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Indeed the Hawala system is the biggest source of unregulated remittances in these parts. At least with PayPal the RBI can track who gives money to whom when required.
PS: It is spelt "remittance".

I'm not sure why you think the names of the controls that cause different types of acceleration would have any bearing at all.

I'm pretty sure I stated it above, but perhaps you didn't have time to look it up...

Context

the parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and can throw light on its meaning

It was more likely the same reason a UN mission didn't kidnap the democratically elected President of Haiti, Jean Bertrand Aristide, into exile in 2004.

Strange, I would have complained that the US put him back into power in the first place given the circumstance under which he left the first time. Given his treatment of the population of Haiti I think it would speak well of our moral character if we had kidnapped him.

Trying to say that the only action taken by the UN is an arrest warrant is simple dishonesty. They have charted a course of action, but they lack the funding to carry it out.

How much funding does it take to ask Turkey or Egypt, who have both had opportunities, to arrest Omar al-Bashir? It might not stop the violence but I can't imagine removing the head of state who refuses peacekeeping efforts could hurt things.

The United States and Europe standing by while Darfur rages is more of an indictment of our moral character than anything else. They'll watch it the same way they watched Rwanda and Somalia and East Timor and Cambodia.

You preach the Western powers not sticking their noses in other nations' business and complain when they apparently sit idle ignoring that Sudan itself as well as the Arab League and the African Union have actively and publicly resisted efforts to end the violence. I guess multinational efforts work both ways. Sudan, by the way is rich in petroleum and precious metals, not to shoot your theory to shit or anything. Australia, New Zealand, and Portugal all had peacekeepers in East Timor. China on the other hand is the primary weapons source of Sudan as well as the political and military support of the of the Khmer Rouge.

If you want to talk about dishonesty why not mention that the government of Somalia was overthrown by Ethiopian armed troops and that the U.S. and later UN made extensive efforts to stabilize the security and humanitarian situation for year until the Somalis began attacking aid workers, a situation we see repeated in Sudan. Ask yourself why after years of futile efforts in Africa trying to get waring factions fueled by nothing but resentment to stop fighting each other at great costs to themselves that Europe and America wouldn't be enthusiastic about embroiling themselves in another civil war in Rwanda. I think they should have anyway and I can't imagine being a Belgian peacekeeper and not becoming directly involved but I lean more towards the spirit of their mission than the law.

No one said there would be conquering. There would be a fight, and in fact, the rhetoric just got inched up since we made a 6 billion dollar arms deal with Taiwan, I'm guessing in retribution for the cyber attacks.

You said invasion.1 : an act of invading; especially: incursion of an army for conquest or plunder. I said they don't have the means, not for an invasion, not for a blockade, and not for a currency war. Furthermore that no one does because the game would be a loss for everyone long before it could be won. That aside, the aid to Taiwan has nothing to do with Chinese cyberattacks. The U.S. has been providing military and economic aid to Taiwan since its inception to the tune of $18.3 billion between 1950-2006. In fact portions of this money, less than half of what they requested, were allocated in 2001 under George W. Bush.

They do. We are no longer the majority importer of Chinese goods. They are now the largest exporter in the world. What manufacturing sector can we replace theirs with?

We never were. Hong Kong was the leading market beginning in the 1960s when trade with the US was still banned. When they rejoined the PRC the EU who had been conducting heavy trade in both directions took their place. You may also wish to note that both the EU and the US still have larger manufacturing sectors than China,

Well, in my definition of "tinkering", you should have access to the privileged parts of the cpu.

Merriam Webster respectfully disagrees.

But, aside from details, yes the iPad is not a DIY kit. Nevertheless, it allows you to tinker with it a lot more than 99% of the other things in your life, like your car, or microwave oven, none of which were built for tinkering, either. It comes with the maturity of the thing, the first cars were large DIY (or rather, repair-it-yourself) as were the first IC boards, and look where we've got, not many of the nerds in here complain that the latest Intel CPU comes enclosed and they can't re-wire it anymore.

Can we please stop using "try and" when we mean "try to"? Many say it's non-standard in written speech, but it's worse - it means something entirely different.

"Try and" is in fact the older expression, and is closer to the core meaning of "try". Here's the earliest usage --

They try and express their love to God by their thankfulness to him. -- J. Sergeant, 1686

"Try" taking an infinitive only goes back to a 1697 poem of Dryden's (though there's a cognate usage of "trial" that goes back to 1683).

Age isn't the main indicator of which is better, of course...

