Slashdot Mirror

You're right! From the nydailynews article:

The language continues to evolve thanks to the Klingon Language Institute, a nonprofit that promotes the language and culture. KLI founder Dr. Lawrence M. Schoen told the News that there isn't really a word for "resignation" in Klingon so Waddell translated the English word with the language's orthography, "which really doesn't work."

A true Klingon speaker would have simply said "pItlh," which translates to "done," in order to mark the end of an event.

This NY Daily article has much more info, including the resignation letter.

My favorite part is the mayor's response: "I wish him the best, live long and prosper. I don't know what else to say."

I find it ironic that the religious right are behind a lot of the book burning at home while they preach delivering "freedom" onto our enemies.
 
No one is burning any books. And the left is just as guilty.
 
But let's talk irony... How about the liberal left being racist and protecting their own? I thought only the right did that? Oh, that's right. When the right has anything even close to this people are fired without question. Amazing! Fucking leftist liars always play the victim. That shit's done. I don't accept their fucking lies anymore.

I'm pretty sure Dolancoin is the one that zeros your account when you try to build a competing stadium or internet service in New York, or join a union.

There is no expectation of privacy when driving a vehicle on public roads.

There is also a big difference between tracking a specific vehicle (e.g. the police have reasonable suspicion that the person is engaged in criminal activity) and tracking everybody. Generally speaking, the principle in play here is: If the cops don't have a reason to suspect you of a crime, they should be leaving you completely alone. And if they catch you doing one crime (e.g. speeding), that does not give them a legitimate reason to immediately suspect you of another (e.g. human trafficking).

I can understand the instincts of police departments that would lead to tracking everybody: If you track every vehicle, then you can use that information to piece together criminal conspiracies after the fact. For example, if a drug dealer is caught, and his car stops at the same address every Tuesday at 3 PM, there's a decent chance that you've found the dealer's supplier or higher-up in the drug gang.

There are two problems with this idea:
1. You get a lot of bad leads this way. That address that the dealer stops at every Tuesday at 3 PM could be the supplier, but it could also be his family member, girlfriend or mistress, pastor, family friend, or someone else who's completely innocent.
2. You annoy a lot of law-abiding citizens. The police tend to forget that the majority of citizens they interact with are basically law-abiding, even among people they've profiled as "criminal". If you annoy them, the lifeblood of a truly just and successful criminal justice system, information from (un-coerced) witnesses, will dry up.

I've often wondered what would happen if police training and culture were such that when a cop was talking to a poor black guy, he was assumed to be either a law-abiding citizen or a witness to criminal activity rather than engaged in criminal activity. In other words, the opposite of this.

So where does that leave us? If most teenagers who really set their mind to it could come up with a way to blow shit up, why is it shit isn't blowing up for the most part? Why do we not have bedlam?

There really is only that one answer.

Exactly! Where are all those attacks that should be happening? Is there a conspiracy of silence?

Mass shootings in America: A history, 1999 through 2013

Why do we never hear about them on Slashdot!?

27 Reported Killed In Connecticut Elementary School Shooting
12 Dead, 50 Injured at The Dark Knight Rises Showing In Colorado

I agree, there really is only one answer. That is that people conveniently "forget" or ignore facts contrary to their argument.

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending January 27, 2012

Denver: Man Arrested for Providing Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization

Jamshid Muhtorov was arrested by members of the FBI’s Denver and Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Forces on a charge of providing and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic Jihad Union, a Pakistan-based designated foreign terrorist organization.

Baltimore: Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction in Plot to Attack Armed Forces Recruiting Center

U.S. citizen Antonio Martinez, aka Muhammad Hussain, pled guilty to attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against federal property in connection with a scheme to attack an armed forces recruiting station in Catonsville, Maryland.

Washington Field: Man Pleads Guilty to Shootings at Pentagon, Other Military Buildings

Yonathan Melaku, of Alexandria, Virginia, pled guilty to damaging property and to firearms violations involving five separate shootings at military installations in northern Virginia between October and November 2010, and to attempting to damage veterans’ memorials at Arlington National Cemetery.

