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Consie

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Everything posted by Consie

  1. Consie posted a post in a topic in News and Politics
    Exit polls are just reporters standing outside the polling place who grab people and ask if they want to answer questions about themselves and their vote. It's not compulsory... if you don't want to reveal your vote you can say "no thanks" and walk away.
  2. Consie posted a post in a topic in News and Politics
    Melissa Etheridge is no country music singer, though :P
  3. Consie posted a post in a topic in News and Politics
    No More Mr Nice Gay' as Mormons face vote backlash Protesters vent fury after church funds successful effort to ban gay marriages By Guy Adams in Los Angeles Saturday, 8 November 2008 Daniel Ginnes carried a banner declaring: "No More Mr Nice Gay." Brian Lindsey held up a sign billing Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of the Latter Day Saints, as a "prophet, polygamist, paedophile." Hundreds of others simply chanted: "Mormon scum." More than 2,000 gay rights protesters marched on a Mormon temple in Los Angeles on Thursday, throwing the church and its followers on to the front line of the battle over California's decision to ban same-sex marriage. Earlier this week, 52.5 per cent of voters in the supposedly liberal state decided to back Proposition 8, a ballot measure that adds 15 words to the constitution, saying that: "Only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognised in California." The development marked a massive setback for gay rights and left 18,000 couples, who had married in the five months since California legalised same-sex weddings, in legal limbo. In the large and traditionally laid-back gay community, it also left a sense of injustice. Proposition 8 passed with the assistance of a $70m (£44m) campaign largely funded by out-of-state donations from Mormons. "It's taken something like this to make us realise the need to be more aggressive and angry and active," said Mr Ginnes, a graphic designer from West Hollywood. "People didn't think they were going to lose the vote, so they didn't realise it was worth fighting for. "Now we have lost a fundamental right. That's a shame, but it's certainly galvanised a community that was apathetic. What you are seeing today is the birth of a movement." In the coming days, a string of protests are planned across California, as campaigners mount a robust PR war against the Utah-based church. Many will picket services tomorrow. "We should have got nasty a long time ago," said Mr Lindsey, who is originally from a Mormon family. "I'm not going to be polite any more, I'm not going to step around my belief that this is a nasty church with disgusting views which managed to buy an election. I don't care if it's people's religion. I'm going to stand up and fight it." Thursday's protest, which gridlocked traffic in Hollywood for the second consecutive day, was mostly disciplined, with police reporting two arrests. Seven people were detained at a demonstration on Wednesday. For the Mormon Church, it threatens a PR nightmare. The gay rights lobby boasts scores of prominent celebrity supporters who have already pledged vociferous support to the campaign to overturn Proposition 8. The country music singer Melissa Etheridge, a prominent lesbian, announced yesterday that she will refuse to pay income tax until she's "allowed the same rights" as other taxpayers. Instead, she pledged to donate money to legal challenges arguing that the way Proposition 8 was put to the voters was unconstitutional. Behind the scenes, the mood is turning increasingly ugly. "If they're going to vote away my rights based on fear and ignorance and prejudice, I'm going to give them something to be f***ing scared of," read a message posted on the online bulletin board Queerty. The Mormon Church is in damage limitation mode. "No one on either side of the question should be vilified, harassed or subject to erroneous information," it said in a statement. The Mormons A snapshot *The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith Jr in New York state in 1830 and developed by Brigham Young who migrated with the new Mormons to Salt Lake Valley, Utah, in 1847. *There are 12 million membersworldwide who believe their church is a restoration of the Church asconceived by Jesus and that other Christian churches have gone astray. *It is said to be the fourth largest Christian denomination in the whole of the United States. *Mormons oppose homosexuality, abortion, sex outside of marriage, alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, tobacco, tea and coffee. *Mormons hold that we all have an eternal life stretching either side of our life on earth. They believe that humans can become like gods in the afterlife, although subordinate to God. *The Church of the Latter Day Saints tolerated "plural marriage" before the American Civil War. The practice was discontinued more than a century ago, but several thousand renegade Mormons in the western states still practise polygamy and the issue is one of the main obstacles to the religion being accepted as a mainstream branch of Christianity. Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/am...sh-1001083.html
  4. Consie posted a post in a topic in News and Politics
    Thank you :) It's important that people understand how complicated politics and society are in this country. Having said that, I honestly believe Europeans are generally more aware of this than Americans. I can come up with a million reasons why - poor education system, insular geography, institutionalized religion, capital-driven values (which allow elections to be bought). Although I do believe Americans have wised up during this election cycle, resulting in vastly-increased participation in the electoral process and, most importantly, the election of Obama. We'll keep watching the fallout from prop 8. So far there have been dozens of massive protests, and not just on the Castro in San Francisco but at LA's Mormon and Catholic churches, and a huge planned protest in Salt Lake City at the Mormon Temple. Californians really feel cheated by this outcome.
