Domain: latimes.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to latimes.com.
Comments · 3,048
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Re:impossibly obscure, personal cultural refences
They're talking about Netflix carrying an all-new fourth season (which just started filming a week or so ago).
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Re:Wikipedia has something to say about this threa
Who said anything about breaking it?
I am, now. As this article makes clear, even the expert drivers of the Mars Rover are afraid of breaking it. If some idiot sends control signals with barely a clue what they do, nothing good will happen.
On the other hand, "just being able to tap into the live video feed" as you said in a later comment seems harmless enough. If all you want to do is listen to the transmission, have fun.
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The U.S. is in debt
Want a country that's not in debt? Your choices are Macau, Taiwan, and Liechtenstein. Even the Vatican is in debt:
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/05/business/la-fi-mo-vatican-deficit-20120705 -
Par for the course...
...for the least transparent administration in American history. Perhaps the Obama Administration will restore the petition shortly after they turn over the Fast and Furious documents Obama has claimed Executive Privilege over.
This is also par for the course for the Obama Administration's constant defense of the TSA. When Texas tried to pass a bill to ban TSA groping in the state, the Obama Administration threatened to impose a no fly zone on Texas over the right for TSA agents to grope people. Do you think think the Obama Administration will be any less protective now that they're unionized.
Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz has called for the abolition of the TSA. Given the wasteful, intrusive, and ineffective security theater they stage, does anyone think the America public would object to to their abolition?
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Re:Curiosity's power source...
About that battery: . Now that Curiosity is safe on Martian soil, the largest and most advanced machine NASA ever sent to another planet needs power to get its 2,000-pound frame moving. To get it going, the rover will be powered by an advanced nuclear power system, called the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, developed by Hamilton Sundstrand Rocketdyne engineers in Canoga Park. The generator is crucial to the $2.5-billion Mars mission, which centered around Curiosity trekking through the Gale Crater toward a central mountain. The rover also needs power for its many instruments aimed at finding out whether Mars is --or ever has been --hospitable to life. Its main mission is slated to last 23 months, or one Martian year. PHOTOS: History of Mars exploration Larry Trager, general manager at Hamilton Sundstrand Rocketdyne, said the generator could power the rover for years to come. “The power source is capable for 14 years even though the mission isn't set to go that long,” he said. “It’s very robust.” Hamilton Sundstrand Rocketdyne engineers developed the generator in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy. The company said the generator was designed to operate in a range of different environments, from the vacuum of deep space to extreme planetary surface environments. So how does it work? It works by converting heat from the natural decay of radioisotope materials into electricity. The Energy Department and NASA said the system consists of two major elements: a heat source that contains plutonium-238 dioxide and a set of solid-state thermocouples that convert the plutonium’s heat energy to electricity. (Plutonium-238 is not weapons-grade material.) While the process sounds new-fangled, conversion of heat directly into electricity is not a new principle. It was discovered 150 years ago by a German scientist named Thomas Johann Seebec http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-mars-landing-power-source-20120805,0,622034.story
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Re:I dont think its even that...
I wasn't trying to equate the stance against science w/ abortion clinic bombings, though I see that may come across in the thread.
I am worried, specifically about the stance that is being taken by the far right against science. Things like the text books in Texas changing based on religious views, removing critical thinking education , and denying climatology based on religion.
This is based on 2 minutes of googling. I am sure i could come up w/ more. You yourself admit that you don't believe in evolution. This theory is excellently proven and you can see it in action. you admit it yourself for giraffes. but based on the bible, are you saying you believe in a 6000 year old universe?
You mention the earth revolving around the sun, how long was that proven before the church changed its mind on that one?
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Re:Cultural Differences ?
Quite a few other fonts do. I always wondered why the LA Times use that edgy almost Germanic font (Engravers Old English) for their name Logo Would street gangs have used that font for their tattoos if the newspaper has chosen something more modern?