Yes - I have this silly tendency to think that if it "parses" better it must be better. To me, the preposition + infinitive means try(action) while the conjunction + simple form means try();action, where the action is the implied object (argument) of try(). But then again, natural languages don't always make sense. My native tongue is Spanish, which is a shining example with its double negation.

The point is that once upon a time "try" didn't mean "attempt"; that's a secondary meaning that it was gaining in the late 17th century. The original meaning, which it still has, is "test, prove, experiment", as in "Try before you buy", or "I shall try this infrared camera technology and, I hope, thereby determine the tastiest slices of beef".

Thanks for the info. Fun thing, I have been schooled and I my opinion (about what we should be using now) stays valid ;)

In that sense "try and" makes considerably more sense than "try to": the implication of "try and determine" is that two intents are behind the one action, i.e. "I will conduct an experiment" and also "I shall (I hope!) determine". It's not actually being used as a modal verb, in other words.

Correct, if you assume the "hopefully" clause in the middle is implicit.

The short answer is: you're fighting the losing side of a 300-year-old battle,

*sigh* And yet, I will not go gentle ;)

and isn't it fun what you can find when you actually take the time to look in a dictionary?

Hmm... good old m-w.com says nothing beyond "to make an attempt at — often used with an infinitive <try to fix the car>". Then I went to dictionary.com and found:

Usage note:
10. "Try" followed by and instead of to has been in standard use since the 17th century: The Justice Department has decided to try and regulate jury-selection practices. The construction occurs only with the base form "try", not with "tries" or "tried" or "trying". Although some believe that "try and" is less formal than "try to", both patterns occur in all types of speech and writing.

... which somehow contradicts your information. Funny things, these human languages.

You realize, don't you, that battery is a plural term already?

Says who? Check out the title of this webpage. http://www.duracell.com/en-US/index.jspx

Google doesn't try to correct me when I search for batteries either. Even MW doesn't have a problem with the word.

batteries. (2010). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Retrieved January 30, 2010, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/batteries

Good system, but you greatly overestimated the intelligence of the average consumer.

Main Entry: intelligence
Pronunciation: \in-te-l-jn(t)s\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin intelligentia, from intelligent-, intelligens intelligent
Date: 14th century

1 a (1) : the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations : reason; also : the skilled use of reason (2) : the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one's environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria (as tests) b Christian Science : the basic eternal quality of divine Mind c : mental acuteness : shrewdness
2 a : an intelligent entity; especially : angel b : intelligent minds or mind
3 : the act of understanding : comprehension
4 a : information, news b : information concerning an enemy or possible enemy or an area; also : an agency engaged in obtaining such information
5 : the ability to perform computer functions

Please don't confuse 1 and 4. Too many confuse 1 and 5 too. Amusingly, browsing the web and sending email are computer functions. And before someone reminds me, so is posting comments on forums, amongst other things.

What is a soul?

The Soul of a New Machine

Main Entry: soul
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English soule, from Old English swol; akin to Old High German sula soul
Date: before 12th century
1 : the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life
2 a : the spiritual principle embodied in human beings, all rational and spiritual beings, or the universe b capitalized Christian Science : god 1b
3 : a person's total self
4 a : an active or essential part b : a moving spirit : leader
5 a : the moral and emotional nature of human beings b : the quality that arouses emotion and sentiment c : spiritual or moral force : fervor
6 : person
7 : personification
8 a : a strong positive feeling (as of intense sensitivity and emotional fervor) conveyed especially by black American performers b : negritude c : soul music d : soul food e : soul brother

Most people should be able to agree that psychologists know enough that they can actually drive a sane person to insanity.

I don't think you'll find any psychologists who agree with that, unless you think Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is insanity. Insanity is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Yes, give a person the right drug and they will become temporarily insane, but it is an artificial insanity.

And to anyone labelling this as "flame bait", it is not. The above statement is completely inflammable.

I find your use of "irregardless" an atrocity when criticizing one's use of the English language. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/IRREGARDLESS

obsolete -adjective no longer in general use; fallen into disuse: an obsolete expression.

Guess it was ignorance of the meaning of the word then. Like it or not, AVI is still widely used. Until it isn't, it will not be obsolete. You need a new word. Might I suggest one of the following: anachronous, antiquated, antique, archaic, behind the times, dated, old-hat, out, outdated, outmoded, passé, unfashionable.

Actually, it make sense in the context it was used - English usages morphs and changes, that's part of being a living language. It may nott be the choice you'd make, but then again I dislike "small minority," "large majority," and the ever - popular "proactive." Still, enough people use them that they have become acceptable usage.

Also, if you want to play the dictionary game:

b : of a kind or style no longer current : old-fashioned

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/OBSOLETE

Allegiance. Alliance. On second thought, maybe allegiance is correct, given Microsoft's past behavior.