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending January 13, 2012

1.Tampa: Florida Resident Charged with Plotting to Bomb Locations in Tampa

A 25-year-old resident of Pinellas Park, Florida was charged in connection with an alleged plot to attack locations in Tampa with a vehicle bomb, assault rifle, and other explosives.

2.Baltimore: Former Army Solider Charged with Attempting to Provide Material Support to al Shabaab

A man who secretly converted to Islam days before he separated from the Army was charged with attempting to provide material support to al Shabaab, a foreign terrorist organization, and was arrested upon his return to Maryland after traveling to Africa.

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending December 9, 2011

Seattle: Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Attack Military Processing Center

A former Los Angeles man pled guilty in connection with the June 2011 plot to attack a military installation in Seattle.

More here.

The logic espoused by the quoted idea is the same as saying if police were to start strip searching everyone without cause, it would be reasonable simply because it always happens.

But they already have been doing that:
http://news.yahoo.com/police-turn-routine-traffic-stops-into-cavity-searches-201433510.html
http://www.wnd.com/2013/11/3rd-target-of-body-cavity-searches-comes-forward/
http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/06/justice/new-mexico-search-lawsuit/
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/troopers-texas-probe-genitals-women-traffic-stops-article-1.1414668

And dont have your dog along:
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/video?clipId=9513174&autostart=false
http://www.businessinsider.com/police-are-shooting-dogs-2013-7

Seriously people, wake the fuck up. This has happened before, we know where it leads. Technologies getting better though, this time around all the worlds armies my not be able to stop them. Why do we keep letting this happen?

So we're supposed to let them loose to roam about the US countryside? I can't see this ending badly at all ;) I suppose as legal people we must teach them all sign language? Give them the right to vote? Does it also mean that they go to regular prison when they eat people's faces? Remember this? http://www.nydailynews.com/news/man-lost-face-05-mauling-hell-new-chimpanzee-victim-article-1.364450

"Preventing" crimes is not justice. Locking up innocents to "prevent" them from committing crimes is essentially the opposite of justice.

Also, note what they're preventing: "crimes". Not violence or any action that harms anyone. "Crimes" encompasses all manner of disobedience toward authority, regardless of whether that authority is legitimate. Example: Man faces felony charge over trimming shrubs. Not a crime: DEA locks up a student, forgets about him for 4 days with no food or water.

No he doesn't have it backwards. The (campaigning part of the) NRA has specifically demanded crackdowns on the mentally ill in response to the latest shootings. The NRA (again, the lobbying group) is generally considered a right wing group by most standards, to the right generally of the core NRA's members indeed.

at least they've finally gotten a clue, this is probably the first time ever that they've stopped pushing to keep guns available to criminals and the mentally ill.

now, if only they could see how guns could be, you know, dangerous for people who can't aim at anything because they're blind. gives a whole new meaning to "firing blind."

No he doesn't have it backwards. The (campaigning part of the) NRA has specifically demanded crackdowns on the mentally ill in response to the latest shootings. The NRA (again, the lobbying group) is generally considered a right wing group by most standards, to the right generally of the core NRA's members indeed.

I see no upswell of demand that mental illness definitions become more relaxed by the right. While the left has generally been supportive of moderating things like the DSM to avoid harmless consensual sexual activity (until relatively recently, BDSM, for instance, was considered a mental disorder.)

This. If NSA chief have no problem lying to US congress, and had no consequences after that was found out, what stop them to keep lying to Europe all they want?

And what was released till now is just the tip of the iceberg (or just a snowflake over it) so far it has been released 500 out of 200000 of the documents that Snowden got.

There is no reasonable trust anymore, but they can be gullible all they want, or just play this as a theater to keep their population at bay.

Many states? You offer 2 but fail to offer any citations?

