to use those credentials to access internal systems, the paper said.
The propaganda has helped Islamic State draw in more European and American recruits, Western officials say, attracted to the group’s sleekly packaged videos interviewing international fighters about what is described as the glamorous lifestyle of waging jihad in Syria.
Islamic State has some 20,000 foreign fighters in its ranks, according to the International Center for the Study of Radicalization. Most of them come from the Middle East, but nearly 4,000 carry European passports, the center says.
Pulled out important snippets: PARIS—French broadcaster TV5Monde was working to get its systems back on track Thursday after an “extremely powerful” cyberattack by hackers claiming allegiance to Islamic State knocked the company’s channels off the air globally—a new indication of the militant group’s technological capabilities.
At the same time, the hackers took control of the broadcaster’s social media accounts on platforms including Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc., posting terrorist propaganda in support of Islamic State, including some alleged personal details about French military personnel, a spokeswoman for the channel said.
The hacking, which is now being investigated by French intelligence, offers potential evidence of the militant group’s growing capacity to conduct technological warfare. While hackers claiming allegiance to the group have been active in recent months in posting propaganda to websites and high-profile social media accounts—including one belonging to the U.S.—this appears to be the first successful takedown of a high-profile TV channel, experts said. Seems like a pretty basic demonstration of cyberwarfare capabilities, though I don't really see it becoming an actual military threat unless they ally with a nation that can actually deliver that talent.
395
« on: April 07, 2015, 03:39:50 PM »
Obviously there are more games available, but I'm considering picking up PS4 in the near future because of Bloodborne. If its not great, I'll put it off until the next price drop or big sale.
396
« on: April 07, 2015, 09:20:55 AM »
Alrighty Sep7agon, as you may know most of my close friends are pretty hardcore liberals, so I've been seeing this stuff floating around social media today. Apparently some high school girl got sent home because of what she was wearing, pictured here: Here's a quote from a family member: Today, my sister was sent home from school for wearing the clothes in the picture below. And I'm sorry but I have to stand up for my family and for women who are degraded and judged for their bodies and clothing everyday. People wonder why women feel insecure about their bodies or what they wear.. And it's beause you're told your clothing is inappropriate when you're completely fully clothed, even when you're not showing cleavage or anything. How about instead of body shaming women, school systems should start teaching 15-18 year old boys to stop degrading women with their eyes and contributing to the rape culture of today's society. Bottom line, girls cannot go to school in comfortable clothes THAT COVER EVERYTHING because school systems are afraid that hormonal boys won't be able to control their eyes and minds. And that is such a bigger problem than worrying about clothing. No, I do not believe that all boys in middle school/high school degrade young women or sexualize their bodies. That is my point.. this is not an inappropriate outfit, yet some are worried it might be seen that way, so they send girls home to change to try to avoid an issue and THAT is the problem. And then another response: So I have no idea what the school's dress code is, though let's say, hypothetically, that it generally bans leggings. Without sexualizing this person in any way, my opinion would be that leggings are basically tights and therefore aren't really an appropriate substitution for pants, even when mostly covered by a shirt. The second picture equates yoga pants with Under Armor shirts, though I think the analogy fails if you compare apples to apples and put a picture of a guy in compression shorts next to it. I think most sane people would agree it's inappropriate for a guy to wear compression shorts by themselves in an academic setting. In athletics it's fine, and if you look at uniforms from cheerleading to volleyball you can see that schools in general allow these types of clothes for those specific uses. So the question I pose to you is if you think this is an unfair reaction by the school, and whether a dress code is really a result of body shaming or boys "degrading women with their eyes" and more of a policy to keep school at least a partially professional environment.
397
« on: April 06, 2015, 11:59:15 AM »
Full episode. Skip to 15:00. So a bit of humor up front, but I feel like John asked some poignant questions that a lot of people would have liked to ask. He didn't just pander to either side, though I feel like he could've hit harder. He frequently cut off Snowden from explaining himself to put on the mask of a typical dumb American that doesn't care about technical answers. I would've preferred an actual journalist do the interview, though. John put too much time into making it funny instead of asking about the real controversy behind his actions. Ultimately, half the interview is about dick pic analogies and it feels like he's wasting everyone's time.