At university, I always found that hand-outs with those sharp pointy fonts gave me sore eyes, but some academics seemed to insist on these fonts for their "traditional appearance" (they had been used to having everything typed out - Theano Didot
I'd download the online version and change the font to Helvetica. Was their preference based on the textbooks they had read?"Data70" is another classic font that was meant to be futuristic in the 1970's, but it is now seen as somewhat "retro" forty years later.
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Re:What? Since when...
The Sacketts will not be getting any money back.
Any casual browsing will reveal outrage after outrage from a government that behaves in a manner that reasonable people would condemn...IRS, EPA, etc.all under the cover of "it's the law". That's the problem.
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Re:Is that news?
Too late. LA Times already posted an article on Aug 1: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/01/business/la-fi-tech-savvy-olympics-20120801
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What plants.
This got me curious.
Apparently, according to different sources 50-100 plants produce caffeine in varying amounts, which makes sense as caffeine is an effective herbicide if you aren't trying to ward off primates with an inflated sense of self-importance.
Narrowing to California, the first species I found that California clearly has was the leaves and flowers of orange trees, though the only exact number I could find was "caffeine is found at concentration levels of 11-17. 5 milligrams per liter, mostly in citrus flowers.” California is a big orange-growing state though.
The other option I found was holly. Southeastern US varieties of holly are quite potent caffeine producers. Indeed, apparently ancient people's used to drink them like we drink coffee. I've seen these caffeine-rich recommended to Californians to use as hedges on some sites and while the zone map for the plant includes California I couldn't find out any info on how widespread the plant is in that region.
I wonder what other plants are rich in caffeine and also if normal plant leaf decomposition could get that caffeine into the water supply? -
Re:They've turned their backs on Steve
Yeah that is the first thing I check when shopping for new hardware, which one gets had the most profit into the pockets of the manufacturer.
Exactly.
Why are Apple customers so proud of the fact that they overpay for their products?
Would we all see cheaper cell service if carriers pockets weren't being emptied into Apple's coffers? How about iPhone users start giving back to the their fellow citizens by switching to Android, instead of inflicting the cost of these overpriced device on the rest of the cell phone users. Every iPhone sold is a money out of my pocket, by way of higher carrier bills.
How about iPhone users start giving back to the their fellow citizens by switching to Android, instead of inflicting the cost of these overpriced device on the rest of the cell phone users.
Because Android may work for you, but they definitely don't work for all. I cringe every time I have to use one of these unusable nightmare of a piece of plastic.
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It's been done...
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Re:They've turned their backs on Steve
Yeah that is the first thing I check when shopping for new hardware, which one gets had the most profit into the pockets of the manufacturer.
Exactly.
Why are Apple customers so proud of the fact that they overpay for their products?
Would we all see cheaper cell service if carriers pockets weren't being emptied into Apple's coffers? How about iPhone users start giving back to the their fellow citizens by switching to Android, instead of inflicting the cost of these overpriced device on the rest of the cell phone users. Every iPhone sold is a money out of my pocket, by way of higher carrier bills.
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Re:Big surprise...
Yeah but they don't do it quite as much, on average.
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Re:Attention unemployed geeks!Don't know why I'm taking the bait, but let's do this:
Iran marching toward a nuclear weapon
And what do you propose Obama should have done? Invade Iran?
Egypt and Libya handed over to the Islamists on a silver platter
The new Libyan government is not Islamist. I have no idea where you got that. Besides, Gaddafi was rabidly anti-American. Any new regime is bound to be more pro-US. As for Egypt, Morsi's cabinet has many secular officials from Mubarak's party
45% increase in debt.
Because of the Bush tax cuts.
Regulatory policies strangling business
Name one.
That perfect health care for all, casuing businesses to not hire and drop coverage to put more people on the dole.
Give evidence: a scientific study.
Unemployment above 8%
GDP Growth below 2%
Changed his mind four times on that OBL kill, which was set up by the hardwork of Bush, Bush worked 8 strong, Obama got the save.
