Yet all of the Muslims I've ever met are charming, peaceful friendly people. Big on family values, very law abiding, and socially responsible.
You probably haven't gotten to know them very well. The majority of people are dishonest, hypocritical, untrustworthy and at least condone some measure of violence against their opponents. This is despite any religious or political facade that underlies the way they think and act.
Show me a "family values" person and chances are that they are intolerant, prejudiced, and hypocritical.
This fact is often understated. The average Muslim is just about as religious as the average Christian. That being said we don't see rioting in the streets (all that often) because of religious differences. It's usually the leadership (and the Fundamentalist versions of Brown Shirts) that spur things on.
I assume nothing. I expect more marketing. Selling fear is always successful. If they advertised this product to soccer moms instead of CEO's then the company would be very successful. The PTA has more clout than a salesman from a dubious company.
Why not snoop every phone call, open and scan every piece of snail mail, record every conversation?
That's a good idea. If everybody was monitored then we'd likely catch somebody doing something wrong. Unfortunately your idea isn't very original as the British are ahead of you on this. It would be even better if we made it mandatory for computer manufacturers to have Webcams built into monitors and turned on by default so that we can actually see the individual and put his picture in a database in case they end up doing something bad. Also with IPv6 we can (have enough addresses) to assign static IPs to individual names and addresses that we can store in a government database. This isn't just convenient for law enforcement, it is for the good of the children.
Britain, China, North Korea, and the US seem to be leaders in protecting the children.
No. RTFA. CopyRouter merely pretends to be a server and tells the client the client to send data unencrypted. Bittorent just needs to upgrade it's encryption mechanisms.
We're talking about law enforcement agencies and companies like AOL. Let's not be naive. Adults are coming up with these ideas and not teenage hackers like DVD Jon.
From "the official government website for citizens": This email snooping bill is meant
to ensure strict safeguards continue to strike the proper balance between privacy and protecting the public.
Since there is no privacy in Britain anymore then this should be rather easy to accomplish,
As a person who does not live in Britain how can I ensure that the British government is not reading the email that I send to my British friends? The British government already said that they will insist on people giving them private keys to encrypted materials. It's about time that I started sending suspicious emails to police offers in Britain. We need a good "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" (Ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monsters_Are_Due_on_Maple_Street) scenario to happen in Britain.
More recently I'm thinking of the Bush administration giving African countries... financial assistance only if they abide by abstinence only campaigns,
Abstinence is the solution.
and,
which like in the US, is having opposite effects.
Only according to some theories and biased studies...
Speaking of biases, you seem to have been brainwashed by the religious right. I will not reply to any of your other posts on this topic because it is clear that you are not interested in reality. Your religious beliefs (and yes you are lying to me if you claim that you are not religious. There is statistical significance to what you are saying) remind me of the same type of logic and rationality used by the witchdoctors of Tanzania who tell people to kill albino's and use their body parts in magic potions. Your beliefs are just as irrational and dangerous.
At any rate, to leave on a more positive note, I think we do tend to agree on most things. At this point I'm questioning if I am being too aggressive with my argument but I will let it stand. There is a point to be made, and at the risk of sounding rude I think my statements are sincere and accurate enough to post. Do some further research if you wish, and have an open mind when critically evaluating conclusions that don't match your ideology. Teaching ideology didn't work for the communists and it didn't/isn't working for prohibitionists.
Large businesses have long left the US for tax reasons. You seem to suggest that this is accelerating like it has in CA? (that would be interesting indeed)
No. I am merely suggesting that (at least some) businesses will go where they perceive it is more profitable for them, whether it be to places with lax regulations on child labour, pollution, etc.... and yes for tax benefits as well. Some states, regions, countries even give companies money to relocate or setup a new factory (the auto industry is a typical example).
I don't know about you, but I also don't want random foreign groups donating to politicians campaigns. I want my politicians beholden to the people of this country, and inevitably failing that, to American special interests (unfortunate, but better than foreign interests).
That reminds me; the US is one of the worst offenders in regards to giving foreign (generally third world) countries money to influence their political and social structure. More recently I'm thinking of the Bush administration giving African countries (actually they are giving the money to the dictators of those countries) financial assistance only if they abide by abstinence only campaigns, which like in the US, is having opposite effects. At least one country banned the importation of condoms which has led to an increase in AIDS.