At last check, Nevada's site has only signed up 531 people: http://www.foxreno.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/nevada-health-exchange-signups-790.shtml

Zero for Oregon: http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2013/11/11/oregon-health-care-exchange-has-yet-to-enroll-a-single-person/

We've got the Washington (state) exchange crashing during it's promotional tour: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Health-exchange-website-goes-down-during-road-tour-229571661.html

Never mind the issues of Washington's site with costing people their projected tax credit: http://washingtonstatewire.com/blog/rude-awakening-for-federal-way-woman-who-got-shout-out-from-president-cant-afford-obamacare-policy-after-all/#.Uoq1uZH1JMg.twitter

Zero plans sold during the first two weeks in Hawaii (due to issues): http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/10/10/hawaii-relaunching-obamacare-exchange-after-not-selling-any-health-insurance-due-to-software-problems/

Ditto in New York: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/white-house-deems-health-glitches-unacceptable-gop-calls-obamacare-doa-article-1.1491281

And Vermont: http://rutlandherald.com/article/20131031/OPINION04/710319973/0/OPINION

And that a month in, state exchanges had only reached 3% of their target: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/11/usa-healthcare-enrollment-idUSL2N0IW0XX20131111?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssHealthcareNews&rpc=22

Yes, such a great success.

While you are free to lament about my 'personal politics' into it... I'm sorry that you don't like being confronted with facts... or would you prefer I jump up and down and scream "We told you so, we tried to stop you, you didn't listen... now reap what you've sown!" ?

Na, your dismissiveness of the facts at hand is the truly juvenile part of this.

Banning guns in the US will not work because US citizens want to have guns and will oppose such motions. It has nothing to do with the amount of guns (because if a gun is used when banned, it's confiscated, and if it's not, it's not a problem), but about attitudes about them. Which are also what cause the gun violence problem: cars are accessible to pretty much everyone, and any dumbass can take one through a crowd on a sidewalk and easily kill more people than even the most elite sniper, and things like the GTA series ensure this is public knowledge - yet car massacres don't happen (or at least aren't reported).

They happen, but aren't called "massacres" because it's nowhere near as easy to kill whole groups of people with them as depicted by the GTA series' cartoon physics:

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/mystery-surrounds-venice-beach-boardwalk-attack-article-1.1418621

Cars are not designed to be weapons, and more modern ones are even designed to reduce injury to pedestrians they hit. They're just not very good for killing people.

To put this in the vernacular of George W Bush: "They hate us for our freedom."

If you are trying to achieve political goals via manipulation, fear is the easiest tool to use. Cue references to 1984 and Nazi. In Iran, they chant "Death to America".

Of course, in the case of Republicans, they do have something objective to fear: it's the shrinking percentage of the population with European roots. That's why the Tea Party types say "I want my country back". What they really want is a nation controlled by immigrants from Western Europe (i.e. White People). Immigrants from Africa or Latin America are those people who are lazy and shiftless and just want to live off the hard work of Real Americans.

Of course political reality is not quite this simple. Take Cubans. Ever though they are Latin American, their ant-commie/anti-Castro stance has made them be easily accepted as right wingers. On the other hand, Mexicans (anyone from Mexico or points further south) are, to quote Rep. Steve King from Iowa:

for everyone who is a valedictorian, there’s another hundred out there, they weigh 130 pounds and with calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.

So Republicans peddle fear, and it's been a successful message to a great extent. Democrats don't have much in the way of backbone, so they tend to go along.

Does that answer the question?

Either way from the 3 incidents it seems like Tesla cars are safer than average.

Most conventional cars don't do well hitting trees at high speeds. As for "conventional" supercars: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/emergencies/driver-killed-as-speeding-ferrari-hits-tree-in-dubai-1.1208954

Some don't even need to hit a tree to fall apart and burn:
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/lamborghini-splits-brooklyn-collision-article-1.1465610
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/lamborghini-aventador-crash-in-brooklin-splits-car-in-half-67419.html

Too bad I'm not in a position to buy Tesla stock.

I don't know, how about groping your 4 year old daughter.