It was under the Bush administration that the army screwed up royally at Tora Bora. We had OBL surrounded at let him get away. Bush had nearly eight years to get OBL, and yet you want to give Bush credit for something that happens three years after his term is up? I certainly don't blame Obama for being hesitant to call in the raid. Operation Eagle Claw was a massive failure and embarassment and he was worried about a similar thing happening. (Combined with lots of anger from Pakistanis.) Don't foget that it was Defense Secretary Gates, originally appointed by Bush, who was most against the raid.
Domestic energy production hamstrung, while billions of tax dollars wasted on masturbatory green energy companies, run by his cronies.
Because of the moratorium on oil drilling? Gas prices barely changed: http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2011/01/gno_inc_study_says_economic_im.html
A racist running the Justice Department.
Ah, the classic "black man is racist against white people."
Hundreds of Mexican citizens and a US law enforcement officer dead because of Obama/Holder's agenda on guns.
I'm surprised that you care about Mexicans considering the xenophobic vibe that comes from the rest of this post. Or maybe you are implying that one US life is equal to hundreds of Mexican lives?
Photo ID laws being challenged because they interfered with typical Democrat voters, the Dead and Illegal Aliens.
We don't live in a third world country. Voter fraud is extremely rare in the US: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/16/opinion/la-ed-voter-id-laws-20120716
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The "problem" with the Kindle Fire (and Nexus 7)?
[C]umulative sales of around 85 million gives the iPad credibility in the eye on potential buyers. 'So the problem with the Kindle Fire — and the Nexus 7 — is the same problem that's plagued the PC industry . .
.Hmm. “50% of people with a tablet have an iPad. That doesn't sound so bad until you consider that previously that number had been more like 72%. The slack was taken up by Amazon's Kindle Fire, which has jumped from zero to a 22% share of the market since it launced in fall 2011 . . . "We expect to see the iPad as the leader, but with the Surface, Kindle Fire, and Nexus as three solid competitors with significant market share..."” iPad losing tablet market share (July 31, 2012).
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Re:The judge;'s job isn't to get livid.
That's not how it actually began, and you really should RTFA. Quinn's declaration is a nice read.
Please inform yourself, the Samsung bullshit propaganda is affecting your brain. As I mentioned, this is how the whole thing started. If you don't know the facts, refrain from posting. Also, Groklaw is an extremely biased source, and a declaration from the accused Samsung lawyer isn't exactly trustworthy either. Next time, stick to less biased sources.
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Re:700,000 homes
First, you need more peak energy production with solar
Yep. Solutions exists for this but they are expensive and they look a lot like large industrial operations that we no longer tolerate in the US.
Second, that sounds like it's estimating some pretty low
The ratio (1E9 GW / 700k) isn't that far off. It has a bit of greeny BS built in (reality is more like 1E9 GW / 500k) but it's not too absurd.
The real problem with all of this is that it won't be permitted. This is why we won't be building out thousands of gigawatts of solar, or anything else. BANANA; Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything.
The US is a silo'ed backwater. We're going to offset some of our coal with gas and then stop. That is the power system you will have from now till you're long dead. A solar based energy economy will be built, it just won't be in the US.
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Re:Not fully correct
For many discipline (all?) we already have known for a long time the limit of the human body. We don't test for that anymore.
Yeah, because we all know that, unlike every other form of life on this planet, the human being is not subject to the theory of evolution. Or not. In fact, the Olympics is a veritable cornucopia of genetic mutations, and it is well worth our time to learn from these athletes; not just their DNA, but training regiments, diet, environment. Every Olympic event unlocks a little bit more understanding of what it means to be human, scientifically, philosophically, and spiritually.
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Re:Rocket engines
SpaceX does not use second-hand parts from Norton.
http://articles.latimes.com/2007/mar/25/science/sci-junkyard25
Norton has supplied parts to most of the new space rocketeers, including Burt Rutan's Mojave, Calif.-based Scaled Composites, which built the first privately funded manned craft to reach the edge of space, and Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp. [aka SpaceX] in El Segundo, which launched the first privately funded craft to reach low-Earth orbit this month, though it malfunctioned after half an orbit.
