Official Civ4 S&T Off-Topic Thread

[Civ'ed]

eh, I can't bring myself to ever support Sanders.

 

[mrrandomplayer]

I'm not sure about Bernie... Most of his ideas are pretty solid, but he's really old and a little too far left of me (I'm center left). Hillary is worse, and while O'Malley is younger, he doesn't have much of a shot at winning and he has his own problems.

I just don't want Bernie Sanders to have a heart attack the weekend before the election, the Democrats carry around his dead body to get him voted in, and to have it turn into a Weekend at Bernie's.

Today's also my birthday!

 

[Tycho]

One can hope for a true leftist to get into office, but I think we'll be stuck with Hillary as the next presidential candidate. America loves their center-right people, and Bernie is too much of a radical for them.

 

[TheNoob]

He has pulled the largest crowds of any candidate for 2016, and recently in New Hampshire he was around 6 points of Hillary.

Don't underestimate him is all I have to say.

 

[Noyyau]

Happy birthday random!

Today I spent most of the day trying to clear out a clogged pipe, only to discover at the end that the pipe is way longer than I thought and, though I did clear the first part, the rest is still clogged. I need a longer pipe cleaner. Or a bucket of NaOH, haven't decided yet.
Yay for wasting an entire day of my only week of vacation.

 

[Spirictum]

Happy birthday random!

 

[CaterpillarKing]

Happy Birthday Random! I bounce between Sanders and Clinton. I much more prefer Sanders economically and socially and just generally, but I don't like his leniency on guns.

 

[adhiraj.bose]

Damn I missed random's birthday :O .. though to be fair it was also my mother's birthday on that day

 

[Royal Tenenbaum]

My stance is very different from any view I've heard for a long time.

I feel that it is a time for a new era of politics. It is becoming increasingly clear that politics is not the answer to all of Earth's problems.

I always come back to finding that the most valuable thing that we must invest in is the environment. All we are, and all we will be for many centuries will be because of the Earth. The Earth, to us, has nearly infinite value to us for now. The environment must be the largest priority of the global consciousness, and as a coincidence it is the environment which has brought us global consciousness. Throughout history, it is local dangers that have brought together cultures and people and brought forward a new vision to a people. But now, as our danger reaches a global level, we must band together as a brotherhood of the Earth. If we cannot create policies that stop us from destroying ourselves, then I see no reason to further continue civilization.

When it comes to poverty, it comes down to an ethical issue, not a political issue, of equality vs equity.

Equality is when people are treated equally.
Equity is when people are treated in a way that allows everyone to excel at an equal level.

I came to this realization today, so I have not had much time to think on this. However, I have usually supported equality over equity in almost all situations. To what extent I do, is interesting. I would be crazy to say that handicapped parking, ramps, etc. Yet, at the same time, I do not believe a woman (not to sound sexist, this is a biological point) should be given special treatment when it comes to manual labor because she biologically cannot preform as well as males. Why is it, that I think that equity when it comes to handicapped-ness, is a good thing? When it comes to social security -- old age -- it is something we should ensure because all of us are in this together against Time. We will all grow old, and we will all ask for the help of the younger to sustain us. But if you allow handicapped parking, then you must be ready to make way for much more absurd things. Let's say someone with Down Syndrome wants a position as a rail operator. Not a problem, we'll organize everything such that he can do that to such a point that we need to create a position just to allow him to do that. But that doesn't sound quite as sound, does it? I am still looking for a scientific, ethical, spiritual, logical answer.

I'll make one more point on "illegal posessions". Drugs. When it comes to drugs, I very much disagree with the "Moral Majority" mindset that developed in the mid 1900s. Their argument for their ban was that it would create a worse society. Any other argument than that I have found no weight in. With most drugs, I have found it does -not- create a worst society. The utilization of marijuana, for instance, has promoted tranquility, serenity, fraternity, creativity, and effinity for divinity (by which I mean, a spiritual drive to achieve something beyond the biological expectations of our species) to some degree. I myself, have found I have been more able to communite complicated ideas, understand the thought processes of my friends and improve my social skills, and expanded the worth of the art I produced, all while having fun smoking it. The same I'll say for shrooms, MDMA, cocaine, alcohol, and salvia -- all these drugs I have tried, and although I didn't like some of them, and although their health affects range and many could be said to not be -worth- doing, I believe the opportunity to try them can only benefit society. When it comes to drugs I have not touched, heroin, meth... I do not know. I will probably not try them, as I do not believe they promote "goodness" within people, rather they are selfish drugs that only sedate and amuse. That, is an interesting point. I believe if you are trying to improve the species, or rather, get us to see past our biological purpose and into the exciting and unknown frontiers of our existence in the universe, that you should be allowed to do that. Thus, I think only a few drugs should be "declared" as illegal to use, and many others suggested not to use. It takes judgement, and I have never been one to agree with the phrase "do not judge." Judgement is a lost talent, and I think it has paralyzed our arguments.