Huh? Erosion of Trust? Are you familiar with the Organized Labor movement in most countries? It's fraught with conflict and violence. I will give you an example of how things go.

Let me give you a quick refresher. Jan 29, 1933 Ford employs the use of Strike Breakers. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19330130&id=z_8MAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YGkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2487,5787301

in April, 1941 more violence with Ford.. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7-RfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IgMGAAAAIBAJ&pg=4483,1409316&dq=ford+hires+strike&hl=en

PATCO workers in a sick out in 1970.. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10C14FD3E5A157493C5A9178FD85F448785F9

Organized labor exists because workers aren't happy with their working conditions. Unfortunately over the last 30 years with the decline in US manufacturing and with concerted efforts by companies to keep unions out, we're seeing a reduced influence by Unions in general. With growing wage disparity however, we'll probably see a resurgence in the movement. In fact, recently we've seen it with Walmart and McDonalds workers and it's been openly encouraged by the past few administrations. More and more states are pushing for Right to Work laws, which on the surface may seem good but that also makes workers more of a commodity by driving out unions, rather than a vital part of any organization.

So, when you say erosion of trust, I'd like to know exactly what era, or company you're talking about because when you work for somebody else, you're a cog in the machine and they'll do whatever they want with you within the definition of the law. If you're in a Right to Work state, you can get fired without cause so don't expect any kind of trust to be developed there.

While I don't agree with tracking employees, I think it's a natural problem we have with privacy. Privacy in this country is eroding faster than a sand castle at high tide and unless we start pushing on our elected officials to get legislation that protects us form these kinds of things, well companies will do all kinds of things that by lack of decree, they'll be able to do and you won't be able to stop it. Even in Norway, companies are using such novel ideas like bathroom alarms limiting you to 8 minutes per day.... Think of how that works for your rights and your trust with your employer.

Michael Bloomberg thinks more kids should grow up dreaming of being plumbers. As heavily as he was criticized/ridiculed, he does have a point.

By that rationale, a metaball is a deadly weapon as well.

Glenn Greenwald, journalist who helped break NSA surveillance story, leaves Guardian

The journalist who helped Edward Snowden uncover the secret program is leaving the British newspaper for an undisclosed ‘momentous new venture.’

Glenn Greenwald, 46, said the details of this "once-in-a-career dream journalistic opportunity" with significant financial backing will be public soon. "My partnership with the Guardian has been extremely fruitful and fulfilling: I have high regard for the editors and journalists with whom I worked and am incredibly proud of what we achieved," Greenwald said.

Greenwald explained that choosing to leave was not easy but that he was offered an opportunity no journalist could turn down. Greenwald said he will build an "entire journalism unit from the ground up" by hiring writers and editors who share his journalistic values.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/glenn-greenwald-nsa-surveillance-journalist-leaves-guardian-article-1.1486668

Sigh. very well, I'll do your footwork for you. I recommend reading a newspaper once in awhile. Or you could have googled "she's rich. she's eating at a restaurant" and got several hits from that.

Yep, that doesn't happen. Politicians aren't shot for opposing blasphemy laws. By the way, as your link so elegantly mentions, Shahbaz Bhatti was not killed by the government, but a terrorist organization -- and government declared three days of mourning in response. It's not like there haven't been assassinations of politicians in other countries.

In the US, instead, tourists get shot for walking down the street, because some people were bored. Let us now condemn all bored people in response!

It's not the same as the US. But there are wonderful things throughout the Islamic world.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/young-men-impersonate-cops-buy-gta-4-article-1.1459299

"Young Staten Island men impersonate police officers to skip line to buy Grand Theft Auto V
Kirolos Abdel Sayed, 19, Matthew Kirshen, 20, and Frank Santanastoso, 19, drove to the Staten Island Mall in what appeared to be an unmarked car complete with lights and sirens only to have their fun ended by real police officers."

That may cover Larry Flynt, for better or worse, but it won't cover Geoffrey Portway .