These private companies can build their 'cheap' rockets because they're bootstrapping with the results of hundreds of millions in 60s NASA cast offs.
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Re:Billionaire.
You do know that when you start a comment with "You realize", it's supposed to imply that you're about to correct someone by supplying reasoned facts and analysis, and not that you're about to advertise your own embarrassingly ignorant idiocy by spouting bullshit that could be checked by three seconds of Googling? Here we go, let me Google that for you: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/22/business/la-fi-tn-facebook-zuckerberg-shares-20120522 "Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday completed the transaction of the 30.2 million shares he sold in Facebook's IPO Friday. The shares he disposed of sold for $37.58 a piece, bringing him a cool $1.1 billion. But despite all that money, the Facebook CEO will be spending most of it to cover taxes, according to a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission."
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Re:The grind never ends
> Games do not by definition, have a winning state and conversely a losing state. Many do, to be sure. You might want to read up on the philosophy of games a bit
I quite well aware of the history and philosophy of games for the past 200,000 years. No offense, but let me know when *you* have shipped a few games because you clearly don't seem to understand the difference between what makes something an amusement, puzzle, a toy, or a game. If you are relying on Wikipedia for authoritative definitions no wonder you are confused.
Now I agree there is a lot of overlap between "Entertainment", "Digital Arts" and "Games" but again unless you can *clearly* separate between all 4 (amusement, puzzle, toy, and game) you don't really understand the domain nor the definitions. You are basically arguing that something interactive or amusement is a game. So watching TV is now called game?
/sarcasm Please.Calling a toy a game doesn't make it so. That is like the media calling a programmer a hacker. They are of course related but two *separate* things.
Let's took a look at Will Wright, someone whose games have sold 100 million copies and generated more than $1 billion in sales.
"Spore gives users unprecedented freedom to bring their imaginations to some semblance of digital life. In that sense Spore is probably the coolest, most interesting toy I have ever experienced. But itâ(TM)s not a great game, and that is something quite different."
Why would its *creator* and *designer* call it a toy and not a [good] game, when the public does? Because he understands the *differences* between what makes something a toy and a game.
Other game designers say the same thing. Jonathan Blow creator of Braid had this said about him:
plans to do nothing less than establish the video game as an art form - a medium capable of producing something far richer and more meaningful than the brain-dead digital toys currently on offer.
Games have
* Rule(s)
* Goal(s)If have no way of winning you have a toy.
References:
* http://www.income-outcome.com/blog/bid/29552/GAMES-vs-TOYS
* http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/10/will-wright-toys-stupid-fun-club.html
* http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/the-most-dangerous-gamer/8928/?single_page=true
* http://www.raphkoster.com/2012/03/13/x-isnt-a-game/
* http://gamasutra.com/view/feature/167418/what_makes_a_game.php
* http://gamasutra.com/view/feature/172587/a_way_to_better_games_.php -
Re:Goalposts shifted to cover a lie
Interesting - a glance at your posting history shows that you're usually not this far off into lala land. But for some reason on this topic, you've decided to double down and keep digging yourself a deeper hole.
Let's start with numbers from the Mythbusters program, neatly consolidated within this link:
For the most recent model year vehicles tested -- from the '00s -- the motorcycle used 28% less fuel than the comparable decade car and emitted 30% fewer carbon dioxide emissions, but it emitted 416% more hydrocarbons, 3,220% more oxides of nitrogen and 8,065% more carbon monoxide.
That's per mile travelled, not per gallon.
Why the difference? Primarily, it's the catalytic converter - cars have them, most motorcycles do not. Also, cars and trucks have more room for exhaust gas recirculation and sensors. They are also more strictly regulated.
BTW, note that your 10x fuel consumption ratio didn't occur here. According to one of the links above, the average ratio is closer to 2x. Even in the example that started this thread (F350 vs Harley), the ratio is closer to 5x.