Allegiance. Alliance. On second thought, maybe allegiance is correct, given Microsoft's past behavior.

People often say "penultimate" when they mean "consummate".

Considering that

android,: a mobile robot usually with a human form, Etymology: Late Greek androeids manlike, from Greek andr- + -oeids -oid Date: circa 1751,android

and

nexus 2 : a connected group or series, Etymology: Latin, from nectere to bind nexus

making both common word and furhter more the USPTO lists 12 trademarks for android, one of which is

Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: mobile phones; operating system software; software for use in developing, executing, and running other software on mobile devices, computers, computer networks, and global communication networks; computer software development tools; computer software for use in transmitting and receiving data over computer networks and global communication networks; computer software for managing communications and data exchange among and between mobile devices and desktop computers; computer middleware, namely, software that mediates between the operating system of a mobile device and the application software of a mobile device; computer application software for mobile phones
(APPLICANT) Google Inc. CORPORATION DELAWARE 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View CALIFORNIA 94043

It doesn't look good for the estates suit.

Considering that

android,: a mobile robot usually with a human form, Etymology: Late Greek androeids manlike, from Greek andr- + -oeids -oid Date: circa 1751,android

and

nexus 2 : a connected group or series, Etymology: Latin, from nectere to bind nexus

making both common word and furhter more the USPTO lists 12 trademarks for android, one of which is

Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: mobile phones; operating system software; software for use in developing, executing, and running other software on mobile devices, computers, computer networks, and global communication networks; computer software development tools; computer software for use in transmitting and receiving data over computer networks and global communication networks; computer software for managing communications and data exchange among and between mobile devices and desktop computers; computer middleware, namely, software that mediates between the operating system of a mobile device and the application software of a mobile device; computer application software for mobile phones
(APPLICANT) Google Inc. CORPORATION DELAWARE 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View CALIFORNIA 94043

It doesn't look good for the estates suit.

Nexus was in common usage before Mr. Dick wrote DADOES...Here's what the Merriam-Webster Dictionary says:

Main Entry: nexus
Pronunciation: \nek-ss\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural nexuses \-s-sz\ or nexus \-ss, -süs\
Etymology: Latin, from nectere to bind
Date: 1663

1 : connection, link; also : a causal link
2 : a connected group or series
3 : center, focus

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Nexus

I think that any of the three definitions can fit a cell phone.

ttyl
          Farrell

If Google loses they could sue the dictionaries for including their trademark! http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/GOOGLE

Yes, it was the very first '286 computer from Compaq. I could only get 128KB and at the time. Of course you are correct - the computer was capable of utilizing more than 128KB. I did add another 128KB couple of months later - if memory serves, it was about $800 and it came on a card.

And since - as you point out - this is Slashdot, the better word is picayune rather than pedantic :)

Yes, it was the very first '286 computer from Compaq. I could only get 128KB and at the time. Of course you are correct - the computer was capable of utilizing more than 128KB. I did add another 128KB couple of months later - if memory serves, it was about $800 and it came on a card.

And since - as you point out - this is Slashdot, the better word is picayune rather than pedantic :)

atheism is simply the assertion of a universal negative. such an assertion is both unproven and unprovable. therefore, atheism is a religion ( http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion - see #2 and #4).

I'm afraid you're mistaken. I am quite confident when asserting the universal negative, "God does not exist". I am also confident, for exactly the same reasons, when asserting, "There are no married bachelors", or "Five sided squares do not exist".

Far from being "logically indefensible", or "unproven and unprovable", logic requires that we affirm these truths.

Ah, I wondered how long it would be before someone (a Christian) decided to tell atheists what they believe! Let's have a look at your own ref, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atheism :

See, you conveniently ignored "a : a disbelief in the existence of deity", which is in fact listed before "b : the doctrine that there is no deity".

There are at least three definitions of atheism, of which a positive assertion is only one of them. There's lack of belief. You also missed a rejection of belief (sometimes referred to as explicit atheism). Sometimes terms like "disbelief" are used, which could refer to a range of these. (If you want references, see those given at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism .)

Even if we accepted your cherry-picked (not Merriam Webster's) definitions, what does that make me? I don't assert God doesn't exist, but I also don't claim God is unknowable. So what label do I identifgy as? A "skeptic" is a useless term here, as that could apply to anything, not just God! (Even for MW's number 3 definition, it refers to certain religious principles, and not specifically God. Indeed, many people who are skeptics in this sense may still believe in God.)

therefore, atheism != agnosticism && atheism != skepticism.

