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You need to stay here a bit longer, we don't agree on everything. Your snapshot of the members positions is too short.

I believe I addressed that. Sorry I wasn't more clear. I did not mean it to be an infrared herring 😄 .

No, his motive. New gun... party! As we say here, he's playing the the big "I am...". He travelled 20 miles into a trouble with a gun and you call it "standing his ground".

No, it doesn't, at all. Knives, sticks, baseball bats, tire irons can all do damage. But only to one person at a time, and at very close quarters, so that the victim - unless you sneak up on him from behind, has a chance to defend himself and bystanders have a chance to disarm the attacker. The carrying of such weapons may be interpreted as defensive. Projectile weapons kill from a distance, unexpectedly. A pistol may be carried for the purpose of self-defense - plausibly by someone who expects to be robbed or attacked. A rifle is useless at close quarters, or when one fears a possible attack from an unknown direction. A rifle is a hunting weapon; an assault rifle is an attack weapon. The carrying of a long gun can be interpreted as defensive only by the most prejudiced and purblind of judges.

I need to breathe through my nose more. 🤓

I'm probably way off topic re the recent posts, because a lot of them are too long to get into. But as far as the OP goes, I don't think reality has ever been a big seller in the US, so this is nothing new. I think it all started with the Western novels, and then exploded when movies came about. Americans from an early age are brought up on a diet of fantasy garbage, and it's addictive, like the junk food that is peddled to them. There's nothing wrong with a little bit of fantasy, but that seems to be the staple diet in US movies. And movies and tv seem to play a huge part in people's lives, especially the young. When you are contantly fed a diet of stories where people are either good, or bad, with nothing in between, it forms an attitude to life with similar inclinations. So the US as a nation seems to divide the rest of the world up as good guys, and bad guys. And the same goes for their own politics. Real life is boring by comparison, when you are used to so much fantasy in your life. Of course, that doesn't apply to all Americans. But I think it is a trend.

Funny, I used this young punk as an example in the "what is justice" thread, where we had the equivalent of crocodile tears being spilt for similar perpetrators rather then the vicitm, along with that other bare breasted turkey with the horns that took over the White House. A couple of questions...this happened in the reign of Trump, correct? Did we get any criticism from the White House on that? How was the jury selected? Were there any African Americans in that jury? What I did find was https://people.com/crime/why-was-kyle-rittenhouse-found-not-guilty-of-2-fatal-shootings-during-2020-black-lives-matter-protest/ "he answered a citizen militia's call on social media to protect Kenosha businesses from protesters". "The shootings by Rittenhouse quickly inflamed the debate about vigilantism and attracted pro-gun activists and allies to his side, including then-President Donald Trump, who chose not to denounce his actions. Politicians and activists on both the left and the right have invoked the Rittenhouse case in appeals to energize supporters, with Congressional Republicans celebrating the outcome and Democrats lamenting it, reports" Then I found this crazy example of American law....https://www.npr.org/2021/11/19/1057422329/why-legal-experts-were-not-surprised-by-the-rittenhouse-jurys-decision-to-acquit "But the law of self-defense in Wisconsin allows someone to use deadly force if they reasonably believe they are in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm. "And if so, he's allowed to use essentially as much force as he thinks is reasonably necessary to stop the threat," said Kim. Rosenbaum, the first person Rittenhouse shot, had acted belligerently throughout the night, according to video evidence and witness testimony. Later, he chased Rittenhouse through a used-car lot. Rittenhouse and another witness both testified that Rosenbaum had reached for Rittenhouse's gun. Rittenhouse shot four times within a second, killing him". ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Jesus Christ almighty, I mean wtf!!! I am staggered that it seems this little punk seemed to have acted within his rights, according to the law in that state. Can't Biden under some federal jurisitiction, get that nonsense scrapped? I mean being able to buy and carry guns willy nilly in America is crazy enough, but when you have laws such as that, it beggars belief! Are Americans still fixed in there old wild west days of the likes of Billy the Kid, and Wyatt Earp? The little punk should be locked up and the keys thrown away, but he has been found not guilty instead. Why are Americans so intransigent in not changing their constitutuion that is what, 250 years old now? That's as old as Australia is as a nation! The USA is known as the leader of the free world, and has given us great men and examples of leaders...Washington, JFK, numerous scientists such as Feynman, Oppenheimer, Sagan, Edison, Vera Rubin etc etc etc, and the list goes on and on...orginizations such as NASA, Smithsonian Institute etc. It deserves that position and should be respected for that position. But this sort of nonsense has its enemies and potential enemies, as well as allies and friends, seeing this great nation as a backwood society, driven by religious fanatics and rednecks. One can only wonder!!! Ahh well. Perhaps another "great"may emerge to lead your nation. Personally and I don't know a terrible lot about her, but I do like your vice President Kamala Harris.