There you go - those are the facts. It is an emphatically a true statement to say that motorcycles pollute more than cars - the slightly reduced CO2 just means you may have a choice, as Cecil Adams put it, between "choking in the city or dying from mass climate change".
Now, let's step through the thread here, just so we can comment on how you managed to thoroughly embarrass yourself in three short posts.
Xoltri: "Motorcycles are worse polluters." Oversimplified, but as we've seen, basically accurate.
You: "No way. It's obvious that motorcycle aren't worse. How could it be any other way? It's so obvious." I hope I've captured your condescending tone appropriately.
Me: "These guys tested it. Motorcycles are worse for some pollutants." In the actual post, tried to echo your tone - after all, condescension deserves condescension.
Xoltri: "Yep."
You: "No way. You guys are lying. And moving goalposts. And don't know the difference between pollutants per gallon and per mile. And the moon is made of cheese." I don't think there was anything in that post that was accurate.
Me: "The tests were reported per mile. And here, more links."
You: OK, this is where it gets really good. First, you move the goalposts for CO. Then, you define the pollutants that would be a problem - the very ones described in the additional links and the original Mythbusters episode. And finally you complain about the 'authority', while it's obvious that your evidence was simply pulled out of the air. A trifecta - congrats!
So, where do we go from here? I think you should just say 'whoops', and we move on. Or you could try to triple down, and add an even more ridiculous post with even more bold letters.
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Re:Goalposts shifted to cover a lie
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Something similar where I grew up...
Kingston technology (memory manufacturer) split $100 million between 500+ employees. They also gave scholarships to all the local schools (mine included) - http://articles.latimes.com/1996-12-15/news/mn-9424_1_million-bonus-employee
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As a gun owner, I hate tragedies like this.
But in America, today, banning guns is a practical impossibility. Like it or not, there are just too many out there, and guess what? -- criminals won't give up theirs. (Interesting fact: it's ALREADY ILLEGAL for felons to own guns, but many do.) If you ban guns, all you're doing is creating a whole nation of helpless victims. Yes, you'd get to (as my friend says) "just arrest anyone you see with a gun", but unfortunately, by the time you SEE the gun, it's already too late.
Yes, it sucks when a guy shoots up a theater, or when people fly planes into buildings. But more people are killed by car crashes and obesity every year than mass killings like this. As much as everyone here hates the nanny state, laws about seatbelts and motorcycle helmets and happy meals and large sodas will probably save more lives than letting the TSA or HCI have their way. (Not that I'm a fan of either of the linked laws or organizations. Just sayin' they'd probably do more.)
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Re:They have become what they fought...
Really, how many of you have been stopped at government checkpoints and asked to show your papers (except when leaving the country)?
Aside from the obvious of air travel (which also includes a quick fondle along with the paperwork), how about these? DUI checkpoints, local department of alcoholic beverage stores, any time I enter a government building for any reason, etc. Maybe those aren't all checkpoints, but the point is I have to have proof I'm allowed to be where I want to go. That's just me, as a normal white fellow. You toss in a Mexican woman with a heavy accent, citizen or not, and the complications quadruple.
Further, if you failed to supply papers, were you under threat of arrest?
Arrests? Probably not, so long as I don't get upset at the way I'm treated. If I do get angry and want to argue about the situation, all bets are off. Citations and fines, though? You betcha, at a peace officer's sole discretion.
How many of you have had your entire families deported or locked-up because of their religions or their views of the government?
I'd say ask Nadia Habib, among others: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/09/college-student-wins-reprieve-from-deportation-to-bangladesh.html. She can stay.... for now. Even her reprieve was hard fought, and precarious. Many others get shipped out every day. Sure, immigration and undocumented and blah blah, but the fact is a LOT of these people have called the U.S. home for longer than their country of birth. Make em pay taxes, or exempt them from public services for a period of time to make up for being here illegally so long, or do whatever feels equitable to allow them to stay in their home, but to punt em back to a country they don't even know? Pretty harsh.
