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Here's a weird one, why do whites commit suicide at a much higher rate than other races?

What did I say about race? I talked about US vs. Japanese culture.

Consider:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9231926/ns/nightly_news-nbc_news_investigates/
"Some 200 New Orleans school buses sit underwater in a parking lot, unused. That's enough to have evacuated at least 13,000 people. Why werenâ(TM)t those buses sent street by street to pick up people before the storm? ... One huge bottleneck in the evacuation â" the New Orleans airport. Officials say flights were delayed while screeners and air marshals were flown in to comply with post-9/11 security requirements, and then further delayed because screening machines werenâ(TM)t working. ..."

The AC post can be seen as another example of US cultural problems. Shirley Sherrod was forced to resign for making a speech that ironically included mentioning how racism was being created by elite-pushed policies in the USA for centuries to cause poor blacks and poor whites to be at each other's throats to keep them all divided and powerless:
    http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0722/Shirley-Sherrod-debacle-why-Obama-stumbles-on-race
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9NcCa_KjXk

See also:
    http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/zinncomrev24.html
"How skillful to tax the middle class to pay for the relief of the poor, building resentment on top of humiliation! How adroit to bus poor black youngsters into poor white neighborhoods, in a violent exchange of impoverished schools, while the schools of the rich remain untouched and the wealth of the nation, doled out carefully where children need free milk, is drained for billion-dollar aircraft carriers. How ingenious to meet the demands of blacks and women for equality by giving them small special benefits, and setting them in competition with everyone else for jobs made scarce by an irrational, wasteful system. How wise to turn the fear and anger of the majority toward a class of criminals bred-by economic inequity-faster than they can be put away, deflecting attention from the huge thefts of national resources carried out within the law by men in executive offices."

That said, Japanese people can be pretty xenophobic, which is why they are creating a lot of elder care robots instead of importing "guest workers" from other countries like Western Europe or the USA.
  http://www.jref.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-7650.html
  http://www.globalaging.org/elderrights/world/2004/japaninvention.htm

So, soon Japanese-designed household and nursing robots are going to take a lot more low paid jobs in the USA... A Japanese anime about that complex issue:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roujin_Z

Dr. Killion says many stores already sell "listening devices" for people with normal hearing that differ little from hearing aids. For example, sporting-goods stores sell ear devices for hunters that muffle the sound of gun shots but also amplify quiet sounds, such as animals rustling in vegetation. Dr. Killion says the hunters' device is actually quite effective for people who have trouble hearing and illustrates his point that there's no technological barrier to an inexpensive over-the-counter hearing aid.

Not so fast. Hearing aid sales in the United States aone are around 2 million. Add international sales (no need for language localized version :), the relatively slow product cycle, etc. and the prices are hard to defend. The hearing aid is not an obscure device, and many millions of people will need one. It is also relatively recession-proof. It appears that the industry both suffers from a lot of regulation but also is, frankly, crooked. See this Wall Street Journal article.

Yes, it's a virtual paradise. They are a truly compassionate and loving people. I'm sure no one would want to reform such an flawless system. What was I thinking, even questioning their wisdom?

Actually, in all seriousness, many nursing homes (now more commonly called "assisted living centers" or something similar) actually aren't that bad. There are some that are actually pretty nice places to live. They allow you to be around those from your own generation in a safe, comfortable enviroment. And many of them have rooms and apartments that were a helluva lot better than anything I ever had at university.

Besides, it certainly beats leaving grandpa at home while you go to the beach for a month.

They took the time to raise you, take the time to return the favor.

You "return the favor" by raising your own kids (who will, in turn, treat *you* like crap). No parent should be under the impression that their kid owes them anything. Not only is this a selfish notion, but it is also unwise (what if that kid you're counting on to save you turns out to be a heroin addict with a genetic predisposition for leukimia?).

-Eric

Japan already has this kind of stuff

They didn't list UV light purification, but it is obvious they are going for "Toilet has home health station".

New York Times reporter James Brooke was recently shocked, shocked to discover that the Japanese people's famous fascination with robots and automation stems from their"xenophobia." [Japan Seeks Robotic Help in Caring for the Aged Mar. 5, 2004 NYT ]

The labor-saving device that gave Brookes the willies was Sanyo's new clamshell-shaped automated bathing machine. It allows frail people confined to wheelchairs to roll in dirty and roll out clean and dry.