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« on: April 04, 2015, 03:44:23 PM »
Just an idea I've been tossing around for a while. We'd have a formal debate on a subject that could either be voted on or just decided by whoever leads it. Specific users (mods or otherwise) would be assigned as the moderator of the debate, sides would be assigned randomly, participants would be grouped into teams, posts would be more formal than the usual discussion, etc. I was never part of a debate team in school, so someone with that experience could step up to organize it (maybe Meta, though I think the organizer should be removed from actual participation).
Maybe it's a terrible idea. I just thought we could use something to change up the normal tired discussions.
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« on: April 04, 2015, 10:06:42 AM »
Season 1 is available on Netflix next Friday.
400
« on: March 31, 2015, 09:33:54 PM »
A while ago I found out from my mom that my sister is a lesbian. She's really reserved about it and hasn't told many people -- more specifically, she hasn't come out to me yet. We had a rocky childhood together because she has Bipolar Disorder, and what I was told by my mom is that she doesn't think I'll accept her because she thinks I'm far more conservative than I am, largely because I'm religious and in the military. I've been supportive of gay marriage ever since I was mature enough to even consider it a political issue, but I generally don't broadcast political stuff. So my question to you is, how do you think I should go about talking to her about it? Should I wait until she tells me (which is difficult because I live across the country, and that doesn't seem like a phone call sort of thing), or tell her myself? The thing is, she told my parents in confidence and I don't think it was particularly respectful of my mom to tell me, even though I asked her, because I've suspected for years.
Let me know what you think.
401
« on: March 31, 2015, 07:01:48 PM »
Alright, so with the Indiana religious freedom bill that recently passed, dozens of organizations have publicly declared a boycott of the state until the bill is overturned. This thread isn't to discuss the value of such bills, but the value of these boycotts. In my opinion, all this does is hurt the citizens of the state, compounding the same problem they're protesting. Some big-hitters included in the Boycott: Connecticut: Governor Dannel Malloy has indicated he will sign an executive order limiting state-funded travel to Indiana as a result of the bill. Seattle: Mayor Ed Murray, who is gay, has slammed the bill as discriminatory and is banning all city-funded travel to the state. Disciples of Christ: The Indianapolis-based church has threatened to move its annual convention out of the the state in protest of the legislation. "As a Christian church, we are particularly sensitive to the values of the One we follow," said Disciple of Christ President Sharon Watkins, "one who sat at table with people from all walks of life, and loved them all.” Yelp: In a blog post, Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman wrote, "I hope that in the future the legislatures in the nineteen states that have these laws on the books will reconsider their actions. In the mean time, Yelp will make every effort to expand its corporate presence only in states that do not have these laws allowing for discrimination on the books." Wilco: On Monday, the Chicago-based indie band said it would cancel its upcoming show in Indianapolis in protest of the RFRA George Takei: The Star Trek actor, LGBT activist, and social media superstar called for a boycott of the state and accused Gov. Pence of pandering to a right-wing, Christian base that fundamentally misunderstands its own religious traditions. "I myself am a Buddhist, not a Christian. But I cannot help but think that if Christ ran a public establishment, it would be open to all," Takei noted. "He would be the last to refuse service to anyone. It is, simply put, the most un-Christian of notions." Ironically enough, most of the more outspoken sources are also under the false assumption that the bill lets businesses discriminate against customers, including George Takei, who is notorious for parroting sensationalist headlines without researching the subject. I can't really see how this does anything useful. Before this even began, the legislature had begun rewriting the bill to clarify its inability to justify discrimination.
402
« on: March 29, 2015, 01:28:43 PM »
Not a very creative title. http://www.businessinsider.com/the-walking-dead-spinoff-will-be-called-fear-the-walking-dead-2015-3Previously, the show went by the codename "Cobalt."
"Fear the Walking Dead" has already been confirmed for two seasons.
Unlike the original series, which takes place on the East Coast, the new series will be set in Los Angeles. The series will star Kim Dickens and Cliff Curtis along with Frank Dillane and Alycia Debnam Carey.
Season one will comprise of six one-hour episodes, and will debut on AMC in summer 2015. Season 2 will air in 2016.
We don't know much else about the show, but the first trailer for the series will debut after the 90-minute finale of "The Walking Dead" Sunday evening.