Can I call the feds and report my neighbor for being a collaborator if I want his house?
Yessir, you can. He looks an awful lot like he's an undocumented illegal who beats his kids, to me. Better get INS and the Neighborhood Watch on the case. Zing! Of course you don't get the house, but you can definitely screw a family up if you really want to plug away at it.
Now, of course you are correct that this is a pale and forced comparison to Nazi Germany, or Stalin's Russia, in terms of scale and intent. It's not even *close*. The analogy actually undermines the argument that we're losing our freedom, as it makes our situation here look pretty damned good by historical comparison. Even so, some of the things that made Nazi Germany such a terrible regime actually are happening here, albeit much less aggressively.
The crux of the issue: our country is getting cumulatively more restrictive, and it fucking sucks. Just getting through the daily shit I have to do is 10 times more a pain in the ass than it was for my grandparents, and it appears to be getting worse, albeit in fits and starts. As individuals, we haven't really lost all that many freedoms, but many freedoms that were previously a simple given now require upkeep and diligence or we risk losing "access" to them. Some people argue that "this is where tyranny begins." I'm arguing that the here and now is shitty enough to warrant change, whether or not we're on a path to tyranny. -
Re:Potential.
Well considering theaters are looking at going to 4D, aka smell-o-vision and moving seat speakers because the 3D thing ain't selling well enough I'd say maybe, just maybe, the fad is dying out.
Maybe they popped in their old copy of Matinee and thought, hey... there's an idea.
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Even their viral Twitter ad backfired
“@BlackBerry: Fill in the blank: BlackBerry helps me ________.” realize how thankful I am for my #iPhone
Ouch. -
Re:Potential.
Well considering theaters are looking at going to 4D, aka smell-o-vision and moving seat speakers because the 3D thing ain't selling well enough I'd say maybe, just maybe, the fad is dying out. And can i say "Thank the FSM" if it is? 3D movies and TV give me a headache, I'm sure that 3D gaming would probably do the same. my youngest intends to get the larger 3Dsi or whatever its called come XMas but only because some game series he's hooked on will only be for the 3D and I have a feeling once he's played it the 3Dwhatever will joining the PSP and the DS in the closet.
Its just a shame those things are nothing but portable DRM because the amount of power the handhelds have now if they were open I bet we'd be seeing all kinds of cool software for 'em but instead just like the consoles they all end up in the closet sooner or later. Shame that such powerful hardware ends up just rotting but that's the thing about nasty DRM, once the unit isn't used the way the OEM intended its just a worthless hunk of plastic.
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moving to 4D now
Theatres are moving to "4D". Maybe games will too.
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Re:Buying Windows does some good in the world!
Oh, give it up. Gates was/is a parasite that took BILLIONS from schools, hospitals, etc. in 'licensing fees' from both rich and poor countries alike. He's perhaps feeling guilty and now simply returning some of these billions back to society. I wouldn't give the Gates the time of day. Do some research about the millions paid by poor governments in poor parts of the world to MS in 'licensing fees, support fees, etc.' It's appalling.
Start at:
https://latimes.com/gatesAnd if you want to through the 'Warren Buffett' 'philanthropy' into the mix, I'd recommend watching 'The One Percent' on Youtube to see how Buffett treats his own family.
Want an example of someone worthy of admiration? Try Banting, for example, who gave his discovery of Insulin to the humanity for $1.
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Amazon Gets a Kickback
TFA neglects to mention that Amazon is negotiating to receive a cut of the sales tax it collects:
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/19/business/la-fi-amazon-sales-taxes-20120520 -
Re:Your opinion is a joke
You obviously have your own opinions about what is damning and what is not. Read it yourself: http://documents.latimes.com/justice-department-indictment-file-sharing-site-megaupload/
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Re:I don't see much to miss
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I have to side with DirecTV here
So apparently Viacom is even taking away their free streaming services to keep people on DirecTV from seeing the Daily Show/Colbert.