Who said otherwise? But the terms are not mutually exclusive, either.

such an assertion is both unproven and unprovable. therefore, atheism is a religion

Really? So if I say unicorns don't exist, that's a religion too? You are conflating definitions - MW's 4 definition is the broader sense of the word, e.g., we might say that a football fanatic's devotion is "religious", but clearly this doesn't mean it's a religion in the sense of Christianity etc!

The rest of your post is just a load of straw men. Can you point to an atheist who actually has these views? Even famous atheists like Dawkins word their views with statements like "There is almost certainly no God".

But leaving aside your straw men, I have to laugh - you're a Christian, who are you to criticise people for having faith? I'm confused: do you believe faith is a good thing, or a bad thing?

In summary, your post is just the tired argument where a Christian tells atheists what they believe just so you can knock the straw man down; it uses citations from a quick Google that you evidently haven't read properly; and we end with the hypocrisy that you criticise people for something that actually applies to you.

for those who don't like to copy paste links:

atheism

agnosticism

skepticism

religion

for those who don't like to copy paste links:

atheism

agnosticism

skepticism

religion

for those who don't like to copy paste links:

atheism

agnosticism

skepticism

religion

for those who don't like to copy paste links:

atheism

agnosticism

skepticism

religion

I'm still laughing about that one.

I'm still laughing at your use of bate.

Conscription refers ONLY to the forced variety. See COnscription

Conscription (also known as "The Draft", the "Call-up" or "National service") is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by an established authority. It is most often used in the specific sense of requiring citizens to serve in the armed forces.

The term "conscription" refers only to the mandatory service;

If Wikipedia is too unreliable, try this and Section 9 of this

Also, kidnapping does not become more acceptable just because a few million people want it to be. That's the point of human rights, which override democracy.

Conscription refers ONLY to the forced variety. See COnscription

Conscription (also known as "The Draft", the "Call-up" or "National service") is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by an established authority. It is most often used in the specific sense of requiring citizens to serve in the armed forces.

The term "conscription" refers only to the mandatory service;

If Wikipedia is too unreliable, try this and Section 9 of this

Also, kidnapping does not become more acceptable just because a few million people want it to be. That's the point of human rights, which override democracy.

Second, figure out the peak speed, minimum speed, average speed (Both mean and RMS)...

I always thought RMS and mean were synonymous.

Actually, there is:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irregardless

Merriam-Webster would disagree.

Dictionary - learn how to use one

Maybe someone should email the AT&T and Verizon execs a Definition of unlimited according to Webster:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Unlimited

Main Entry: unlimited
Pronunciation: \-li-m-td\
Function: adjective
Date: 15th century

1 : lacking any controls : unrestricted
2 : boundless, infinite
3 : not bounded by exceptions : undefined

— unlimitedly adverb

Just adding that * of the sibling post doesn't change the definition of unlimited, and it is false advertising even with the *

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrabble
See definition 3a of the intransitive verb. It actually made sense.

1. "Trick" is frequently used in scientific context to mean "clever method" or "correction".

"Trick" is used to mean "clever method" in many contexts because that's one of the common definitions of the word!

I mean, do all these people who are hanging on this word as proof that AGW is all a deliberate lie also think that the Late Show with David Lettermen used to feature a segment involving dumb pets engaging in acts of deceit?! "Boopsi isn't really doing backflips! It's a sham; they tell you right in the name!" Sadly this kind of argumentation, where you take a word with several meanings and then pretend it has only one possible meaning, is quite common around here.

I think another post said it well: In ten years of emails, I'd expect a lot more incriminating evidence than a few trite phrases if this was all a global conspiracy. Hell, I do not think AGW is some kind of lie or conspiracy, yet I was still expecting to see more juicy and scandalous bits. After all, Stephen J Gould found substantial evidence of errors in studies consistently favoring the biases of the researchers even in cases where he had no doubt that the research was conducted with all earnestness and sincerity -- even in his own research! Add in the fact of human nature that not all scientists are sincere, and I was honestly quite credulous when people were initially saying there were "bombshells" in the leaked emails.

Instead, this "ooh he said 'tricked' and 'hid'! I knew it!" nonsense is just pathetic. Seriously, I expected more.

The only two listings for analogue are analogue (noun) and analogue, the latter failing to specify the word type.

The latter specifies that it is a British variant of analog, which is an adjective (if you follow the link to get the definition for analog). That is the “analogue (adj)” listing.

The listing for neighbour doesn’t specify which part of speech it is, either.

That is an adjective, not a noun.