On another interesting side note I remember the US gave the then fledgling Russian democracy (I think it was) a 5 billion dollar donation to help in the transition to democracy. When they attempted to audit the money nobody in the Russian government could tell them what happened to it. Shortly there after the rise of the billionaire oligarchs occurred.
As you alluded, politics certainly is intertwined with economics (but getting back to my original point, I will emphasize that they are still distinct from each other). I cannot conceive of simple solutions to the problems you raise; politics is a nasty business filled with hypocrisy after all. I do at least have sympathy for your arguments.
Hindsight is 20 20, and all of those people you mention are comparably different people motivated by different circumstances. Rewarding any type of Peace prize seems somewhat dubious to me.
Nelson Mandela has certainly contributed very little to peace in either his own country or the continent of Africa. How much influence he himself had in ending Apartheid is also questionable. What is certain is that he has been symbolized and made into a legend by world leaders.
If Nelson Mandela were not imprisoned he could have very well turned out to be another Yassir Arafat:
In 1961, Mandela became the leader of the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (translated as Spear of the Nation, also abbreviated as MK), which he co-founded. He coordinated a sabotage campaign against military and government targets, and made plans for a possible guerrilla war if sabotage failed to end apartheid. Mandela also raised funds for MK abroad, and arranged for paramilitary training, visiting various African governments.
Unlike the other Nobel Prizes, which recognize completed scientific or literary accomplishment, the Nobel Peace Prize may be awarded to persons or organizations that are in the process of resolving a conflict or creating peace.
Just a casual glance shows some interesting nominations for the Noble Peace prize including Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Benito Mussolini.
Your said:
I believe that dedication to Peace and love of ones fellow man shows merit and should be rewarded over those who lay down their guns out of convenience or necessity.
Yes, but nobody seems interested in nominating me. Such people generally tend to show up on no-fly lists.
Your Flame definitely shows the integrity (or lack thereof) of your arguments. I note that you condemn Yasir Arafat and not Shimon Peres or Yitzak Rabin.
Still, even knowing that, I have a hard time taking anything labeled Nobel seriously as long as the Peace prize is being handed out for political reasons instead of merit.
"Peace" is inherently a political process. "Merit" is essentially an opinion.
EVERYTHING effects economics. Yes businesses aren't just leaving California, they are leaving America because of economic conditions. If California was more like India then there would be an influx of rich corporations wanting to do business there. Companies like Google setup shop in tax havens like Ireland to avoid taxes; this is no secret. The fact that companies decide to move may be based both on economic and political reasons, however I will emphasize that making a decision is not science in and of itself. Decision making is decision making. I choose not to do business with some companies and countries because of political reasons.
Where it gets subjective is when you then conclude that it makes sense to tax rich people at a higher rate because of the declining marginal utility of money.
That is politics and not economics. Going on my original analogy a physicist may conclude that the dykes surrounding New Orleans are likely to fail within the next 100 years given a strong enough hurricane but if a physicist said that people should spend money on re-enforcing the dykes instead of lowering property taxes then that would be a political decision. Economic and political conclusions are distinct. There is nothing subjective about science, whether it be in the social sciences or the physical sciences.
The idea that scientists and assorted elite intellectuals were the rightful ruling class
Much can be said today about entrepreneurs and the business elite. People worship what is fashionable. Arnold Schwarzenegger opined on this when he first ran for governor, noting his business success.
the issues involved are to some degree subjective. its not like physics where you can make a hard true or a hard false out of an issue
Yes you can make a "hard true or a hard false" with economic issues. Good economists, like good physicists, use Math, Science, and logic to draw conclusions. You are however probably referring to the practice where economists create models or abstractions of economic activity. Given a sample size of 100% of the world population and all the variables involved in economic activity then economics can be 100% accurate. If the practice of physics where 100% accurate then weather forecasting would also be 100% accurate (the butterfly effect be damned).
For those who may not realize it I will point out that this is a Flame. Yes you are correct that people who are on the periphery of a bell curve could be classified as "real weirdos". It's unfortunate but the only real method that I'm aware of to treat Vitiligo is with shoe polish. And yes you are also correct in stating that "Not many people change color with age."; it's only about 1 to 2 percent of the population. In hindsight it's not too surprising that Michael Jackson often wore gloves because the symptoms of Vitiligo show up first in the extremities like a persons hands.
You sound like a doctor; quick to label. The "of course" part is presumptuous of course. People must first admit that the concept of disease is a social meme. Understanding the problem can often negate the need for a cure.
Police I doubt have the training or experience to classify people as terrorists and therefore shouldn't be putting anybody on any lists, much less law abiding people interested in peace. The police should instead be focusing on arresting violent criminals and spammers. If the police would put as much effort into prosecuting spammers as they do towards persecuting people who want to live in a peaceful world then society would be a much better place to live. The sad thing is that peace activists are the type of people who would never be allowed to join a police force.
It's been no secret to me. However a simple Google search would have helped you.
While the practice seems in decline now that China continues its march toward ascension to the World Trade Organization, recent years have seen Chinese patrol boats foray deep into international waters in search of "customers." When a suitable vessel is located, it is ordered to heave to and follow the patrol boat back into Chinese territorial waters. Once inside a local Chinese port, the vessel would be impounded for "suspicion of smuggling," with both cargo & crew held for ransom.
The Petro Ranger, valued at $16 million, was restored to Alan Chan's Petro Ships in Singapore, but the company lost cargo worth $2.3 million to the pirates and the Chinese authorities. Alan Chan blames the Chinese for abetting the piracy. - http://www.lrb.co.uk/v25/n24/glas01_.html
The problem is that this software is closed source so nobody gets to see if it has backdoors or security flaws except for the people who have been historically the least trustworthy and most incompetent (governments).
Slashdot Mirror
Yet all of the Muslims I've ever met are charming, peaceful friendly people. Big on family values, very law abiding, and socially responsible.
You probably haven't gotten to know them very well. The majority of people are dishonest, hypocritical, untrustworthy and at least condone some measure of violence against their opponents. This is despite any religious or political facade that underlies the way they think and act.
Show me a "family values" person and chances are that they are intolerant, prejudiced, and hypocritical.
This fact is often understated. The average Muslim is just about as religious as the average Christian. That being said we don't see rioting in the streets (all that often) because of religious differences. It's usually the leadership (and the Fundamentalist versions of Brown Shirts) that spur things on.
This is yet another example of how Trolls get modded Insightful. Political ideology usually wins out over honesty and common sense, as does religion.
This (the lyrics) has nothing to do with any implicit implication to violence. Sony's recall has everything to do with Muslim Fundamentalism however.
From the article:
We Muslims consider the mixing of music and words from our Holy Quran deeply offending.
Speaking of violence, a death sentence could however be decreed, as what happened to Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie.
How much businesses and governments and people in general will let religion and religious people control their lives is fascinating and unfortunate.
I assume nothing. I expect more marketing. Selling fear is always successful. If they advertised this product to soccer moms instead of CEO's then the company would be very successful. The PTA has more clout than a salesman from a dubious company.
Why not snoop every phone call, open and scan every piece of snail mail, record every conversation?
That's a good idea. If everybody was monitored then we'd likely catch somebody doing something wrong. Unfortunately your idea isn't very original as the British are ahead of you on this. It would be even better if we made it mandatory for computer manufacturers to have Webcams built into monitors and turned on by default so that we can actually see the individual and put his picture in a database in case they end up doing something bad. Also with IPv6 we can (have enough addresses) to assign static IPs to individual names and addresses that we can store in a government database. This isn't just convenient for law enforcement, it is for the good of the children.
Britain, China, North Korea, and the US seem to be leaders in protecting the children.
No. RTFA. CopyRouter merely pretends to be a server and tells the client the client to send data unencrypted. Bittorent just needs to upgrade it's encryption mechanisms.
Presumably there's more to it than that
We're talking about law enforcement agencies and companies like AOL. Let's not be naive. Adults are coming up with these ideas and not teenage hackers like DVD Jon.
From "the official government website for citizens":
This email snooping bill is meant
to ensure strict safeguards continue to strike the proper balance between privacy and protecting the public.
Since there is no privacy in Britain anymore then this should be rather easy to accomplish,
As a person who does not live in Britain how can I ensure that the British government is not reading the email that I send to my British friends? The British government already said that they will insist on people giving them private keys to encrypted materials. It's about time that I started sending suspicious emails to police offers in Britain. We need a good "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" (Ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monsters_Are_Due_on_Maple_Street) scenario to happen in Britain.
and,
Speaking of biases, you seem to have been brainwashed by the religious right. I will not reply to any of your other posts on this topic because it is clear that you are not interested in reality. Your religious beliefs (and yes you are lying to me if you claim that you are not religious. There is statistical significance to what you are saying) remind me of the same type of logic and rationality used by the witchdoctors of Tanzania who tell people to kill albino's and use their body parts in magic potions. Your beliefs are just as irrational and dangerous.
At any rate, to leave on a more positive note, I think we do tend to agree on most things. At this point I'm questioning if I am being too aggressive with my argument but I will let it stand. There is a point to be made, and at the risk of sounding rude I think my statements are sincere and accurate enough to post. Do some further research if you wish, and have an open mind when critically evaluating conclusions that don't match your ideology. Teaching ideology didn't work for the communists and it didn't/isn't working for prohibitionists.
Best regards,
UTW
Large businesses have long left the US for tax reasons. You seem to suggest that this is accelerating like it has in CA? (that would be interesting indeed)
No. I am merely suggesting that (at least some) businesses will go where they perceive it is more profitable for them, whether it be to places with lax regulations on child labour, pollution, etc.... and yes for tax benefits as well. Some states, regions, countries even give companies money to relocate or setup a new factory (the auto industry is a typical example).
I don't know about you, but I also don't want random foreign groups donating to politicians campaigns. I want my politicians beholden to the people of this country, and inevitably failing that, to American special interests (unfortunate, but better than foreign interests).
That reminds me; the US is one of the worst offenders in regards to giving foreign (generally third world) countries money to influence their political and social structure. More recently I'm thinking of the Bush administration giving African countries (actually they are giving the money to the dictators of those countries) financial assistance only if they abide by abstinence only campaigns, which like in the US, is having opposite effects. At least one country banned the importation of condoms which has led to an increase in AIDS.
On another interesting side note I remember the US gave the then fledgling Russian democracy (I think it was) a 5 billion dollar donation to help in the transition to democracy. When they attempted to audit the money nobody in the Russian government could tell them what happened to it. Shortly there after the rise of the billionaire oligarchs occurred.
As you alluded, politics certainly is intertwined with economics (but getting back to my original point, I will emphasize that they are still distinct from each other). I cannot conceive of simple solutions to the problems you raise; politics is a nasty business filled with hypocrisy after all. I do at least have sympathy for your arguments.
Hindsight is 20 20, and all of those people you mention are comparably different people motivated by different circumstances. Rewarding any type of Peace prize seems somewhat dubious to me.
Nelson Mandela has certainly contributed very little to peace in either his own country or the continent of Africa. How much influence he himself had in ending Apartheid is also questionable. What is certain is that he has been symbolized and made into a legend by world leaders.
If Nelson Mandela were not imprisoned he could have very well turned out to be another Yassir Arafat:
In 1961, Mandela became the leader of the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (translated as Spear of the Nation, also abbreviated as MK), which he co-founded. He coordinated a sabotage campaign against military and government targets, and made plans for a possible guerrilla war if sabotage failed to end apartheid. Mandela also raised funds for MK abroad, and arranged for paramilitary training, visiting various African governments.
- Ref http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela [wikipedia.org]
Also of note:
Unlike the other Nobel Prizes, which recognize completed scientific or literary accomplishment, the Nobel Peace Prize may be awarded to persons or organizations that are in the process of resolving a conflict or creating peace.
- Ref http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Peace_Prize#Appointment_process
Just a casual glance shows some interesting nominations for the Noble Peace prize including Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Benito Mussolini.
Your said:
I believe that dedication to Peace and love of ones fellow man shows merit and should be rewarded over those who lay down their guns out of convenience or necessity.
Yes, but nobody seems interested in nominating me. Such people generally tend to show up on no-fly lists.
Your Flame definitely shows the integrity (or lack thereof) of your arguments. I note that you condemn Yasir Arafat and not Shimon Peres or Yitzak Rabin.
Still, even knowing that, I have a hard time taking anything labeled Nobel seriously as long as the Peace prize is being handed out for political reasons instead of merit.
"Peace" is inherently a political process. "Merit" is essentially an opinion.
Oh, but it effects economics.
EVERYTHING effects economics. Yes businesses aren't just leaving California, they are leaving America because of economic conditions. If California was more like India then there would be an influx of rich corporations wanting to do business there. Companies like Google setup shop in tax havens like Ireland to avoid taxes; this is no secret. The fact that companies decide to move may be based both on economic and political reasons, however I will emphasize that making a decision is not science in and of itself. Decision making is decision making. I choose not to do business with some companies and countries because of political reasons.
Where it gets subjective is when you then conclude that it makes sense to tax rich people at a higher rate because of the declining marginal utility of money.
That is politics and not economics. Going on my original analogy a physicist may conclude that the dykes surrounding New Orleans are likely to fail within the next 100 years given a strong enough hurricane but if a physicist said that people should spend money on re-enforcing the dykes instead of lowering property taxes then that would be a political decision. Economic and political conclusions are distinct. There is nothing subjective about science, whether it be in the social sciences or the physical sciences.
The idea that scientists and assorted elite intellectuals were the rightful ruling class
Much can be said today about entrepreneurs and the business elite. People worship what is fashionable. Arnold Schwarzenegger opined on this when he first ran for governor, noting his business success.
the issues involved are to some degree subjective. its not like physics where you can make a hard true or a hard false out of an issue
Yes you can make a "hard true or a hard false" with economic issues. Good economists, like good physicists, use Math, Science, and logic to draw conclusions. You are however probably referring to the practice where economists create models or abstractions of economic activity. Given a sample size of 100% of the world population and all the variables involved in economic activity then economics can be 100% accurate. If the practice of physics where 100% accurate then weather forecasting would also be 100% accurate (the butterfly effect be damned).
Not many people change color with age.
Those that do are real weirdos - look at MJ.
For those who may not realize it I will point out that this is a Flame. Yes you are correct that people who are on the periphery of a bell curve could be classified as "real weirdos". It's unfortunate but the only real method that I'm aware of to treat Vitiligo is with shoe polish. And yes you are also correct in stating that "Not many people change color with age."; it's only about 1 to 2 percent of the population. In hindsight it's not too surprising that Michael Jackson often wore gloves because the symptoms of Vitiligo show up first in the extremities like a persons hands.
Of course baldness is a disease.
You sound like a doctor; quick to label. The "of course" part is presumptuous of course. People must first admit that the concept of disease is a social meme. Understanding the problem can often negate the need for a cure.
True as that may be, I've yet to be assaulted by a giant weather ballon as I exit a tube station.
Wait for it...
Modern day Britain reminds me of the science fiction dystopia portrayed on the old British TV show The Prisoner.
It's sad and foreboding how social and technological dystopia's emerge from what was once only imaginative musings of science fiction writers.
Police I doubt have the training or experience to classify people as terrorists and therefore shouldn't be putting anybody on any lists, much less law abiding people interested in peace. The police should instead be focusing on arresting violent criminals and spammers. If the police would put as much effort into prosecuting spammers as they do towards persecuting people who want to live in a peaceful world then society would be a much better place to live. The sad thing is that peace activists are the type of people who would never be allowed to join a police force.
It's been no secret to me. However a simple Google search would have helped you.
While the practice seems in decline now that China continues its march toward ascension to the World Trade Organization, recent years have seen Chinese patrol boats foray deep into international waters in search of "customers." When a suitable vessel is located, it is ordered to heave to and follow the patrol boat back into Chinese territorial waters. Once inside a local Chinese port, the vessel would be impounded for "suspicion of smuggling," with both cargo & crew held for ransom.
http://www.cargolaw.com/presentations_pirates.html
The Petro Ranger, valued at $16 million, was restored to Alan Chan's Petro Ships in Singapore, but the company lost cargo worth $2.3 million to the pirates and the Chinese authorities. Alan Chan blames the Chinese for abetting the piracy.
- http://www.lrb.co.uk/v25/n24/glas01_.html
etc and so on...
The problem is that this software is closed source so nobody gets to see if it has backdoors or security flaws except for the people who have been historically the least trustworthy and most incompetent (governments).