DirecTV gave numbers, 30% increase where as Viacom said "pennies a day". Pennies a day add up to dollars a week and hundreds a year.
DirecTV also pointed out 8 of the 26 Viacom channels going away were HD versions of the same channel, so it is double counting. I don't see Viacom countering these arguments.
In a time when people are being asked to do more for frozen wages or even pay cuts, why does Viacom deserve a raise? If they were cutting commercials sure. Giving me more value for my money, that's great. As it stands they are asking for more just to see if they can get it. -
Re:Ah don't worry...
I compared the United States to Saudi Arabia. Last time I checked, they are both countries. What's more, and somewhat interestingly, the United States sells an enormous amount of weaponry to Saudi Arabia and doesn't really give them a hard time about the human rights issues. We are complicit in the hegemony of the Saudi Royal family more than any other country in the world. One might say the US and SA are thick as thieves. My comparison of the two is meant as an analog to the religious issue because the United States is arguably the most Christian nation in the world and Saudi Arabia the most Islamic. The US is somewhat more diverse religion-wise, but is predominantly Christian. I believe the comparison is a fair one and the similarities (and political ties) are too extensive to be dismissed so easily.
But, if you want to get technical, you have to admit that US Citizens can also be killed by the US government without any trial whatsoever. If you are not a US Citizen but happen to live in Afghanistan or Pakistan or Yemen or Sudan or a variety of other places the United States has targeted, you can also be killed there via drone attack. Your flimsy assertion that one can only be killed "primarily by lethal injection" conveniently ignores the entire scope of death dealt out by agents of the United States government. Also, if you insist on focussing arbitrarily on the means of death meted out by our judicial system in the United States, then you must acknowledge that you can opt to be killed by lethal injection, hanging, electric chair, or firing squad in various US states. There is also some debate as to how painful (or terrifying) death by lethal injection might be. Until recently in Arkansas, the components of this deadly cocktail were determined at the discretion of the Department of Corrections and not by any objective standard of human decency or medical expertise.
The war in Iraq was never a crusade
What the hell does that mean to you exactly? The word "crusade" is infested with conflicting connotations. Most connotations I can discern seem entirely apt. I would argue it is remarkably similar to the original Crusades both in its rationale, its conception, and its results.
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Re:Not Me
This is trollish. Perhaps you have not actually read the article or about what work the GF supports, but this isn't it.
Welcome to 2007, you may now inform yourself.
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Re:Texas eh?
Nice try at the revisionism, but that shit don't fly in the age of Google.
Here was the Senate vote:
Kill it:
- 26 Dems in favor, 29 against, 1 vote not cast
- 31 Repgs in favor, 13 against, 0 uncast
Have you forgotten that all spending bills must originate in the House? Where the the group that led the charge to kill the Supercollider was led by a Democrat with the following vote totals:
Voting to kill - 166 Democrats, 115 Republicans
Voting to save - 98 Democrats, 61 RepublicansDemocrats were a large majority in the House in this period.
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Re:Details.
I wish it was a joke, but it's all too true.
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Re:could also mean Sony made another bonehead playhttp://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/05/sony-forecasts-a-31b-loss-for-fiscal-2011-due-to-quake-psn-failure/
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/10/business/la-fi-ct-sony-earns-20120510
Over the past 2 years, Sony is $10 BILLION in the hole, and with the bad decisions they constantly make, I wont be suprised if they are gone in a few years.
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Re:Is that serious, or a straw man?
"The person pushing the wheelchair?" Where did you get the idea that all - or even most - people who qualify to use accessible parking are wheelchair bound and have able-bodied aides?
I tried to find statistics on how handicapped parking passes are distributed based on disability but couldn't find any information. I did find an article saying that whenever California does an "enforcement run" to find abuse of handicapped parking passes, about 1/3 of cars *with handicapped parking passes* are using them illegally -- seems to be mostly relatives borrowing the car. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/22/local/la-me-disabled-parking-20110522 From the same article, 10% of drivers in California have handicapped parking permits! That seems rather excessive, no? I imagine most of those people aren't in the categories you're talking about.