For you. Perhaps instead, you could try to refute the stance I have on the subject, which is that part of the growing movement to deny reality in the US is based on reading/listening to too few sources, and that the average person is falling to populist opinions which can be outlandish, extremist, and unreasonable. You can hopefully see why your focus on a single presenter sparked my replies.

You have four posts. Do you have any idea how much of our lives we've lost watching pointless videos? 'Wary' is the word. Even the most respected member here wouldn't expect us to watch such a long programme, they would summarize the salient points what was said. You have one more post until tomorrow. It mitigates spamming. No limits on posting after that. Welcome to the forum.

I just responded to your claim that racism is not a big deal in Italy as it is in the US. I certainly don't want to censor your opinion. And this is the first time I've been accused of being in an echo chamber and repeating 'already approved ideas'. Usually I'm on the other end of the accusation.

A 'birth' is an action; a 'dragon' is an object. They cannot be the same thing. ( IOW, now you're just being annoying ) True, but he is abiding by that other great piece of American law. He is 'standing his ground'. And, if you can walk away, it cannot be labelled 'self defense' ( don't know the details, so I don't know if that also applies to the Chrystul Kizer case ). There seem to be a whole lot of laws that need to be changed ( or amended ) in the US. The fact that the Republicans have decided to make Ritterhouse their 'poster boy', is further evidence of the insanity that passes for 'normal' these days.

The only effect the gravity well of another body would have on the orientation of the orbital plane of our solar system would be through tidal forces( the part of the solar system closest to the body being pulled on more than the part further away)* Tidal forces fall off by the cube of the distance. This means that the mass causing them generally need to be fairly close. For example, even though the Sun is nearly 27 million times more massive than the Moon, the fact that the Moon is 1/400 the distance of the Sun results in it having the larger tidal effect on the Earth. There are no bodies with the right combination of mass and distance to produce any significant tidal effect on the Solar system. The galaxy itself is very massive, but its center is so far away that, for all intents and purposes, all parts of the solar system are an equal distance from it. The perihelion and aphelion of the various planets do shift over time, but that's due to interactions between the planets themselves. They also do not line up with each other. In addition, while the major planets do tend to orbit in almost the same plane, there are plenty of bodies that do not, asteroids, comets, etc. Comets in particular have large, very elliptical orbits, and because of this, they would be much more prone to be effected by external tidal forces acting on the solar system as a whole. We do not see any pattern to them that would suggest that they are being effected in such a way.

A classic logical phallus-y.

An entertaining look at human energy - mood, motivation, mitochondria, and everything else. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/11/08/energy-and-how-to-get-it

What optimal size of stick should one take into a crowd wielding AR 15s?

Worse than this. AFTER he’d shot dead others in the street in a state where he didn’t live… and while being out after the curfew they’d imposed to limit violence… several police officers actually pulled him aside and counseled him to hurry up and head home, to leave the scene so he’d be safe and avoid consequence. This whole situation neatly encapsulates why so many people were there protesting for BLM in the first place. Anyway, now that he’s been exonerated, several GOP members of Congress are offering him internships in their offices in DC right now. Fascinating, right? I mean, how do they even know this kid is Republican? Has he written essays on tax policy and the role of government, or is it maybe something else? We may never know! Again, apparently reading comprehension is hard for you. The reference to the AR was a direct quote from Rittenhouse describing his state of mind. I was not discussing either gun policy in the US or the feelings about this modular rifle in particular. If you’re gonna take a shot at me, don’t miss.

I don't think so. He could have done the same damage, but it would have been much harder. This is why laws restricting the carrying of given types and levels of weapons, and when and where, are vital.