  5. Consie posted a post in a topic in News and Politics
    Well, I generally don't support generalizations of "blacks" and "whites" and such. But at least in the US (I can comment here), there is a problem of homophobia within urban African-American communities. There are a number of reasons, chief among them is religion. In urban America, churches (and in a few cases Mosques) are the only institutions left in ghettos. All other institutions have failed to provide basic safety nets for people. Churches provide free job-training, decent education, community advocacy centers, medical clinics, playgrounds, child-services, and many more desperately needed services. So from a young age, many black Americans are brought up in very religious environments, which of course, continues from generation to generation. Also urban ghettos in America are very insular - they are almost impossible to escape from. Add in the fact that the schools are awful, and the machismo kind of "survivalism" instilled in black male youths ('get rich or die tryin') and you have an environment in which homophobia breeds. Of course with increased education and better integration into diverse communities, homophobia is greatly diminished. Just like with all people. It's further proof that we need to fix our ghettos, provide economic growth and jobs, improve education, give hope... many social problems - crime, homophobia, racism and others - depend on this.
  6. Consie posted a post in a topic in News and Politics
    There are a couple of issues here: First and foremost, the issue never should have been on the ballot. The basic rights of a minority group should never ever be subject to a public referendum. This was espoused by the founders of America and its greatest leaders - Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves and Kennedy's Civil Rights Act outlawing segregation of blacks. A little history: California's same-sex marriages began earlier this year when the state Supreme Court struck down a 2000 law restricting marriage to men and women, stating that that law was unconstitutional on the grounds that California's constitution promises equal rights to all. Proposition 8 states that the California constitution will add the statement "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." Here's the problem: that's no an amendment, it's a revision. It revises how marriage was previously defined in the constitution. For a revision, 2/3 of the California legislature must allow it. Already there have been multiple lawsuits filed. Proposition 8 will likely be turned over, at the very latest in the next election. It would have been a tremendously powerful symbol giving gay marriage legitimate popular support had it passed. And it came very close to passing. Proposition 8 supporters carried out a filthy, disgusting, lying, cheating, threatening, vulgar campaign. They saturated markets with misleading commercials and propaganda. They were able to do this with gigantic sums of money from neighboring Utah. The Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) engaged in huge fundraising campaigns in their bigoted churches and sent it over the CA. Also the Catholics in and outside California were major donors to the Prop 8 campaign. By the time the No on 8 campaign realized that they'd need to solicit support from outside the state, they had been outspent by something like 10 times. All 10 major California newspapers rejected Prop 8, all major CA legislators, including Schwarzenegger, opposed it. All the major unions opposed it. Google, Apple Computer and other large Silicon Valley companies made 7 figure donations to the No on prop 8 campaign. Californians and many millions of Americans, including (rumored) the president-elect, are furious about this. Civil rights are not ever meant to be put on a ballot. But I am quite sure the legality of this measure will be struck down. It's a temporary road block, but it highlights the depravity which Catholics, Mormons, and evangelicals will use to restrict the rights of others. It also highlights how the LGBT community has major inroads to make in the black community. Whites voted decisively against the measure; Latinos voted for the measure, blacks voted hugely for it. Liberals counted on blacks and Latinos to get Obama in office but they cant count on them all the time.
  7. Consie posted a post in a topic in News and Politics
    DC is also crazy tonight, people are celebrating in the streets! It's like New Year's Eve :)
  8. Consie posted a post in a topic in News and Politics
    A black man with the middle name Hussein.
  9. Consie posted a post in a topic in News and Politics
    Polls are still open in california and the west coast. They can't call a winner until the moment the polls close for ethical reasons.
  10. Consie posted a post in a topic in News and Politics
    NBC just called Ohio for Obama. It's all over, folks. G08AMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  11. Consie posted a post in a topic in News and Politics
    The statistician at http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/ gives Obama a 98.1% chance. Honestly, the media is just reporting it as a "tight race" to keep people glued to the TV/internet. McCain's ONLY chance is Pennsylvania which hasn't voted Republican in many years. Take a look at this: zWdcUbfW_e8
  12. Consie posted a post in a topic in News and Politics
    I live in Washington, DC. Let me assure you that if McCain wins, I will do my best to ensure there are massive street riots.
  13. Have you seen the documentary Life and Debt? It's about how the World Bank and IMF have burdened Jamaica with "structural adjustment" programs that have wiped out local industries and led to increased debt and poverty. It's incredibly interesting. If you have an hour, the whole thing is online: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5277094596195828118 It's also a rather devastating critique of Western tourists (mostly North Americans) who visit impoverished third world countries. Highly recommend this!