Shivered Brooke: "Futuristic images of elderly Japanese going through rinse and dry cycles in rows of washing machines may evoke chills."

Yet the machine doesn't seem to give the shivers to its users. Toshiko Shibahara, an 89-year-old resident of a Japanese nursing home told Brooke, "You don't get a chill. You feel always warm." Likewise, Kuni Kikuchi, an 88-year-old in a wheelchair, noted, "It automatically washes my body, so I am quite happy about it. These bubbles are good for the massage effect."

...

My question: doesn't the uniqueness of Japanese culture add to the diversity of the world?

And aren't we supposed to celebrate diversity?

Oh, excuse me, that's the wrong kind of diversity. We are supposed to celebrate the right kind of diversity--the kind where each country becomes so diverse in population, its culture so diluted by immigration, that all countries are eventually the same.

How silly of me to forget that the ultimate goal of "diversity" is global uniformity--and monotony.

New York Times reporter James Brooke was recently shocked, shocked to discover that the Japanese people's famous fascination with robots and automation stems from their "xenophobia." [Japan Seeks Robotic Help in Caring for the Aged Mar. 5, 2004 NYT ]

The labor-saving device that gave Brookes the willies was Sanyo's new clamshell-shaped automated bathing machine. It allows frail people confined to wheelchairs to roll in dirty and roll out clean and dry.

Shivered Brooke: "Futuristic images of elderly Japanese going through rinse and dry cycles in rows of washing machines may evoke chills."

Yet the machine doesn't seem to give the shivers to its users. Toshiko Shibahara, an 89-year-old resident of a Japanese nursing home told Brooke, "You don't get a chill. You feel always warm." Likewise, Kuni Kikuchi, an 88-year-old in a wheelchair, noted, "It automatically washes my body, so I am quite happy about it. These bubbles are good for the massage effect."

It's easy to imagine other advantages. A roll-in machine means that attendants don't have to manhandle the elders' wizened naked bodies into the tub, which must be a relief to all concerned. Greater automation means bathing times are less dependent on the staff's work schedules, which can be a blessing to old people struggling with incontinence. Finally, as this kind of technology progresses and becomes cheap enough, the elderly can stay in their own homes longer before finally being bundled off to nursing homes.

But the NYT can't be bothered with what a bunch of old ladies want, not when it has important brow-furrowing to do over the dark urges behind the Japanese drive to empower their elderly. Brookes writes:

"But [these bathing machines] also point to where the world's most rapidly aging nation is heading. Leaders of the Philippines and Thailand ... suggest a different route: granting work visas to tens of thousands of foreign nurses. But that is unlikely in a nation that ... in the last decade has issued about 50,000 work visas a year... Building on such xenophobia, Japan's nurses' unions successfully lobbied lawmakers of the governing Liberal Democratic Party in late February to block the admission of foreign doctors and nurses."

My question: doesn't the uniqueness of Japanese culture add to the diversity of the world?

And aren't we supposed to celebrate diversity?

Oh, excuse me, that's the wrong kind of diversity. We are supposed to celebrate the right kind of diversity--the kind where each country becomes so diverse in population, its culture so diluted by immigration, that all countries are eventually the same.

How silly of me to forget that the ultimate goal of "diversity" is global uniformity--and monotony.

I may be wrong about this, but I remember reading/hearing that many of these 'immune' women were just asymptomatic carriers.

Here is an article about. It that says they actually couldn't get infected. However, their immunity depended on their consistent practice as prostitutes and constant exposure to the virus. If they stopped for a while then were exposed to it again, they lost the immunity.