I want to hear your feedback. I want to share your feelings. I want to find truth.

 

[clanky4]

Prohibition doesn't stop people from doing things. It just makes it illegal.

 

[Spirictum]

I'll make one more point on "illegal posessions". Drugs. When it comes to drugs, I very much disagree with the "Moral Majority" mindset that developed in the mid 1900s. Their argument for their ban was that it would create a worse society. Any other argument than that I have found no weight in. With most drugs, I have found it does -not- create a worst society. The utilization of marijuana, for instance, has promoted tranquility, serenity, fraternity, creativity, and effinity for divinity (by which I mean, a spiritual drive to achieve something beyond the biological expectations of our species) to some degree. I myself, have found I have been more able to communite complicated ideas, understand the thought processes of my friends and improve my social skills, and expanded the worth of the art I produced, all while having fun smoking it.

I couldn't agree more with you on this part. Although the previous part was somewhat confusing for me to understand (not only you seem to still be not pretty sure of what you think about it, but also it's not on my own language, which makes things quite more complicated ), this part however is exactly how I think.

And the bolded part seems to have come out from my own mouth. Seriously. I've already said something almost as equal as your statement. It's incredible how I changed after my experience with marijuana. I always had difficulty to understand others, texts, and subtleties in both textual and spoken conversations. I was always more fond of math, certainty, clearness. Then it came into my life, slowed down my way of living, and with that it opened my mind to understand a lot more of my surroundings.

It was because of this that I realized I had broken up with the love of my life, and then endured an almost year long adventure to convince her that I was someone worth of her. Since then we have been together for 4 years and a half.

It was because of this that I finally accepted that I wasn't an atheist. My atheism was only a channeled hatred towards Organized Religions (although it's my Avatar ), and that incredible herb fights against hatred. I still have no religion, but I see goodness on many of them, and I accept an Absolute being/truth/view, although I don't understand much about it.

It was because of this that reading became something quite easier, and I mean reading hard books like the ones of my subjects on College (Probability, Statistic, Discrete Mathematics, Electrical Circuits, Modular Programming). Of course it takes more time to read, but the understanding comes together with the reading, instead of lying to myself imagining I had understood what I had read, like I used to do.

It was because of this that I became quite better at video games, especially CIV . I always loved video games, but I wasn't the type of person that had to become the best. I usually tried to do things not expected on games, using cheats if I had to. Now I usually can do a lot better because I want, and that mystical stuff just makes you a lot better at what you really want to do.


And for me the key is that: It makes us a lot better at what we want to do. It helps our concentration, it calms us, it gives us motivation. It removes us from our own cage, the cage of our biases, customs and daily life. It won't solve our problems, but it'll open our mind and let us do what we really want to do. We can see a lot more from things we couldn't see much. It makes us perceive things we had never been aware of before. But it doesn't solve our problems, it actually makes us quite more annoyed at the situation in which we live. It removes a lot of our patience towards all the wrong things that surround us. It's not compatible with the paranoic, urbanized, selfish, corrupt, polluted and decadent world that is found in the metropolitan hearts of our globe.


It was because of that that I became a lot more annoyed towards my parents for the faulty education they pretended to give me;

It was because of that that I'm stuck without completing College because I realized its purpose isn't to teach me how things work or are done, but rather how to find a job and be good at it, in this 'Job Market' society we live. It's more important to be present in every class then to try to learn the subject. Discipline over Knowledge;

It was because of that that I felt terrified when I worked in a big multinational company, Vale, because there I've seen the worst society could show me in my 20th year of life. I was treated as garbage just because I was an intern (or trainee, I don't know the exact word in english, but I was a college student working there), and not because of my personality, skills, or behavior. My superior was annoyed because he and the team didn't know anything about me, because I didn't have lunch with them. I had college so I couldn't have lunch with them. When I asked about my obligations, he said I did everything correctly, but that wasn't enough, I had to share my life with them, they felt I was distant. I couldn't understand that. The rest of the team was composed of False people, that was truly disgusting. When they faced me they were short and even rude. When they faced any superior, it was like I could see them shaking inside trying to please the superiors the most they could. I dubbed it 'Office Politics' (I'm probably not original, but I had never seen this before), and I truly didn't sign for that job to do Office Politics, but rather to do something tangible that could also make me learn something in the process.
To end this terrible experience, I usually felt like I came back to a 5th grade classroom everytime I had to go to the bathroom or when I had to ask for something to do from the women of my team. BTW, my team was composed of 3 women, me, another guy, and our direct boss. When going to the bathroom, a male-only place, people were always talking about soccer/football. It's ridiculous that this was the sole subject spoken like 99% of the time. When going to the section where the 3 women of my team worked, I always stumbled upon them gossiping about something and all turning to me exactly when I got near and shutting up so I couldn't know what they were talking about. It was a 5th grade atmosphere all over the place.

I was studying hard stuff to end having to do Office Politics? If I hadn't known the herb, I would probably accept because of the money. Endure the shadows to use my payment for pleasure. That thought is disgusting to me.



So this herb is a great thing, but it has its drawbacks of course. It certainly doesn't fit the plans of the powerful. A stuff that can grow anywhere there is soil, water and light and when consumed brings calm, enlightment and insight isn't compatible with the hard-working common person that together with most of the world population composes the backbone to sustain the world we live in now. It had to be prohibited. That's a shame though, but it's our reality. Don't take me wrong, I'm not encouraging anyone to try it. In the moment you try it, your mood, the environment around you and how much you use of it may change a lot the effects I described above.

But to those that already experimented, and felt lazy and sleepy I have something to tell you: You took too much
Try a lesser amount next time

 

[jackelgull]

"The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar Left, and black people. You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be against the war or black. But by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuiana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did."

John Ehrlichman, Nixon counsel and assistant, in a 1992 interview



I thought this might be an interesting quote to bring up.

 

[Royal Tenenbaum]

Very very interesting.

 

[Noyyau]

I never took anything mood-altering except good old wine, whiskey, vodka, and beer. (Not all at the same time, obviously, that would be a recipe for a hellish hangover.)

My personal opinion is that drugs and prostitution should be legal, taxed and controlled just like alcohol and tobacco are.
And in the same way, people should be free to do whatever the hell they want to do to themselves, as long as it does not endanger others.

So being under the effects of drugs would still be illegal at any workplace, or while driving, just as being drunk is now.
Medical tests would probably be more common, but I guess that need will push the development of faster and less intrusive tests for various substances (like we already have alcohol level testers that just need you to breathe in).

That's just my opinion however. To change how most of humanity thinks, that would require yet uninvented global mind control rays or something like that.

 

[GreekAnalyzer]

Interesting thoughts from all of you.

From my perspective as a practicing yet socially liberal Christian, I think what my country needs right now is moderation.
Gerrymandering and partisanship are rampant, as the environment is raped by corporations and the economy stagnates. What we need are people to step up, and rise to the challenges, and ignore the partisanship that has overtaken our country.

 

[CaterpillarKing]

Well Bernie is an independent, and has always identified as such.

 

[TheNoob]

Bernie also is a big supporter of moving away from fossil fuels to producing more green energy.

We will need enough people to vote Democratic during the midterms so Bernie would have more support for passing his ideas.

 

[trexeric]

I have never used drugs, nor do I plan to. Heck, I'll probably never even drink because I'm a carrier of a liver disorder and I could get a messed up liver later in life. That being said, my stance is 'if it doesn't hurt society, and if it doesn't kill you, then you should be able to do it'. There should be regulations, of course, such as not being high while driving or an age limit or that sort of thing, but generally it should be allowed.

And I've been secretly rooting for Sanders in the presidential race. He's a long shot, but I despise Clinton due to naming issues.

 

[GreekAnalyzer]

Me doing computer work:
1) Why the eff wont this work
2) How the eff is it working
3) Eff it its working now

 

[TheNoob]

Originally I thought Bernie probably wouldn't win either, but I think he'll pull an Obama and beat Hillary in the Democratic caucus.

This article is a pretty good read, too.

Spoiler :

This