Stars:   Discus.
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« on: March 28, 2015, 05:08:33 PM »
404
« on: March 28, 2015, 04:02:49 PM »
So I've decided to invoke the ancient American rite of gun ownership, and I've narrowed it down to a few candidates: Mk-19 Automatic Grenade Launcher  CIWS (Close-In Weapon System)  Ruger SR9 Compact  Obviously this is just to hold me over until the Navy finally finishes their railgun. I'm leaning towards the grenade launcher, for now. Thoughts?
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« on: March 26, 2015, 08:17:35 PM »
Right now his biggest issue is that in many cases, he's too conservative for Conservatives. NPR did a very thorough analysis of him as a candidate, and you can find that here. It's 37 minutes long, but you can read a transcript here, though I strongly urge anyone interested in the upcoming election to listen to the majority of it. It discusses his background, his political experience, and whether he can stand in a crowd of far more popular Republican candidates. Whether you agree with his stance, there's no doubt that he's a strong politician. In his rookie year in the Senate he went behind senior Republican leadership and held a pseudo-filibuster against the ACA, and single-handedly forced a government shutdown. He's very well-educated, won his Senate chair with zero experience against a candidate that was long considered an easy victor. In addition, he's something we've lacked for a while: a great orator. President Obama can read a mean teleprompter, but Cruz is a skilled debater and speaker, without the need of a script (something President Obama absolutely flounders at). Cruz's background: http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2015/03/23/394719332/what-you-need-to-know-about-ted-cruzCruz's ideal presidency: - College graduates are getting half a dozen job offers
- Regulators and tax collectors are "kept at bay"
- The country would be energy self-sufficient
- Obamacare would be repealed, but there would be health care that was "portable" and affordable
- The IRS would be abolished
- Borders are secure
- Gun rights are protected
- The "sacrament of marriage" would be upheld
- Common Core would be no more
- "School choice" would be "the civil rights issue of the next generation"
- The U.S. would stand "unapologetically with Israel"
- Iran wouldn't be allowed to get a nuclear weapon
- The U.S. would "stand up and defeat Islamic terrorism — and we will call it by its name."
Personally, I won't be voting for him. But I think it's important to know who this guy actually is, rather than the inept caricature that he's often portrayed as around here.
406
« on: March 20, 2015, 08:17:44 PM »
 http://www.amazon.com/Cheesy-Puff-Came-Life-Pimped-ebook/dp/B00TVD8EDM/ref=pd_sim_kstore_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=07C557N0NK9PH6CAWX8VActual quote: "I moaned and turned back, eying my cheddary pimp as he grabbed his powdery cheese pounder..." Summary: Can true love defy the odds? When a funky cheese puff pimp named Cheesy, comes to life and shows up at Larry's doorstep, proposing to sweep the young stud away from the world of violence and poverty that surround him, he happily accepts. But a high-rolling lifestyle comes at a price, and Larry soon finds that Cheesy has plans to exploit the young man's affection for muscular thugs. What Cheesy doesn't expect though, is to fall for Larry, and soon enough the two find themselves on a cross-country adventure where the stakes are high and the love sizzles like a cheddar slice on a steamy oven top. And of course, when you're done with this, don't forget to continue the series with:  
407
« on: March 19, 2015, 11:49:01 PM »
The Compete Edition of Civ V, with all the DLC packs, is $12.50 on Steam. Obviously it's a great deal, but I've never played a Civ game, and rarely play strategy games in general. But I've heard good things about this series; do you recommend getting into the genre with this game? https://store.steampowered.com/sub/36075/?snr=1_702_4_
408
« on: March 18, 2015, 01:54:21 PM »
I'm normally not a fan of just pasting a whole article into a thread, and would typically pull out quotes that are important to an argument, but the entirety of the article is quoted below, since it's behind a paywall: http://www.wsj.com/articles/holman-jenkins-netflix-is-the-culprit-1426633943Spoiler About that Netflix flip-flop, it’s worse than you think.
On Jan. 14, 2014, the D.C. circuit court threw out an existing net-neutrality rule put in place by the Federal Communications Commission, and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings rushed to assure investors the ruling was a nonevent. In the absence of an official net-neutrality rule, the likelihood of broadband operators blocking access or slowing down Netflix was nil.
