Silly/Odd News Stories from around the World

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

I would say Americans like freedom of movement that is not quite provided by mass transit. Also the idea that time is money and the extra hour or so mass transit can put on your trip at times makes that clear...depending on if that is not countered by the cost of movement via car.

Having lived in a few cities where mass transit worked... I'd say this is an unfortunate fixation we have. The size of our country means we'll always need *some* sort of personal transport but large cities and commute corridors *need* to get out of this "addiction mode" with the status quo.

I have seen some very interesting 'people pod / smart road' solutions but that takes some political will and R&D that we as a country seem to be lacking anymore (looks back to the Interstate system project of the mid-20th C.).

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Having lived in a few cities where mass transit worked... I'd say this is an unfortunate fixation we have. The size of our country means we'll always need *some* sort of personal transport but large cities and commute corridors *need* to get out of this "addiction mode" with the status quo.

I have seen some very interesting 'people pod / smart road' solutions but that takes some political will and R&D that we as a country seem to be lacking anymore (looks back to the Interstate system project of the mid-20th C.).

not me, i bought my house very close to where my office and is also in walking distance of the grocery stores. i probably end up filling my car maybe 14 - 15 times a year i could careless how much you guys pay for gas.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

not me, i bought my house very close to where my office and is also in walking distance of the grocery stores. i probably end up filling my car maybe 14 - 15 times a year i could careless how much you guys pay for gas.

Yeah, that's one of the solutions.

The only problem I can see with that is the instability of "modern employment under our corporate idiot-masters". You'd hate to have to move every time some troll accountant makes the numbers look good for the quarterly report by laying off staff.

There's just a lot of mental modes we need to reject to actually solve some problems (or go back to modes that actually worked). Those modes benefit the very few at the expense of everyone else.

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Yeah, that's one of the solutions.

The only problem I can see with that is the instability of "modern employment under our corporate idiot-masters". You'd hate to have to move every time some troll accountant makes the numbers look good for the quarterly report by laying off staff.

There's just a lot of mental modes we need to reject to actually solve some problems (or go back to modes that actually worked). Those modes benefit the very few at the expense of everyone else.

independent contractor - paid on commission only and can office where ever i want, except home.

the company call us business partners

i call it employees without benefits.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

independent contractor - paid on comission only and call office where ever i want, except home.

the company call us business partners

i call it employees without benefits.

Yes, you would be correct.... or "temp slave". You could delude yourself with the term "mercenary" I suppose

[ganbaru]

Man dies after being run over by his own stolen car
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1939537/

[Jeffry2009]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_16...-10391698.html

[sa547]

After the official Lambo service center couldn't fix his Gallardo, a disgruntled wealthy driver decided to have the whole supercar wrecked up for World Consumer Rights Day:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12759961
http://www.wheels.ca/Consumer%20News/article/794507

[ganbaru]

Ivy League-minded mom sues preschool for $19,000
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/...rticle1944001/

[sa547]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

Ivy League-minded mom sues preschool for $19,000
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/...rticle1944001/

It's double crazy: one, it's another example of using needless legal action for even the most trivial of things, and two, it shows that this mom is nuts about preordaining her child to enter Harvard.

[ganbaru]

Fiction met ‘gruesome’ reality for murder suspect, court hears
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1944136/

[MrTerrorist]

The bizarre Nazi book craze

[FDW]

Originally Posted by MrTerrorist

The bizarre Nazi book craze

I Loled at this.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by MrTerrorist

The bizarre Nazi book craze

The person who wrote this article... I'm not sure rates the title of 'journalist'. They certainly didn't do their homework.

Of COURSE people are fascinated with evil - its incomprehensible and they want to understand its motivation. Why is Darth Vader much more a hit than the whiny Luke?

The Nazis, as horrible as they were, were also almost impossible to parody as they were so over-the-top anyway. They actually *were* looking for Atlantis, space weapons, and the Ark. They *were* trying to see if the occult would give them an edge. Some of them were certified space cadets of the scary kind.

The "craze" is not bizarre nor is it even new. The German war machine was spectacular in its prime and deserves to be studied by military historians no matter who was driving the bus, as was the Roman Empire, and the Persians, and the Mongols, and anyone else who was such a game-changing force.

My review is that the author of the article simply thought he'd get more eyeballs by using the words "nazi" with "craze" ..... pot kettle black

Speaking of the Roman Empire... Ninth Legion article of interest:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12752497

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Vexx

The person who wrote this article... I'm not sure rates the title of 'journalist'. They certainly didn't do their homework.

Of COURSE people are fascinated with evil - its incomprehensible and they want to understand its motivation. Why is Darth Vader much more a hit than the whiny Luke?

The Nazis, as horrible as they were, were also almost impossible to parody as they were so over-the-top anyway. They actually *were* looking for Atlantis, space weapons, and the Ark. They *were* trying to see if the occult would give them an edge. Some of them were certified space cadets of the scary kind.

The "craze" is not bizarre nor is it even new. The German war machine was spectacular in its prime and deserves to be studied by military historians no matter who was driving the bus, as was the Roman Empire, and the Persians, and the Mongols, and anyone else who was such a game-changing force.

My review is that the author of the article simply thought he'd get more eyeballs by using the words "nazi" with "craze" ..... pot kettle black

While I don't think it's a very interesting topic either (might as well wonder about the Beatles "craze"), he does acknowledge that his so-called craze is decades old. Indeed, the question he poses is why it's so enduring. And he points out that "they were evil" isn't enough to explain it, as Stalin or Mao didn't elicit that kind of interest.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

While I don't think it's a very interesting topic either (might as well wonder about the Beatles "craze"), he does acknowledge that his so-called craze is decades old. Indeed, the question he poses is why it's so enduring. And he points out that "they were evil" isn't enough to explain it, as Stalin or Mao didn't elicit that kind of interest.

Stalin and Mao lacked the fashion styling the nazis had.... I'm not actually being totally goofy here. The Nazis were careful to pick style memes that exuded confidence, authority, power. They were pretty deft at choosing symbolic dress elements for that. They were masterful at appealing to the inner gods and demons. The Roman Empire is still a 'craze' for much the same reasons (and they were more successful at Pax Romana than the Nazis ever had a notion of).

Yeah, down in the content he admits something more truthful ... but as any newspaper editor will tell you - most readers read the headline and 1-5 paragraphs after that. So most articles of this type put all the inflammatory hyperbole up front and then the mea culpa in the middle and end.

[ganbaru]

Civil liberties group supports polygamy in landmark court case
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1946313/

[MrTerrorist]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

Civil liberties group supports polygamy in landmark court case
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1946313/

Somewhere out there, SaintessHeart is dancing with joy.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by MrTerrorist

Somewhere out there, SaintessHeart is dancing with joy.

Stop demonising me! It's....it's not like I......I support having multiple waifus!

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Stop demonising me! It's....it's not like I......I support having multiple waifus!

Lets just say than KiNA is a better candidate.