  14. The US and UK are more "mixed" than they'll ever admit. Protectionist policies protect millions of farmers and manufacturers. Europe is no better with massive subsidies, especially agricultural ones. The problem is then the West demands total, 100% free markets from developing countries, giving them short term loans to prevent bankruptcy and then dumping billions in overproduction commodities which put local farmers and manufacturers out of business. They end up in even deeper debt. How do you think the Asian Tigers developed? With very selective capitalism, free trading in some industries but protecting many others. Capitalism works but only when mixed with healthy doses of state intervention. It's a shame that neo-liberal ideologues will never admit this. Reagan and Thatcher have been proven wrong again and again and yet their influence still plagues major financial, political and development institutions. Their arrogance has led to many hardships in the US and UK -- but far worse, many deaths in the developing world.
  15. this is my favorite U2 song... it's interesting to hear her piano-driven version. Always loved Vanessa!
  16. Consie posted a post in a topic in Movies and Theatre
    There are clips on youtube... if you can handle the "turtle scene" then you can probably handle the whole film. I'm sure the uncut version is available in the UK by now. I'm always shocked to hear how the UK was among the most eager to ban, sensor or edit films up until the 90s. Thankfully it seems that trend has ended.
  17. And then there's the UK where the Britney/Beyonce battle for #1 will happen next March when the songs are finally released :lol:
  18. To be fair, Beyonce is also #1 on iTunes in Canada, Sweden, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark :P Not to start a Britney vs. Beyonce discussion. but it will be interesting to follow each of these songs to see which is the biggest international hit.
  19. I don't fully agree... I've known a few guys (my cousin being one of them) who were total misfits, in and out of school and always in trouble. In the case of my cousin, joining the armed forces really did put him on the right path. Some people will only learn discipline if there's someone screaming it into their face. He really grew up, became more independent, mature and intelligent. And most of all, respect. The difference is, I suppose, it was before 2001 so he was never in a combat situation. What puts people on the right track is the character-building, the discipline, the teamwork, the respect. Not necessarily witnessing war or combat. I share your concern for encouraging violence to those who may already have violent tendencies.
  20. I guess this brings us back to the original topic, then. Obviously any coach should only be concerned with his/her players' skills and assets to the team. Sexuality should be irrelevant... I think we can all agree on that. :)
  21. I never said he was homophobic, I said disruptive and offensive. At the very least, he called me a "dumb idiot" where totally uncalled for. At worst, he hijacks threads with ridiculous comments that if not offensive, certainly suggest it. Once or twice is fine, but he does it all the time! What "opinion" was he expressing by suggesting it would be embarrassing for a gay guy in a locker room? What discussion would this truly lead to? I guess you just don't understand how deeply offensive it is but after so many of these comments, I have to believe JJN does. I have defended his right to post before on religion threads, where I think people were being unfair to him. But I'm growing tired of the same old spiel every time he posts on homosexuality. He goes out of his way to upset people and then it starts all over again.
  22. That's what you said. Pedophilia is less of an illness than homosexuality. And thanks for calling me "dumb politically correct idiot." Can't the moderators of this forum do anything? This guy is disruptive and offensive.
  23. I don't understand you, JJN. You show up in this forum about once a month to throw in the odd "pedophilia is more normal than homosexuality" or "most gay people don't like football" or something similar and then you're shocked by all the "PC idiots" who are offended. Can't you take a hint? You're being offensive. You're not looking for a serious discussion, you just like rustling feathers (making people upset). Honestly it's trolling at this point.
  24. Consie posted a post in a topic in Movies and Theatre
    Absolutely! The makers of the Blair Witch did a good job marketing the film, apparently some people did truly believe the footage was real. But when Cannibal Holocaust was released, rumors were so rampant and audiences so appalled that they believed real people had been killed on camera and Italian police arrested the director! He sat in jail for days until he could prove that the actors in the film were actually still alive.
  25. Consie posted a post in a topic in Movies and Theatre
    The recycling of ideas and concepts to suit new generations is interesting. Don't believe marketing slogans that new films are scarier, gorier, or more extreme than those in the past. Films like Cannibal Holocaust in 1980 showed violent gore, brutal rape, ruthless real-life slaughter of live animals. Don't think violence, gore, shock are new or cutting edge. Having said that, I do believe that creative, new ideas are out there. The Asian horror we talk about on this board has certainly changed the genre in the last 8 years. Like with anything, you need a really talented director to make a good film. And these directors don't have to do just horror! Sam Raimi, Stanley Kubrick, William Friedkin, Roman Polanski, Rob Reiner - you may not think of these as horror directors but they have all just so happened to direct some of the best horror films ever. There is very little talent in the horror genre these days... ideas? There are plenty of ideas. I've read about 20 Dean Koontz novels that could probably be made into fantastic thriller films. The problem is, again, lack of talent.