ThunderPeel2001

It's true that Conservatives aren't outright evil, but unfortunately there are a few loud mouths among their number that spout the kind of utter and total retarded garbage you can hear in that video. Choice quotes: "All Muslims aren't terrorists, but ALL terrorists are Muslims – that's just a fact." "Muslims are allowed to behead their wives legally in America." Take Rick Perry, for instance: 0PAJNntoRgA Also, I don't believe for a nanosecond that Christians are treated unfairly or hypocritically in the West. I think a lot of people believe they are, but I've never seen a single piece of evidence that held up to scrutiny. What's amazing to me is that even when you take the time to explain why "news story x" has been twisted to make a story that doesn't exist (e.g. "They're trying to ban Christmas!"), people often get upset. You'd think that people would be happy to hear that things aren't as bad as they feared, but instead they get angry. It's as if they want to believe they're being treated unfairly. Which is... interesting.

Pssst. Sadly it's not.

This is serious political discussion, so I'm not sure what it's doing in the "comical video" thread. Oh well. EcCvvJWyx4c Note: Please don't confuse Victoria Jackson (who was in SNL and this video) with Kimmy Robertson (who was in Twin Peaks and NOT this video).

Great discussion guys... Just kidding, I saw the Twin Peaks episode of Psych and it was pretty amusing. I think I'd probably like that show if I watched it. Aside from Modern Family (which everyone has ignored despite the fact that it's excellent -- excellent I tell you!), I watched the first few episodes of The Good Wife from my super-comfy-seat™ on the plane back from LA, and utterly LOVED it. I need to dig that up somehow and enjoy it.

I'll just add that I think How I Met Your Mother certainly has its flaws, though... It's not The Wire or anything, it's just an enjoyable sitcom with its heart in the right place. Modern Family is worth a peek, if you haven't seen it. But you may also find the fact that it's a sitcom a horrible clash against The Wire. (Maybe skip other TV until you've finished the season?)

I love How I Met Your Mother, and I not only disagree with your assessment of Ted, I also relate to him, too. I find it kind of funny that we both find the The Big Bang Theory offensive. Personally I find it offensive because it's yet another show where "real men" are supposed to want to be womanizers. (See Two and a Half Men.) We've spoken quite frequently about the messages that the media sends to women, about what a women is supposed to like, and how they're supposed to behave... but we haven't talked about the messages we men are sent. We get them, too. A lot of popular shows portray "sensitive" men as failures, as the very thing that turns a potential female partner off. "Real" women want a "real" man, which is apparently someone who's completely slimy, full of themselves, who is only using them for sex, and with a plan to throw them away. How I Met Your Mother, on the other hand, has a lead male character who's actually looking for - shock! - a wife. Yes, that's right. A wife! And who wants to be father? A father! Hello! How uncool is that? How pathetic and lame is he?! What a loser!!! Not only that, but the series portrays the happiest people in the world to be those who have found a solid, loving, trusting relationship. It also portrays womanizers as pathetic creeps worthy of derision and mocking... (How very un-Charlie Sheen.) For all of the above reasons, I love this show, and find it to be a breath of fresh air. Yes, Ted is chasing a romantic ideal, but dammit, some of us still believe in romantic love. And given that Marshall and Lily's relationship is what he's aiming for, it doesn't seem too out of reach... PS - Ted's not chasing a partner simply because his friends are getting married (although that's not much of a criticism if he was), you've apparently just caught a random episode. I'm sure the sweet idealistic, escapism of shows like this must grate against the brutal realism of The Wire, though...

I think we need some photos...

The Cave of Forgotten Dreams is also very good. Werner Herzog is the dude.

Wow, I had no idea that Ireland was so expensive... I finally have a decency reason for not having visited. Hurrah! Shame Denmark is, though. I really fancy going there.

This is quite fascinating. I mean Dexter is a serial killer... but people always say, "but he only goes after really bad people". I'd love to know more about what you're learning about.

Nice job. Keep it up

Yep, that's the one. My previous save was quite a way before that, and it autosaves as soon as you walk through the door. Oh well. Still enjoying the game, though. Incredible atmosphere!

Oh no! I just walked through a door and skipped a whole chunk of the game

So I finally got to play this game thanks to Santa Claus Erkki. I don't know how far I am through it, but I have to say that I LOVE the atmosphere. The graphics and sound come together to create a wonderfully moody world. The game aches to be Bladerunner. Immediate flaws (and I can't believe nobody else mentioned this): The dialogue is terrible. Dry and uninteresting. No subtly. No wit. Often illogical and forced sounding. The characters all talk the same wooden way, and they all take themselves far too seriously for my tastes. Still, that's my biggest complaint so far. I'm loving the world and how lovingly crafted it is. The puzzles work for me; The only place I got stuck was not realising that you have break convention and press the RMB to fix your lockpick. Yes, it's not terribly taxing, but that just means I'm enjoying my time in this universe more. The action-y stuff is even surprisingly well done, which is pretty damned impressive for an adventure game. (LucasArts never managed to get it right, if you ask me.) I just wish Dave Gilbert, master of indie adventure game dialogue, or Ben and Dan (the real life ones) had given the dialogue a once over. Anyways, back to that cyberpunky world...

I liked this quite a lot

Yeah, I noticed that. I think it was just an ad-lib that came out wrong. People says all kinds of crap. I was more concerned that his introduction was a pile of meandering and pointless waffle. Here's all he needed to say: "Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming to the stage Stephen Colbert and Neil Tyson."

Well, I wasn't paying for the seat, I was paying to travel 6,000 miles, but Flying Premium Economy cost me 80% more than flying Economy. To me, as someone who hates flying (but only because I hate being cooked up in a tiny space for 11 hours -- I get bored -- and I get horrible jetlag), it was well worth the money to have some comfort... And, wow, what a difference! I couldn't believe it. To put it into perspective, flying Business Class would have cost 700% more than Economy... So Premium Economy was definitely worth the money, if you ask me. Economy: £500GBP Premium Economy: £900GBP Business Premier: £4000GBP Not to mention the fact that it actually cost me more than £900GBP to fly plain old Economy the previous year! (Don't fly in July, folks!) If you can't afford to pay more than Economy, I'd still recommend Air New Zealand. It was the best Economy I'd ever flown, too. Seats where as small as anywhere else, but the incredibly friendly service, good movie selection, and general ambiance, definitely made it better than other airlines I've flown.

As I said: "If you're flying this journey, don't even think about it. Just do it, and thank me later." Best. Flight . Ever. (Although I've never flown Business or First.)

Hebbo!

Premium Economy is something run by a lot of airlines. It's usually just slightly bigger Economy-style seats for 60% to 80% more money. (Which I'm guessing it's the same as the "Economy Plus" you mention?) On Air New Zealand, however, instead of slightly bigger economy seats, it's this... In other words, if you're travelling from London to LA (or, indeed Auckland), it's definitely worth the money. Not only that, but the service, even in Economy, is the best service I've ever experienced on a plane. Super friendly staff, good food, just great service all round. I love Air New Zealand. They rock.

Indeed, his blog is here, is often filled with weird and wonderful stuff: http://www.robertpopper.com/

This is my top tip for anyone flying to or from London to LA -- Fly Air New Zealand and pay extra for Premium Economy. If you're flying this journey, don't even think about it. Just do it, and thank me later.

I'll take 400 packs, please. Whereabouts are you visiting, Mr Orv?

Interesting, thanks for the explanation!