“Part of delivering and expanding [the broadband business] for consumers,” he explained, “is having a really good Netflix experience, a good YouTube experience. That’s why people get higher-speed broadband. So I think actually our economic interests are pretty co-aligned.”
Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s programming guru, added that if Internet carriers “were to contemplate blocking Netflix or other services, it will significantly fuel the fire for more regulation, which is not something they are interested in.”
Netflix elaborated in a letter to shareholders filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission: “[Internet services providers] are generally aware of the broad public support for net neutrality and don’t want to galvanize government action. Moreover, ISPs have very profitable broadband businesses they want to expand. Consumers purchase higher bandwidth packages mostly for one reason: high-quality streaming video. ISPs appear to recognize this and many of them are working closely with us and other streaming video services to enable the ISPs’ subscribers to more consistently get the high-quality streaming video consumers desire.”
People, this has been the adult view of net neutrality all along, and why intelligent persons have rightly called federal regulation a solution in search of a problem.
Then why, a month after this deluge of demurrers, did Netflix change its tune radically and call for utility regulation of even the upstream “network of networks,” which previously had not been considered part of the net-neutrality debate?
Because Netflix was then rolling out its own network, Open Connect, to bypass the public network in favor of direct tie-ups with last-mile providers like Comcast,Verizon and AT&T. This largely ignored story has been told in detail by a disparate group of analysts and lawyers including Dan Rayburn,Larry Downes,Jonathan Lee and Fred Campbell. Netflix effectively engineered a slowdown of its own service in late 2013 by relying on an intermediary with inadequate capacity, then waved a bloody shirt in pursuit of the direct-connection deals that today allow Netflix to distribute its content more efficiently and cheaply.
At least now we understand the famous but nearly indecipherable remarks of Netflix CFO David Wells at a Morgan Stanley media conference two weeks ago. To wit, Netflix had been happy to flog the net-neutrality meme while negotiating these agreements, Mr. Wells indicated, and then unhappy when the FCC took its rhetoric seriously and imposed sweeping Title II regulation.
And no wonder: Netflix can hardly be in favor of anything that curbs its own freedom to run its business as it sees fit. Yet the FCC’s “reclassification” of the Internet as a public utility potentially does exactly that.
The same miscalculation, by the way, was made by Google, Apple, Microsoft and other Silicon Valley smarties who kept their heads down as the traditional net-neut talking point morphed into a demand for utility regulation. They didn’t want to risk their images in a political brawl with lefty pro-regulation groups, so they kept silent and relied on the Obama administration and FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to act responsibly. That was a bad bet.
Mr. Wheeler knows Title II is unnecessary and undesirable, but apparently felt it would be a personal defeat if he did not deliver something once the president had nosily intervened in favor of the “strongest possible” rules. Then, the only FCC majority available was three Democrats marching in lockstep with the president toward utility regulation.
Men spend their lives in Washington waiting for such a moment. Mr. Obama wasn’t going to come over and beat him up if he effectively scuttled the rulemaking and sent it back to the drawing board. But Mr. Wheeler, at age 68, was not ready for responsibility and so waved Title II through rather than risk standing alone and taking the heat.
In the Abilene Paradox (look it up), a group drives to Abilene for lunch because each thinks the others think it’s a good idea. Net-neut politics has now witlessly deposited the country in Abilene. It will be an expensively bought lesson for Google, Apple and others who flunked their civic responsibility to participate in an important public debate. And their schooling isn’t over. tl;dr Netflix effectively engineered a slowdown of its own service in late 2013 by relying on an intermediary with inadequate capacity, then waved a bloody shirt in pursuit of the direct-connection deals that today allow Netflix to distribute its content more efficiently and cheaply. Then other tech giants, as well as the administration and the FCC Chairman, remained quiet to avoid being singled-out against regulatory action. In the Abilene Paradox (look it up), a group drives to Abilene for lunch because each thinks the others think it’s a good idea. Net-neut politics has now witlessly deposited the country in Abilene. It will be an expensively bought lesson for Google, Apple and others who flunked their civic responsibility to participate in an important public debate. And their schooling isn’t over.
409
« on: March 18, 2015, 12:06:36 AM »
...A bit early. http://www.wsj.com/articles/netanyahu-gains-edge-in-official-vote-count-1426581793?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStoriesTEL AVIV—Conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pulled ahead of his main challenger in Israeli elections with most of the votes counted early Wednesday, a strong showing after he hammered away at security issues in the final hours of the campaign.
He will still need the support of smaller parties to form a ruling coalition, but appeared to be in the best position to garner a majority of support in parliament after Tuesday’s vote.
[...]
“Against all odds we achieved a large victory for the Likud,” the prime minister told a crowd chanting for him at a rally in Tel Aviv. “We will establish a strong and stable government to care for the concerns of all Israelis. I can tell you that we are facing diplomatic and security challenges, economic and social challenges.”
Mr. Herzog said his party’s showing was “a wonderful achievement” and he vowed to pursue a coalition that “closes social gaps…a party that will seek peace with our neighbors.” Can't say I'm surprised. Israel wants a strong stance on Palestine, and Herzog couldn't give them that. It's unfortunate that he's resolved to not entertain a two-state policy in the future, though.
410
« on: March 17, 2015, 09:47:33 PM »
Cultural appropriation is the concept of one culture adopting the culture of another, either for novelty or a genuine attempt to imitate it. You see this a lot, almost exclusively used against white people, to argue against minority culture being integrated into the majority. A lot of people see something like a white rapper or a white hip-hop dancer as cultural appropriation. A more reasonable example is the use of stereotype costumes during Halloween. One of the more tolerable videos I could find to explain the concept: In some cases I can see this as a legitimate claim. When something is degrading, like celebrating stereotypes, it's harmful and insulting. But the idea that a white guy can't enjoy or participate in someone else's culture without it being 'appropriation'? Ridiculous. What're your thoughts on this?
411
« on: March 17, 2015, 12:57:38 PM »
I used to use my dad's old turntable but I left that back in Arizona. I'm in the market for a new one, but have seen a lot of varied reviews from brands and I'm looking for some advice. If you've got one or shopped for one before, let me know about your experience.
412
« on: March 14, 2015, 07:20:51 PM »
At a fancy beachside restaurant with my wife, and I walked into the women's restroom. To my surprise, SEAL Team 6 didn't rappel into the room and arrest me for multiple counts of sexual assault.
413
« on: March 14, 2015, 12:37:52 PM »
My home state, ladies and gentlemen: http://www.azcentral.com/story/laurieroberts/2015/03/11/arizona-legislature-wages-war-on-federal-government/70171718/Without comment and on a partyline vote, the House approved House Bill 2015, declaring that henceforth the sovereign state of Arizona will not "enforce, administer or cooperate" if the Environmental Protection Agency and/or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers try to ensure that water is clean in any Arizona creek, wash or river that runs only part of the year. And HB 2368, declaring that henceforth the sovereign state of Arizona will not "enforce, administer or cooperate" with any executive order issued by the president of the United States or any policy directive issued by the United States Department of Justice unless said executive order or policy directive has been approved by Congress and signed into law. And HB 2058, declaring that henceforth, the sovereign state of Arizona will not use "any personnel or financial resources to enforce, administer or cooperate with any rule, regulation or policy directive issued by an agency, board, commission, department or other entity of the federal government unless the rule, regulation or policy directive has been affirmed by a vote of Congress and signed into law as prescribed by the Constitution." And HB 2643, declaring that henceforth, the sovereign state of Arizona and its subdivisions "are prohibited from using any personnel or financial resources to enforce, administer or cooperate with the Affordable Care Act." Meanwhile, the Senate passed SB 1330, declaring that henceforth the sovereign state of Arizona "shall not … knowingly and willingly participate in any way" in the enforcement of any future federal gun laws. Any government employee who seeks to assist a federal agent enforce one of these demon laws shall be immediately fined, [or] charged with a class one misdemeanor. Mkay then.
414
« on: March 11, 2015, 06:30:53 PM »
I recently bought a Panasonic TV, and I've noticed that when I use menus, or any option really, even changing the volume, a small ad appears.
What is this bullshit? How can it be okay for companies to do this?