TSA finds average of 4 guns each day at airports, with number continuing to rise since 2007

If it is all just "security theater," the "patrons" seem a bit over-armed.

As much as I agree with you, the TSA is overkill.

Airport security should be able to detect guns without 3D scanners and "enhanced pat downs". Same with terrorist plots, airport security is the absolute last line of defence, we shouldn't arm it or treat it as the first line.

TSA finds average of 4 guns each day at airports, with number continuing to rise since 2007

If it is all just "security theater," the "patrons" seem a bit over-armed.

My new 42" LED backlit screen consumes about 1/3rd the power (50-60W vs 140-150) of my first generation 1080p LCD, it also looks better. I probably wouldn't have upgraded if it hadn't been for a ghosting artifact caused by my HTPC menu getting burned in on the old one but now I couldn't imagine going back.

With a delta of less than 100w it will take you a lot of TV watching to come close to a break even on cost from the efficiency gain (say, 30 _thousand_ hours if you spent $350 on your tv). Efficiency is a good thing, but it is important to know the context.

Americans average 34hrs/week watching TV, so it would take 16 years (less, assuming electricity costs decrease).

British people watch less, 28hrs/week, but electricity costs more (average £0.145/kWh), so a TV costing £250 and saving 100W would take almost 12 years to pay for the saving.

My plasma TV's consuming ~350W now, with a dark sci-fi film (brighter scenes use more power for a plasma TV). The saving here would be greater: about 5 years to pay for, less since we don't just watch dark films.

Sources:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/annual-domestic-energy-price-statistics
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/market-data/communications-market-reports/cmr12/tv-audio-visual/uk-2.42/
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/americans-spend-34-hours-week-watching-tv-nielsen-numbers-article-1.1162285

Just the other day, a Black man in Union Square in NYC for no reason other than hate, punched out and left brain-dead an unsuspecting White passer-by after exclaiming 'I'm going to punch the first white man I see!.

There is a reason Whites avoid at all costs underclass, urban Black people. Literally a life and death situation. This is a typical urban attack. Victim White or Asian, generally unaware, and weaponless. Perp Black, usually not always male, often with a long criminal history and various illegal weapons.

If/When Black people stop killing Whites and Asians, they might not be avoided. Pointing and sputtering will do no good, it is the BEHAVIOR of Black people in cities that makes nearly all avoid them.

After all, what do Black people in urban areas offer? Chris Rock and Denzel Washington live in the priciest, toniest areas. If you want movie parts from them, you'd better be hanging out in places like Malibu or the Upper East Side. That's where the elite lives. Non elite, urban underclass Blacks offer violence, racism, illiteracy, general thuggery, and not much else.

The app offers real value. Avoiding Black people helps you avoid being brain dead. That's an advantage right there. If Black people ever acted like say, Vietnamese or Koreans or such, they'd have White people flocking to their restaurants. But Whites avoid Blacks like the plague, because Black people are physically dangerous for all who are not willing to fight for their life at the drop of a hat (this includes of course, other Black people). You could speculate all day why this is so, it does not matter. The Black actions cause White avoidance. This just in, White people don't like to be brain dead. Or raped and murdered (17 year old White girl Lily Burke in LA met that fate from a hulking Black ex-con). Etc.

But you know who ELSE avoids Black people? Black people with money. Last time I saw, Oprah has a private mountain in Maui, not a place in South Central, or Harlem, or South Bronx. Valerie Jarret, the President's chief aide, has a house in Martha's Vineyard. Not Harlem, not ghetto Atlanta, not Anacostia. Same for Eric Holder. He lives in Georgetown, not Anacostia, and avoids underclass urban Black people like the dangerous threat they are.

No one knows Black people better than other Black people. Proof Black people in the urban core are worth avoiding?

Black people with ANY MONEY AT ALL move heaven and earth to avoid living next to urban core Black people.

Eric Holder, Valerie Jarrett, and Oprah all avoid ghetto. Now with this app, you can too!