So maybe it's not most people (I don't know) but -
A) the comment I was responding to was about "grandma in her wheel chair"
B) it is a group that is traditionally thought of when talking about handicapped parking
C) it is a group that I have a little experience with since my grandmother uses a wheelchair
D) there's no reason why someone with severe heat sensitivity or inability to walk over a certain distance *couldn't* be in a wheelchair when going to a store with a gigantic parking lot (most places like restaurants, convenience stores, strip malls, gas stations etc don't have giant parking lots anyway.. is an extra 20 feet going to mean the difference between making it or not? if so then that person probably shouldn't be walking to begin with)And of course there are the older folks who'll use their cane or walker to get from their car to the store and then hop in one of the scooters that some places offer for people who need them. Making them walk all the way across the lot on their own would sort of defeat the purpose of that, wouldn't it?
Sure, in huge parking lots like your local Super Walmart, don't put them in the very back. Problem solved? They still don't need to be front and center.
If the businesses you mentioned really have just put a sign over regular spaces with no extra room, then those business are not ADA compliant and could have problems if someone reports them.
Yeah, probably.. and how silly is it that someone could get in trouble over their parking lot layout? What a country we live in. So civilized it hurts.
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Re:Big difference between 'cyberwar' and real war
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Re:Movies
What about Chicago's policy on all companies that operate there must disclose whether or not they made money from slavery?
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Re:This will be really interesting
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/02/opinion/hack-the-vote.html?_r=1
Inviting Bush supporters to a fund-raiser, the host wrote, ''I am committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year.''
Also, instead of just saying that it is unsourced, you should attempt to find the source - in this case, I got a match on CNN, Wired, USA Today, LA Times and so on.
It also was sourced to begin with. First follow the "Voting Fiasco, Part 279.236" reference in the same paragraph, scroll to the "deliver the vote" link and click on it to arrive at http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0828-08.htm
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Re:Yeah, so what?
>>>Anwar al-Alaki was equivalent to a guy who made youtube videos.
..as were Hitler, Hirohito, and Kaiser Wilhelm II. They never actually attacked us personally, they just advocated others to do so.
>>>has a right to be captured
"For a targeted killing to be carried out, three conditions must be met...
...Second, 'capture is not feasible.'"
Source: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/05/world/la-fg-holder-awlaki-20120306 [latimes.com]>>>What threat was a 16 year old kid?
Ha, ha, ha. You apparently don't know any 16 year-olds!
With all due respect: Your government is trying to protect you from people who would like to kill you. (See: September 11, 2001) The people trying to kill you are using unconventional methods, and not wearing military uniforms. And, as in any war, things get messy and people die. If you think every enemy soldier, uniformed or not, is entitled to a court trial before being targeted then you have a fairly unrealistic view of warfare.
As with other comments in this thread; some people confuse criminal acts, with acts of war. There are very, very, very different rules for each.
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Re:Yeah, so what?
Actually, the president does have the power to do this:
For a targeted killing to be carried out, three conditions must be met...
First, the government has to determine that the individual being targeted "poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the U.S." That evaluation would consider the "relevant window of opportunity to act," the possible harm to civilians and the likelihood of heading off future attacks.
Second, "capture is not feasible."
Third, the operation has to be conducted in a manner consistent with four fundamental rules of war: The target must have military value; the target must be lawful, such as combatants or civilians engaged in hostilities; collateral damage must not be excessive; and the weapons chosen must not "inflict unnecessary suffering."
Source: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/05/world/la-fg-holder-awlaki-20120306
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TFA?
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Helium rain
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Re:Both Ways
Stop the lying by omission please. Neither Limbaugh nor Republicans originated the term (as far as I know it was Spike Lee). In this context it was a parody in response to an op ed by a black writer : http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-ehrenstein19mar19,0,3391015.story FYI - Pointing out that Obama was exactly what he told us he was in his books is not racist.