Fucking' shivers down my spine. Now imagine that with Fortus and Axl instead of Mr. fuzz pedal (Dave, good player, horrible tone) and Weiland... They need to play this.

First, the EU is the largest economy in the world, so it is most definitely 'on the same level' as the US. Second, the UK's social welfare system is more extensive than the European average in terms of services provided, so it wouldn't be any less 'absurd' if they leave. Third, you need to realize that in order to have access to the EU market, the UK will still need to conform to EU rules and regulations; there is no way the EU will go for a trade deal that gives the UK more benefits compared to other EU countries if they leave.

in terms of innovation, it's hard to quantify but I think it's fair to say that the US puts out more cool consumer products and it is easier for tech startups to raise money. The EU though outperforms the US in large scale industrial innovation and focusing on western Europe it beats the US in innovative medicine as measured by nobel prizes for medicine per capita (All Scandinavian countries, the UK, Belgium and Austria are more innovative than the US as far as medicine is concerned). Airbus is consistently more innovative than Boeing, despite the latter's massive government subsidies for its military programs. There's no such thing as a European iPhone though (but before that Nokia held the crown, owning more market share than any other manufacturer ever, including Apple. And cellular telephony was invented in Europe with all of the world currently using the ETSI (European Telecommunication Standards Institute) GSM standard).

You do have a point on the bureaucracy though, that's frustratingly true.

Oh, and also this:

You'll have to make up your mind, it can't be both at the same time! And even if you're right those are still not issues for anyone except the person him/herself...

Also... science: http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic … der-brain/
Not conclusive, but hints strongly at a biological difference.

For what it's worth, I think everyone deserves their privacy and I'm also not saying transgenders should be swinging their dicks in other people's faces either (if they're biologically male). I hate using mens rooms where there's no dividers between urinals too. But I'm not opposed to unisex bathrooms myself. I'd just prefer them to be all stalls then. As a matter of fact, in many countries around the world bars and restaurants do this already.

I'm just wondering... I've never been in a woman's bathroom in the US... do they not have stalls in there? Do the ladies just hang their asses over a trough with all their kibbles 'n bits out in the open? I highly doubt it...

Ugh... seriously? That's not what I said. An individual does not get to choose what's right for another person. Of course society decides laws, but the guiding principle should be personal freedom, which means that you don't just forbid things because they make someone uncomfortable.

No, what I'm saying is that I don't get to choose, but you don't either!

That's so besides the point. Fine, let me rephrase: murder is a bad example because it directly and physically impacts another person or group of persons. Let me give an example of what you're saying that is actually a good analogy: you're effectively saying that insulting someone should be illegal, because it hurts their feelings. I'm saying fuck your feelings, man up and live your own life.

Entirely different topic. You're falling into the trap of looking at this as an "us vs them" thing, this isn't a fuckin' football match and you ain't rooting for the home team. I think in reality you're a lot more center-left than you yourself probably think, based on your posts, but you don't want to associate with those insane 'libtards'. That's the sort of thinking that has created this entire mess and gotten the country to the point where there's a presidential election in which both candidates have the highest disapproval ratings ever. You got two of the most reviled, hated people running for president! Time to wake up and smell the polarization.

As to the issue you raise: I'm against late term abortion as well, anything after week 24 should be considered illegal because that's the point at which the fetus starts showing brain activity and therefore should be considered a human being. At that point, the mother can no longer make the decision to terminate the pregnancy because it impacts the life of another human being. However, some argue that the term should be extended to the point where the baby can live outside of the womb (that's typically around 30 weeks).

The number you raise is staggering indeed, and comparatively MUCH higher than in other westernized countries in the world. That's due to the religious right's penchant to tell people what they can and can't do in the bathroom. It is no secret that the vast majority of late term abortions occur in red states (or any abortions really).

But I'll tell you something, I'm willing to bet that if the GOP would accept stricter gun regulations (like real background checks, and limitations on the types of weapons one can buy) the Democrats would be happy limit late term abortions to something more reasonable (like 24-30 weeks). The sad state of affairs is that politicians on neither side are willing to truly negotiate about these things.