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/teen-killed-remote-controlled-helicopter-slices-throat-article-1.1447068

Zimmerman should of laid down and taken his beating - cause that's what "keeping it real" means.

(I donated to zimmerman, because that could of been me)

That happened. Another couple brave black boys beat an 88 year old WWII vet to death. Laying down and taking it is for the infirm or foolish.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/died-soldier-world-war-ii-vet-killed-beating-fend-attackers-cops-article-1.1438024

Oddly, Obama did't jump on TV and claim these punks looked like him.

No room in that rainbow for the 80 year old War Veteran beat to death by black punks who look like Obama?
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/died-soldier-world-war-ii-vet-killed-beating-fend-attackers-cops-article-1.1438024

Howbout Asteroid Belton, a guy who actually did something for his country?
Or are Asteroids only named for juvenile delinquents.?

Do you have a citation for a single dangerous fish being caught outside of that part of Japan?

Here's a few dangerous fish stories.

There was also a radiocative fish caught near California, but it wasn't deemed dangerous. But it does go to show how far the effects of the disaster have been felt so far.

OMG, talk about an something Obvious. Shit, the Chinese, the North Koreans, the Russians, hell every country on Earth is trying to get their people into the CIA, and if they can't do that I'm sure they'll find some agency they can get into. If that fails there's always Industrial Espionage as well. Even a ex-CIA official thinks it's worse than in the cold war.

It's time to realize that a) we spy on the world and b) they spy on us and Industrial Espionage is probably more common than you think, even when the spies are employed to spy on companies in the same country!. http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20110919/famous-cases-of-corporate-espionage#slide6

In New York City, a pack of cigarettes ($3-$7.00 retail) has $5.85 in state/local excise taxes and $1.01 in federal excise tax.

Do you suppose they have more blackmarket cigarettes and associated crime than, say, Pennsylvania where the state excise tax is only $1.60/pack?

Yes./a?

So you're saying these four TSA agents at LAX are not representative of the others?

Terrorist groups raise funds by many illegal means. Few people realize that the terrorist groups such Hezbollah and Hamas actually have at least hundreds, possibly thousands, of people operating in the US, many of them raising funds. This goes back to at least 1995 if not earlier. If it's stupid, but it works, then it's not stupid.

Homegrown terrorists - How a Hezbollah cell made millions in sleepy Charlotte, N.C. - Posted 3/2/03

Moonlighting from his job as a deputy sheriff, Sgt. Bob Fromme was working security one day at JR Discount, a tobacco wholesaler in Statesville, N.C., when he saw three Arabic-speaking men buying a huge stash of cigarettes--300 cartons apiece. But what really caught Fromme's eye was how the men paid. They reached into shopping bags and pulled out wads of cash, bound in rubber bands. The men soon became regular customers at JR, shoving pallets of Marlboros and Winstons into waiting vans.

That was back in 1995. Over the next four years, Fromme worked with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms in tracking the men. His suspicions would ultimately prove dead-on. The investigation revealed a multimillion-dollar tobacco smuggling ring. Copying an old Mafia scam, the men ran truckloads of North Carolina smokes--taxed at only 50 cents a carton--to Michigan, where the tax was $7.50 a carton, and illegally pocketed the difference....

Cigarette Smuggling Linked to Terrorism - 2004;

Terrorists may get money from regional, cheap cigarette smuggling ring: Ray Kelly

Some of those arrested in the bust have links to Omar Abdel-Rahman, the blind sheik, and Rashid Baz, who opened fire on a van of Yeshiva students on the Brooklyn Bridge, killing Ari Halberstam. ‘We're concerned because similar schemes have been used in the past to help fund terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah,’ says Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

There were two deaths just a week or two ago during the scrapping of the Pacific Princess (aka Love Boat), caused by toxic gases in the engine room.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/killed-love-boat-ship-pacific-princess-article-1.1424992

Sorry, but you're wrong on this. The phrase, “sensitive intelligence sources or methods” specifically refers to spy satellites and signals intelligence. The Wikileaks disclosures were still a compromise of intelligence sources, just not the ones being referred to by that phrase. It was still a bad thing.

As to “there has not been a single case of Afghans needing protection or to be moved because of the leak.”" - The Taliban made it clear that they would hunt down anyone identified in the leaks. What isn't clear is if any of the spokespersons making claims that nobody was harmed were actually in a position to really know anything, or if they can actually personally attest to the safety of everyone on the list. I doubt that they can.

Afghans are not simply translating, they are turning against the Taliban. That is kind of dangerous. The Taliban have been known to hang 7 year old children suspected of being informants (or simply as revenge), when they aren't beheading people for dancing at weddings.

I note that you reference Greenwald. He doesn't really seem to be interested in stopping the barbarism of al Qaida and the Taliban.

SWAT team raids for petty offences

The police holding kids for ransom

I mean F it. Why don't we wear burkas and execute women drivers while we are at it. Shit.

Even worse the amount most were arrested for was legal if they didn't display it in public, but due to the frisking the cops tricked them into pulling it out of their pockets thus displaying it in public.

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/stop-and-risk-trojan-horse-marijuana-arrests-article-1.1352324

The other point in that article is that even as the number of stop-and-frisks dropped so too did the murder rate. Sounds like stop-and-frisk causes murders.

Speech has exceptions here.. lots of them.

We are no better.

It is also practically, or effectively, impossible to own a handgun and use it for it's intended purpose - defense of one's person - in Canada, and most of the world.

The right to own a gun is pretty feeble in a number of US states. Where I live it is almost impossible, although a lot depends on the specific town you live in. Basically you have to give the chief of police in your town a very, very good reason and "I want to be able to defend myself" is not considered one.

OTOH there are states like Wyoming and Vermont where you don't even need a permit to buy a gun. There is no need to get permission. The second amendment is the only permit you need. It's stuff like that that makes me want to move to Wyoming. Admittedly this sort of thing is probably unique to the US, although to only a few states. I'm not sure foreigners appreciate how much gun laws vary by state. In New York for instance firearms and any other defensive weapon like mace or pepper spray or stun guns are effectively illegal. Even fake guns are illegal there.

Unless, of course, the agent bribes his supervisor to look the other way (and/or block the camera(s)) while he steals the cash:

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/tsa-agent-michael-arato-admits-stealing-passengers-security-checks-bribes-article-1.136272

The best approach for dealing with piracy is making your content easily accessible, hassle-free (i.e., no DRM), and offered at a fair price.

Let me expand on this point. There are broadly 2 kinds of pirates - those who enjoy your product and pirate for personal use (the fans), and those who pirate commercially to make money for themselves (the thieves).

The fans are normally concerned with easy and cheap access to your product. Give it to them and most fans will not bother to pirate because it is risky (exposure to malware), often time consuming (some obscure products can be really hard to find), inconvenient (usually need to assemble from multiple sources) or require technical expertise (eg. applying cracks, rooting). A good example would be Steam which provides cheap and convenient access to games. A counter example would be Game of Thrones - If you live in Oz, you can't get it (no access) and it is expensive (requires cable subscription).

As for the thieves, normally an obscure small technical magazine would not be of interest to them. The exception is if your product is so expensive that even your fans are willing to buy copies from pirates, making it financially worthwhile. Again, reducing your product to a fair price (by market standards) will largely solve this problem. One example is AutoCAD, which has a captive market, ridiculous monopoly pricing and a huge piracy problem.

Since you mentioned "secure", I assume you are contemplating some form of DRM. Just be aware of its disadvantages -its usually expensive (you need to buy/licence the DRM, maintain some way of policing it, maintain customer service to handle irate buyers, have some sort of refund sceheme for customers who cannot run the DRM), it can negatively impact sales (see Sony rootkits), and if badly implemented, can actually cause lawsuits e.g. SecureROM.

Also, there are food deserts, places where getting actual real grown food is not practically possible, and fabricated food is the only type available. The concept is well known in the US.