Well, like I said at the end of my post, the timing or details might be off but my point was it was much less "bunk" than you think.

a) You made my point exactly: sci-fi not only attempts to predict the future, it also influences future invention and design. I never argued around a ten-year timeframe, but if you insist: in 1994 cellphones were more than twice the size and weight, were analogue and had a fraction of the battery life. Their displays were typically monochrome seven-segment, numeric-only vacuum-flourescent or LCD. Now we have very small, digital, high-resolution phones that play music, video games, store our contact and schedules, get our email, surf the 'net, play music and take pictures. (oh and BTW, the origianl star trek never had badge communicators--they were belt-mounted flip-open just like a cellphone)

b) You're right--a wristwatch is not practical for any device requiring a user interface. We do, however, have watches that wirelessly transmit and store data, monitor heart rate etc. IBM even demonstrated a Linux-powered computer/PDA watch They are not wild commercial successes but they DID come into being as predicted.

c) Don't be foolish--reading news online or downloding it from the 'net into the "paper device" waiting in the kitchen was the POINT of the "electronic paper" in Sawyer's article! What did you think--a paperboy dropped a new one on the doorstep every morning like the dead tree version? The reason for "electronic paper" is that is is non-disposable, portable, light-weight and durable--perfect for reading at the table with your toast and tea.

d) If you are aware of Moore's law then why scoff at predictions based on it? In 1994 a 486/66 with 8 MB RAM and 240MB HD would've been a higher-end machine--now multiply all those performance numbers by FIFTY and you have something that is mostly a BUDGET machine today. I certainly couldn't fathom EVERYTHING that might have been done with that technology, although we can make a lot of guesses.

e) Hey, don't rag on the sci-fi toilets, ok? The first versions have been commercially available for more than two years. Who's to say the price won't come down to afforable levels and features improve in 10 years. Look at what happened with the price and quality of colour laser printers and big-screen TVs in that time

f) I did a job search last a little more than a year ago. There weren't a LOT of telecommuting jobs but there were a few. Quite a number of companies allow flex hours and partial telecommuting (including my own employer). About 5-10% of our sales and support people already telecommute. Sawyer predicted 50% in ten years...who knows? Doesn't sound that far out. I tend to think it won't be that big, but I do see a trend towards it. If location really mattered than we wouldn't have call centres in India serving customers in the USA would we?

g) I didn't say rote memorisation was completely gone nor that it was a good idea all the time. That said, if your poly-sci course (or language or chem for that matter) relied very heavily on rote memorisation rather than learning concepts and critical thinking than it is a pretty crappy course. Since you finished college in 2001 it might be safe to assume you have been out of grade school for five or more years. I'm a few years older still (but not by much), but I've had the chance to see what kids experience in grade school now. My kids will certainly be using calulators by grade six (some grade FOUR teachers introduce them, to my chagrin). Children use PCs right from grade one and may use them for "real" school work by third grade. By grade seven they may be researching for reports on the 'net regularly. Graphing scientific calculators are a REQUIREMENT by high school, and many, if not most seniors in the academic stream bring notebook PCs to school. I went to a rural school, and was one of the first to take a distance education course in high school 11 years ago

So if you still happen to have an elderly relative around, make sure they are watered properly and/or are properly kept away in cool storage for the summer.

And just kill your parents.

Enough already.

Besides, the number of deaths in France was directly attributed to the lack of care Frenchmen give to their own elderly relatives. France is a decaying, vain, miserable country.

Whatcha gonna say when several million Americans who have worked hard their entire lives suddenly can't collect the Social Security benefits they've been paying for their entire working lives? "Fuck you, leave my taxes alone, you freeloading jerks!"?

There's a big, angry, flashing red warning light going off right now. We're cutting taxes like they were cancers, out administration has unequivocally stated that they plan to keep cutting taxes, regardless of the fact that both the federal budget and federal deficit are the largest they've ever been. Our forecast for the next few years is to spend money we don't have, and amazingly enough, nobody seems to care that we don't have enough money to pay Social Security. Nobody seems to care that we're running a 6.5 trillion dollar national debt. No, everything and anything can be fixed by cutting taxes. Economy doing well? Well then, cut taxes. Economy doing poorly? Well then, cut taxes. Sky still blue? Well then, cut taxes.

We're spending our nation into oblivion, the largest generation in American history is about to start demanding retirement benefits, and our fiscal policy is being dictated by a president who has a long and proud history of total incompetence at running a business.

And you want lower taxes.

Do you understand how insanely irresponsible that is?

From this article:""If you're over 35, it's very hard to find work," said a sad-looking 43year-old woman at the job center..." (in Tianjin)

Or Li Hua, who went to a job fair and was told he was "too old" to find work: