News that makes us laugh, cry, or both

[Wesley Street]

American kids are smarter than previous generations but can't think outside the box.

[mean_liar]

Just learned that the "pesticides" in GMO corn is actually just a protein, normally created by a bacterium, which is toxic to insects.

and spent a good hour or so berating well-intentioned extremists on facebook about their fear-mongering.

Bt FAQ
Bt-CORN: WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKS

oh, and that this protein has been used in Organic Gardening for 50 years...

The problem with Bt corn is that it HAS been used in organic gardening for a long time - but in moderation. When you make Bt-anything, though, you're introducing a constant source of the stuff and the real possibility that you're going to eventually have Bt-resistant strains of whatever running around... and then organic farming just lost it's one real ace in the hole.

[For Valor]

I robbed this bank with a bouquet of flowers

[Clutch9800]

American kids are smarter than previous generations but can't think outside the box.

And Gaming is to blame.

[Wesley Street]

And Gaming is to blame.

Video gaming.

Be specific.

[Clutch9800]

And Gaming is to blame.

Video gaming.

Be specific.

I can actually attest to this. My oldest son is very imagianative and creative. He's also a video game fanatic.

When he's playing video games he sits there and drools.

When he gets into trouble and gets grounded from video games he does things like turn his bunk bed into a Pirate Ship complete with home-made cannon.

He's way more interesting when he's grounded.

Clutch

[Kaelik]

And Gaming is to blame.

Video gaming.

Be specific.

I can actually attest to this. My oldest son is very imagianative and creative. He's also a video game fanatic.

When he's playing video games he sits there and drools.

When he gets into trouble and gets grounded from video games he does things like turn his bunk bed into a Pirate Ship complete with home-made cannon.

He's way more interesting when he's grounded.

Clutch

You are insane.

Next time you try to judge someone performing a virtual activity, pay attention to the activity space.

That version of logic results in "People on forums just sit there hitting keys." "Physicists just sitting there in front of a blackboard." "Nuclear Power Plant operators just flip a bunch of switches."

Pay attention to the activity space. Maybe when he's playing video games his creativity is manifesting itself inside the game environment in the form of complex tactics, well formed plans of action, or even ignoring the point of the game and using the material of the world for other than it's intended purpose.

[Crissa]

I hate to agree with Kaelik, but that was a really good point.

...Although I've seen alot of creativity turned into very not-well formed plans of action. Rube Goldbergian comes to mind.

-Crissa

[Clutch9800]

Maybe when he's playing video games his creativity is manifesting itself inside the game environment in the form of complex tactics, well formed plans of action, or even ignoring the point of the game and using the material of the world for other than it's intended purpose.

I understand your point, but I think it may be apples and oranges.

Anyway, the conclusion of the study was that constant bombardment with distractions is actually causing a decline in creative problem solving. What I'm saying from my observations is that when he isn't twitching in front of the video screen, he's a much more creative thinker. He's forced to use his imagination to create scenarios to keep him entertained. He uses (to borrow a phrase) material of the physical, not virtual world for other than its intended purpose, and the real rub, is that he does it un-self-conciously.

That, coupled with the fact that he regularly "beats" video games in a very short time leads me to believe that they aren't challenging enough for him creatively or intelectually. That, coupled with the fact that he ends up with monikers like "Wasteland Despot" in Fallout 3.

I enjoyed how the Total War series engages him, because it makes him interested in the actual history behind the games. I think that's great.

Of course, I'm a huge gamer myself, so I can't really throw too many stones. I'm also immensly proud of him in everything he does.

Clutch

[Kaelik]

No the conclusion was that people were scoring lower on creativity challenges.

One thing that people made up as a reason maybe why is "I don't see people being creative when playing video games, so it must be that video games discourage creativity."

That idea is based on the same failed reasoning you exert in choosing to ignore the actual medium being manipulated.

You say "What I'm saying from my observations is that when he isn't twitching in front of the video screen, he's a much more creative thinker."

And what I'm saying is that you are absolutely wrong. People aren't less creative, you just choose to ignore the actual medium. You choose to declare all video game based creativity as not counting.

You go on to establish your senseless bias by claiming "He uses (to borrow a phrase) material of the physical, not virtual world for other than its intended purpose" as if whether the material is virtual or not changes creativity?

This is precisely my point, you can claim that pirate ship beds are somehow thinking more creatively than the Feynman diagrams, and I can say, that's retarded, because, the fact that Feynman sat down and wrote on a chalkboard doesn't make it less creative, and like wise if he typed it in a computer, and likewise if he discovered a new way of thinking about the interactions of objects in a video game instead of in the real world.

Things aren't less creative because the medium they are about changes.

[Crissa]

PS, The whole bit about Shirley Sherrod being a racist is a fake. Turns out the end of the anecdote is that she did help the guy and learned a lesson. But I guess that was pretty obvious, coming from Breitbart and Fox, right?

-Crissa

[Psychic Robot]

Glenn Beck has a pre-existing medical condition. God has a sense of irony.

[RobbyPants]

And what I'm saying is that you are absolutely wrong. People aren't less creative, you just choose to ignore the actual medium. You choose to declare all video game based creativity as not counting.

Yeah, it's basically a No True Scotsman fallacy.

Glenn Beck has a pre-existing medical condition. God has a sense of irony.

It didn't stop him from making a quick jab at health care reform.

[RobbyPants]

BP caught using altered image of command center

Basically, the original image had three of the ten screens blank, so someone thought it would be a good idea to copy-paste some pictures into those screens. I don't know if they thought they'd look inept or inefficient if 30% of their screens weren't doing anything, or what.

While it doesn't look like they're doing anything terrible or malicious with this, it still makes other things they say harder to believe. Way to go BP! Make yourselves even less trustworthy in the public's eye!

[Psychic Robot]

It didn't stop him from making a quick jab at health care reform.

As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly.

[Orion]

So after some digging it turns our PR's link is even more full of shit than I thought.

The video he posted of the black woman choosing not to help a white farmer? It's a heavily edited right-wing character assassination. That's halfway through her speech, which ends up being a about how she saw the light and realized that all poor people are in need and all that good shit.

Not to mention the fact, of course, that posting about one racist black woman does not prove that "black people care more about race" since it's pretty trivial to counterpost a racist white person...

[angelfromanotherpin]

WANT

[Wesley Street]

BP caught using altered image of command center

Jesus, BP, use the Extract tool in Photoshop! It isn't that hard and it gets rid of telltale white fuzzies around layered images.

On behalf of designers everywhere I'm officially embarrassed for you.

[Crissa]

It'll just make sure next time they alter the set and not the photo.

-Crissa

[Clutch9800]

So after some digging it turns our PR's link is even more full of shit than I thought.

The video he posted of the black woman choosing not to help a white farmer? It's a heavily edited right-wing character assassination. That's halfway through her speech, which ends up being a about how she saw the light and realized that all poor people are in need and all that good shit.

Not to mention the fact, of course, that posting about one racist black woman does not prove that "black people care more about race" since it's pretty trivial to counterpost a racist white person...

It wasn't heavily edited. It was just a sound bite taken out of context.

Every single entity from the speaker to the White House screwed the dog on this one. Bloggers in a lot of ways are really fucking up journalism, because all they have to do is "get it first"......they don't have to "get it first and get it right" like real journalists are supposed to.

Anyway, Ms Shirly has already sued the federal governement once and won big. She'll do the same this time and win bigger.

Way bigger.

All because 20 years ago she didn't use the "full force of what she could do" to help a farmer because he was white.

But in the end, we all learned a valuable lesson about friendship; just like an After School Special.

Clutch

[RobbyPants]

So after some digging it turns our PR's link is even more full of shit than I thought.

The video he posted of the black woman choosing not to help a white farmer? It's a heavily edited right-wing character assassination. That's halfway through her speech, which ends up being a about how she saw the light and realized that all poor people are in need and all that good shit.

Not to mention the fact, of course, that posting about one racist black woman does not prove that "black people care more about race" since it's pretty trivial to counterpost a racist white person...

I heard about that on NPR. They even played part of an interview of the white farmer in question saying how helpful the woman was and how she saved their farm.

Everyone was all backpedaling like crazy yesterday.

It'll just make sure next time they alter the set and not the photo.

-Crissa

Oh, probably. I'm still surprised they did it in the first place. What were they afraid of? People getting pissed that they were only utilizing 70% of their monitors? People thinking a bunch of their cameras were failing under water?

[Count Arioch the 28th]

So after some digging it turns our PR's link is even more full of shit than I thought.

The video he posted of the black woman choosing not to help a white farmer? It's a heavily edited right-wing character assassination. That's halfway through her speech, which ends up being a about how she saw the light and realized that all poor people are in need and all that good shit.

Not to mention the fact, of course, that posting about one racist black woman does not prove that "black people care more about race" since it's pretty trivial to counterpost a racist white person...

Unfortunately, no one is listening. I really wish white people would stop acting stupid, it's making me look bad by association. No, something that happened 20 years ago that the person regrets today does not make them a worst racist than David Duke, stop insulting my intellect by saying so.

[Crissa]

Bloggers in a lot of ways are really fucking up journalism, because all they have to do is "get it first"......they don't have to "get it first and get it right" like real journalists are supposed to.

Strange, it wasn't bloggers who broke the story in all its inaccuracies. Why would you blame them, and not Fox News Network, the Washington Post, and New York Times; the ones that did carry the story? Sure, it was published on Breitbart's blog, but those outlets interviewed him.

-Crissa

[Ganbare Gincun]

It wasn't heavily edited. It was just a sound bite taken out of context.

That video was edited enough to change the tone of Shirley Sherrod's message from one of racial reconciliation to that of being an unrepentant racist. And if your words were taken out of context in such a fashion, I doubt you'd be quibbling over the degree of the editing that was needed to transform you into a heartless bigot in the eyes of the American public.

Anyway, Ms Shirly has already sued the federal governement once and won big. She'll do the same this time and win bigger.

Way bigger.

Two points:

1) The lawsuit that she was a part of was Pigford Vs. Glickman, which was a class action lawsuit that alleged that the USDA treated black farmers unfairly when deciding to allocate price support loans, disaster payments, "farm ownership" loans, and operating loans, and that the USDA had completely failed to process subsequent complaints about racial discrimination. The lawsuit ended with a settlement in which the U.S. government agreed to pay African American farmers $50,000 each if they had attempted to get USDA help but failed. You seem to be implying by the tone of your post that she - and the other black farmers involved in the suit - were wrong to seek to legal redress for what they thought was racist behavior by the US Government. Why is that?

2) I suspect that if you had lost your job due to libel and slander, you'd want to consider pursuing your legal options as well. I think she'd be well within her rights to file a lawsuit against both the U.S. government and the person that released the edited tape. Only time will tell what she will actually do, but unless you have mind-reading powers or can divine the future, your smarmy attitude towards her right to pursue a lawsuit against those that caused her harm and your implicating that she's some kind of litigious huckster is appalling.

All because 20 years ago she didn't use the "full force of what she could do" to help a farmer because he was white".

Roger and Eloise Spooner are grateful for everything that she did for them, what with her helping them save their farm and all, and even came to her defense on CNN. So I don't even know where you're coming from here.

[Ganbare Gincun]

Rehab Clinics Turn Into Killing Zones In Mexico's Drug War