Bit coincidental that his comments bore fruit. On a side note, I'm glad we didn't pick up this subject until now, after the trial. There would have been endless speculation. We can do a cleaner, more productive autopsy.

That’s a generous interpretation, because black defendants aren’t treated the same way. Chrystul Kizer was convicted when she killed her abductor/sex trafficker. Same part of the country. I daresay if someone who is armed with an AR-15 can be in fear for their safety such that they can use deadly force, just about anybody can make the same argument, and it would likely be a better justification. Somebody, say, “wielding” a skateboard.

Our OP has clearly asked that this thread not become (yet another) debate on guns in the US. I know the ability to show respect online is in short supply these days, but perhaps folks could at least attempt to respect this reasonable request.

That's not really relevant to the thread though. The albedo that they measure is due to reflected light, not re-radiated.

I’m confused. How in your mind does the jury today saying it wasn’t murder make what those now dead people were doing in the street that night in any way relevant? They were not posing a threat, yet got shot dead by an out of state white kid. Maybe they deserved to die at the hands of a teenager because a window got broken. Is that what you mean? Or do you just mean a broken window is reason enough to take a life outside of the justice system? Because if neither of those represent your view, then WHAT THEY WERE DOING THERE OR HOW THEY WERE PROTESTING IS IRRELEVANT.

If I murdered your child, would you find it relevant when I mentioned they were misbehaving on my street?

Food for thought. Differences between wire nails and square nails (aka "cut nails"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rwcGXIORro

They all agreed that the Sun goes round the Earth though. I'm not sure how you get day and night, with a flat disc orbiting the Sun. And if you are standing near the edge, you could get on your bike and freewheel all the way to the centre. But the return trip would be hard work.

Did you (or participants of this thread) bother to watch entire "accident" ("video")? Victims were black/darker skin.. ? Look up data again to verify it..

Don't know why I should but yeah I don't feel persecuted And now you are making this bold accusation that require at least an explanation If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem... 😉 Depending on the size of the stick... 🙄

In which way is Chrystul Kizer case related to that of rittenhouse? Seriously asking because I don't know much about the former Don't know why I should but yeah I don't feel persecuted And now you are making this bold accusation that require at least an explanation It may also "Doesn’t quite matter" but I supposed you were old enough to play hide and seek like children

A journalist and researcher, whose opinion is a thousand times more credible than yours? Yes, in fact that is exactly what I expect. (all are opinions, sciencey or otherwise) *I also did not state it was a requirement to address all of the things I WROTE. But clearly you're more interested in deflecting from that which directly attacks whatever ideological position you might blindly follow... Yes, the lecture does go into specifics as to what I was referring to, he goes into great detail as to a number of aspects of our political and economic realities. The very fact that you cannot differentiate prescription from description and objectively watch a lecture tells me that you are not an academic. Or have since lost whatever skills were involved in being an academic. -- You are not giving me any faith that this site actually holds people with critical minds...

I didn't, and don't need to read your hypothesis. It is severely lacking in all respects. But you didn't bother to read what I wrote either, so why should I care? Good on you to try and change the subject to "your poorly constructed argument." You refuse to even acknowledge I wrote a damn essay under that link... Nice job, If you had actually read it, you would know how I represent "centrist" ideologies, and how ignorant I state they are. And yet, I also give credence to contextualized ideologies, as being the only ones worth a damn. Which is significantly different than centrism, as the contextualized are significantly better read than centrists. (centrism is worse than what you accuse these "ignorant people" of) I'm 100% sure you cannot distinctly lay out the dominant and sub dominant ideologies at play in US politics. Much less the fringe and radical ideologies. And absolutely cannot explain the how and why of said ideologies. That history is almost mandatory to discuss how we got here, but apparently simpleton arguments about people deciding to ignore that "grand ole information" is apparently better?! There are many factors which caused them to be susceptible to the demagoguery and snake oil. You have to address the actual causes and not the symptoms. Don't consider the expertise of a presenter, don't even engage the idea that he could be an expert, and instead, ignore everything and pretend you already just know better... I would have respected a 5 second criticism of who the presenter is, more than whatever this ignorance is... Without the watch party. But hey, now I get to know the egoisms of the various loud mouths. And that's fine too.