Yes, well known, and totally wrong. It's a myth, and you could have found dozens of articles in about .01 seconds, like this one: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/food-desert-myth-article-1.1065165

Why do people just toss off completely wrong "facts" that they can disabuse themselves of in a couple of seconds? Like "more people are killed by baseball bats than guns", when it's actually more killed by baseball bats than LONG GUNS, but if you compare all guns to all blunt objects, it's overwhelmingly guns we have to thank for making homicide and suicide so easy.

I guess people prefer their preconceptions to the truth.

Of course they are going to say that, else they would have to admit they broke the rules which there is absolutely no way they would do given how stupid they already look with the 4am wake-up call to everybody.

The woman lost custody because she was fighting ("brawling") in front of the child.

Simply being bipolar doesn't make someone a risk for killing their kid.

I'm amazed the Media didn't manage to convict him, despite how hard they tried.

No kidding! - Most media outlets deliberately used this old 'cute' picture of Trayvon:
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1393803.1373385834!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/neighborhood-watch-trayvon-martin.jpg
which is both several years old and not how he looked when the incident happened.

These are newer pics - note the attitude, the gangsta gold teeth and the tats:
http://weaselzippers.us/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/trayvon-martin-finger.jpg
http://topconservativenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/trayvon_steroetype.jpg
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/assets/trayvon-martin.jpg

If Trayvon behaved as the character he appear to be in these pics when Zimmerman challenged him, it's pretty obvious that he would have felt threatened and thus fired the shots justified. But as we don't know what really happened, it's more or less impossible to say if Zimmerman should be acquitted or not.

People responsible for crafting laws should be penalized for poor and vague wording.
  Even if it was unintentionally vague (I suspect it is frequently intentional, too).

They are subject to public ridicule, having their law overturned in court, and being tossed out of office by voters. If they go for the gold they could be caught up in corruption charges. Of course a politician being a disgrace doesn't really seem to matter to some voters. These two still seem to find enthusiastic audiences.

Lupica: Sleazy New York politicians Spitzer, Weiner just refuse to stay away

Endgame: New poll shows Anthony Weiner leading in race for NYC mayor

The groping isn't going away even though only a very few want to be groped.

Don't confuse the attitude around here with the actual popular opinion on airport security.

If income tax is gone, why does everyone's paycheck still show a deduction?

Perhaps you mean the Social Security and Medicare payroll deduction? Don't you remember Mitt Romney's infamous 47% jab? That was in relation to income tax. I made an error and typed "most" when I meant "half".

The basic income isn't just about wealth equality (though it helps that). It also allows us to abolish minimum wage, social security, welfare, food stamps, etc since it becomes the safety net. It offers would-be entrepreneurs a way to feed their family while they get a business bootstrapped on a shoestring (including helping them to afford hiring people). It gives those wanting to further their education a decent way to do so without having to invent the 48 hour day.

I agree it would do all of those things - I just fear that the tradeoffs might be too great.

I do expect that it will cause some inflation.

Yes, I expect that it would do to housing what Stafford Loans have done to college education.

ESPECIALLY if we control our dependence on foreign oil.

I think I like the idea of a carbon tax to accomplish that.

Actually this could get weird. Here is a story of a guy who donated sperm to a lesbian couple with contracts protecting him. Then the couple went on welfare so the state is now going after him for child support.

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/sperm-donor-sued-child-support-article-1.1232394

As for the Hitler kid. It is not so much that the kid would be a genocidal monster but would have the crushing weight of history on him. I suspect that regardless of his predisposition that there would be groups calling for his blood (bad pun).

The key here is that cloning is going to result in some screwed up situations.

Let's say a serial killer has 5 clones made before he is caught. Then the first 4 (all raised differently) go on a killing spree themselves. What do you do with the 5th?

Then what about the billionaire who has 300,000 clones made of himself by paying 300,000 women $10,000 each to be impregnated with his clone. (For the low price of $3 billion.)