415
« on: March 07, 2015, 02:02:57 PM »
In my home state of Arizona, the legislature just passed a budget deal that many of my outspoken liberal friends are criticizing on social media. The biggest issue comes from cuts to education and social welfare, in the form of $99 million cut from university funds. http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/editorial/2015/03/04/arizona-budget-deal-universities/24397351/Within this deal, an anticipated $75 million cut to Arizona's universities has blown up to $104 million, or 14 percent of the universities' overall allocation from the previous year. The community college districts in Arizona's three most populous counties — Maricopa, Pima and Pinal — would lose all their state allocations, a total of $19 million.
Much has been made of the fact that these are tough times. State revenues are way down. Between fiscal 2015 and next year, Arizona faces an estimated $1.5 billion shortfall.
But this deeper-than-expected raid on higher education is not a consequence of scarce financial resources. It is the result of ideological absolutism — and misplaced ideology, at that.
[...]
The governor had planned to use the fees to increase state Department of Public Safety funding by $65 million. Some budget analysts believe the additional cuts to the universities are being used to offset the loss of those higher MVD fees. The cause of these cuts is a projected $1.5 billion reduction in state tax revenue requiring across-the-board cuts to nearly every facet of the budget. Democrats are claiming that the education funding would have been recouped if Republicans had passed a proposed bill to tack on an additional fee for vehicle registration at the DMV -- $7-9 per registration. Republicans claimed the fee was tantamount to a tax on vehicle use, which the democrats denied; ironically, this is the same party that decries requiring voter IDs, often provided free by the state, as a tax or discrimination on voting. What irks me the most is that our universities are doing fine; Arizona State University is beginning a $265 million renovation of its football stadium is on a long spree of constructing new buildings on all four of its Phoenix campuses. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2015/03/06/budget-balance-lawmakers-press-votes/24523317/Republicans applauded the budget as putting the state on a path toward a truly balanced budget, devoid of tricks and gimmicks to make state spending match state revenue.
But Sen. Katie Hobbs, D-Phoenix and the Senate minority leader, called the budget "a ransom note to the people of Arizona," decrying the cuts to education, health care and the social safety net. This just seems par for the course when it comes to Republicans making budgets during periods of economic slumps. Hard choices have to be made, and Democrats seem more than willing to begrudgingly pass budgets by a thin margin while simultaneously slamming Republicans for cutting necessary money. Debts and balanced budgets are serious issues, and money can't just magically appear from thin air and wishes. So it feels like fiscal conservatives are fated to always be the bad guys in the economy; when things are going badly, they'll push for the hard cuts that nobody wants but everybody knows need to be made.
416
« on: March 06, 2015, 12:39:23 PM »
Clearly they've failed the litmus test of what can be considered intelligent human beings. Don't these people deserve to be treated as subhuman?
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« on: March 04, 2015, 03:23:28 PM »
This time, the special effects are actually added in. And for some reason the video is stabilized, so if the bars look weird, it's because they're masking the shaky camera.
418
« on: March 01, 2015, 01:59:29 PM »
Have any of you ever considered doing this, either a segment of it or the whole thing? The thru-hike takes about 6 months, so it's a big commitment. Think I'll consider doing this after getting out of the military before getting another job.
If you have any experience, either firsthand or from friends who've done it, talk about them here.
419
« on: March 01, 2015, 12:14:39 AM »
Premise: One night a year, all crime is legal. Gangs rove the streets to kill each other and those left out in the open. Residences and stores are broken into for theft and security.
Game idea: A 12-hour roguelike, real-time campaign that you can play over and over, with randomly generated scenarios like maps, gangs, characters, etc. Co-op would allow you to play with a limited number of friends or invade others' games to hunt them. Online multiplayer could take the form of arena gang wars, free for all matches, and matchmaking of the co-op mode, both aggressive and defending.
I'd play the shit out of this.
420
« on: February 28, 2015, 07:51:27 AM »
If you haven't seen season 3, the big conflict is over Frank's new jobs program called America Works. The idea is that entitlements are a failing system, so he wants to allocate the $500 billion from them to fund job creation and ultimately reach full employment, meaning anyone that wants a job will have it, be it in government, military, or private sector.
This generation will surely never see benefits from social security, so I'm wondering what your thoughts on this are.
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