There are several choices:

Analog (adjective) – describes continuously variable physical quantities
Analogue (adjective) – British variant of analog (the adjective)
Analogue (noun) – something that is analogous or similar to something else

Analog and analogue are interchangeable if you are using them as an adjective. Hence the variant spelling of analog in the definition of analogue. However he used it as a noun, and you cannot use analog as a noun.

there are analogs for other browsers

The word you were looking for is “analogue”.

Not according to Webster.

I’m just going to appeal to Webster. As far as it concerns me, the word is correct without the diaeresis.

M-W doesn't have the Simpsons' cromulent, but it has Shakespeare's puke and Dr. Suess's nerd.

But based on your description, that would be M-W to a T!

I defy you to find a single use of "cromulent" that isn't a Simpsons reference. "Puke" and "nerd", however, are used in all sorts of ways that have nothing to do with where they were originally coined. That is to say, "puke" and "nerd" are used in their own right, without regard to Shakespeare or Dr Seuss. "Cromulent" exists only as a reference to a specific source; it has no independent use.

(Incidentally, "puke" isn't Shakespeare's invention; in English it dates to a 1581 treatise on educating children by Richard Mulcaster, and may come from Dutch or German. Sometimes doing research is a good thing.)

M-W doesn't have the Simpsons' cromulent, but it has Shakespeare's puke and Dr. Suess's nerd.

But based on your description, that would be M-W to a T!

I defy you to find a single use of "cromulent" that isn't a Simpsons reference. "Puke" and "nerd", however, are used in all sorts of ways that have nothing to do with where they were originally coined. That is to say, "puke" and "nerd" are used in their own right, without regard to Shakespeare or Dr Seuss. "Cromulent" exists only as a reference to a specific source; it has no independent use.

(Incidentally, "puke" isn't Shakespeare's invention; in English it dates to a 1581 treatise on educating children by Richard Mulcaster, and may come from Dutch or German. Sometimes doing research is a good thing.)

M-W doesn't have the Simpsons' cromulent, but it has Shakespeare's puke and Dr. Suess's nerd.

But based on your description, that would be M-W to a T!

I defy you to find a single use of "cromulent" that isn't a Simpsons reference. "Puke" and "nerd", however, are used in all sorts of ways that have nothing to do with where they were originally coined. That is to say, "puke" and "nerd" are used in their own right, without regard to Shakespeare or Dr Seuss. "Cromulent" exists only as a reference to a specific source; it has no independent use.

(Incidentally, "puke" isn't Shakespeare's invention; in English it dates to a 1581 treatise on educating children by Richard Mulcaster, and may come from Dutch or German. Sometimes doing research is a good thing.)

I hope the dictionary works on a sort of democratic principle, where words are defined by their actual usage.

Dictionary editors understand this, but they just don't update enough to make it work. M-W doesn't have the Simpsons' cromulent, but it has Shakespeare's puke and Dr. Suess's nerd. It'd be nice to have a dictionary that evolves as quickly as language.

I hope the dictionary works on a sort of democratic principle, where words are defined by their actual usage.

Dictionary editors understand this, but they just don't update enough to make it work. M-W doesn't have the Simpsons' cromulent, but it has Shakespeare's puke and Dr. Suess's nerd. It'd be nice to have a dictionary that evolves as quickly as language.

I hope the dictionary works on a sort of democratic principle, where words are defined by their actual usage.

Dictionary editors understand this, but they just don't update enough to make it work. M-W doesn't have the Simpsons' cromulent, but it has Shakespeare's puke and Dr. Suess's nerd. It'd be nice to have a dictionary that evolves as quickly as language.

A fee is NOT a tax

I don't think you know what that word means.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Tax 5 : to make onerous and rigorous demands on

Charging $40 to see an article that used to be free nd that is frequently outdated, obsolete, or inaccurate is really pushing the limits, as in "This paywall tax is taxing my patience."

It's also a "tax on stupidity", same as lotteries, not only because it encourages the use of outdated materials subjected to less review by outsiders, but also because it extracts a fee from those who do not know how to find the free version of many of the articles.

Yes, of course I went from private school library to municipality, that is my whole point. Censorship is not always infringing upon peoples' right to free speech, yet it is still censorship, i.e. the suppression of anything considered objectionable. When practiced by a minority it is simply annoying, but when it's institutionalized it's damaging, because *then* it detracts from free speech.

Once censorship becomes an infringement, though, it's a bit late to address the problem. Instead, we need to keep our eyes open and avoid it while it's still just annoying, particularly when the writing is on the wall, as it were...

"Who's" is a contraction of "who is". It should read "There's one thing stronger than all the armies in the world and that is an idea whose time has come. - Victor Hugo"