Well, the controversy would be over what we can do, and how bad it will be. If one assumes that it is natural, it is unlikely to accelerate, and it is likely to be irreversible (like my raincoat!). Any "solution," then, would involve setting up dykes along probable flood-prone areas, for example.
If it is manmade, then it will accelerate as China and India industrialize, and the solution is to cut pollution.
Personally, I'm staying agnostic. I've been voting against the Republicans lately for reasons that have nothing to do with the environment, so it really doesn't matter what I think.
Sure, no question, promotion matters too. It's not the end-all be-all, though; most folks backed by major labels still fail in their first year.
As for the question posed in your other post (who competes with the major labels?), the answer is that they are supposed to compete with one another. Now, as we know, there was a court case that they lost a couple years back for illegal collusion, which is why I added that caveat.
As for Windows, there are interoperability issues, making one operating system a much poorer substitute for another. Therefore, rather than thinking of it as flavors of ice cream, one could think of it like a monopoly on ice cream in general (with your competitors selling cakes and chocolate), or even on dessert in general (with your competitors selling vegetables, meat, cheese, etc.).
Perhaps it's not perfectly analagous, but I certainly know that I've had the experience of shopping for movies (I don't buy a lot of music, and never did), and bought a DVD I somewhat liked that was on a sale rack for $7, and passed over a few that I really liked which were priced around $25.
I'll conceed that, no matter how low he prices it, Eminem isn't going to sell any cds to people who don't like rap. Further, band of the caliber of the Beatles is always going to sell more albums than a mediocre band. (Even those two "obvious" points deserve some qualification: have you ever had the experience of going through a used cd section and seeing someone you'd never loved, but been mildly curious to hear more of, and decided to go for it because it was only like $2?) But, take two bands of similar style and quality (who are therefore likely to have fan bases that largely overlap), and price can be a very significant factor.
You have something of the right idea, but I'll try to clean up the phrasing a little bit. A "price floor" is a legally set lower limit on prices, imposed by fiat. For example, minimum wage is a price floor on the price of labor (and the black market you describe would be things like outsourcing, illegal immigrants, the kid down the block mowing lawns for cash, etc.)
With digital media, government gives monopolies to companies (for a limited time) for their intellectual products. Competition still exists (except when they illegally collude) because the products are very similar (like if I had a monopoly on chocolate ice cream, I could only raise prices a little bit before people started buying vanilla from my competitors). Price is therefore still responsive to supply and demand, unlike in a situation with a price floor. However, because of the copyrights, this competitive equilibrium is still far above the marginal cost of production (which should, in a perfectly competitive market, be the equilibrium price; as you say, this is near zero), creating an incentive for piracy. The concepts are very strongly intertwined, but it's not quite the same as a price floor.
Earlier the Fox News bit had a whole section that went like this: "critics say that Fox is biased because A, but they are wrong. They also say B, but are wrong," with no further argument beyond that. Now the "they are wrong" bits have been removed.
First off, everything thus far has been a donation ($350 million, 1/3rd of total global aid). Second, I dispute your claim that most US aid is in the form of lines of credit. US contribution to the World Bank is on the order of hundreds of millions, while direct aid is in the billions, as far as I know. If you have info to the contrary, please share it.
I agree that in this case direct aid is the best form of action. In the general sense, requiring aid to be repaid at the prime rate seems perfectly reasonable though. If the money will not yield at least US prime rate, then it would be better invested at home rather than abroad.
True enough, it would be nice if things could happen faster. Still, I would hope that anyone making charts would use up-to-date info, rather than simply day-of-disaster numbers.
I'm really not that well informed, I get my info from CNN. Still, a quick google search turned up this. Apparently after Carter's botched efforts, getting Americans back into Iran is no mean feat.
Colin Powell stated that he fully expects the eventual US aid to the region to top $1 billion. Over the past few days, aid has been raised from $15 million to $35 million, and now to $350 million. Plus, the military which you are so down on has dispatched a aircraft carrier group to help with physical manpower. Finally, a task force is being dispatched to determine where future funds should be allocated to do the most good.
I'm not a huge fan of Bush by any stretch of the imagination (I voted against him in November), but I can't fault the US government's behavior so far. They authorized a small amount of money to begin with, to help with the most urgent needs (sending food, clearing bodies, and so forth), and over the next few weeks and months will continue to increase the commitment as the specific needs of the countries who have been hurt are ascertained.
The world rallied around the US after 9/11, irrespective of past tensions and difficulties, and I don't think anyone here has forgotten that. We'll do everything within our power to help rebuild those countries devastated by the tsunami, just give us time to get through the bureaucracy, and to make sure our money is going to the right place (someone earlier posted about how in India, so many donations of clothing have been recieved that there are piles of stuff no one wants to wear just lying around. Imagine if the US sent over $100 MILLION of unnecessary clothing).
The US$ has been falling more against the the Euro than against other currencies; it is is still worth a fairly respectable 105 Yen. Also, who knows where the currency markets will be by the time the plants get going. A weak dollar boosts exports, strengthening the economy, and eventually raising the dollar back up.
Even today we have crap like magnetic therapy and other such scams that the established medical community knows is crap, but enjoy mainstream popularity nevertheless (see the Sharper Image). Are you sure that your 1915 irradiated watercooler isn't more of the same?
Moore never invented a law. He made a prediction about transistor density. This has been extrapolated into a law, which we've named after Moore, which generally states that computer equipment improves on virtually every numerically measurable front at an exponential rate. So a reference to "Moore's Law" is entirely appropriate.
Have you seen the original? The only things that the two have in common are a few names, and the fact that three casinos are being robbed simultaneously. The new one is really not a remake at all.
However, as long as we're complaining about unnecessary remakes, what about Flight of the Phoenix?
Technically a card game, not a board game, but insanely fun. Plus it's fast, easy to get people into (there's no fear of getting locked into a 3 hour ordeal if it turns out to be boring). Made by Cheapass games, I can't find a current reference to it on their site. Maybe it's out of production, but copies still seem to be available from game stores
As long as we're confusing the issue with facts, it should be noted that Senator Lieberman was (and for all I know, still is) on the advisory board for the PTC. Both parties have their own big brother wannabes.
I can't speak to that in detail, but I do know that in Japan, my 4'11" ex can reach the overhead handholds on the subway, so I would be willing to bet that ceilings are considerably lower.
Actually, I remember an article shortly before Lilo and Stitch came out about how each Disney animated movie since The Lion King has cost more, and grossed less. Lilo and Stitch cut way back on animation costs, looking to reverse the trends.
The population of the USA is under 300,000,000. Over 300 Americans were in the hijacked planes on 9/11. That's 1 in 1,000,000, a factor of 1000 greater than your "overestimate."
I'm not disagreeing with the notion that terrorist threats are overblown, but let's not exaggerate here.
"Most Favored Nation" trade status is also known as "normal" trade status, and only a select few countries are not in this category. The fact that China has this status is only remarkable because they are a nominally Communist country.
I guess the new rule for presidential candidates is no malapropisms, no dyslexia, no gaffes, no speech disorders or impediments of any kind.
Where from ShieldWolf's comment did you get that notion? All the man was saying was "Bush has a problem communicating." Can't you agree with that statement? We could easily go back and forth on whether Bush has other positive factors that make up for this, or even whether it is important that the president be a great communicator.
Likewise, we can agree that Kerry's sad, droopy face makes him rather uncharismatic. Is that important? Does Kerry have other positive factors to make up for it? That's where reasonable people can disagree. Let's not be so blinded by partisanism that we can't acknowledge self evident deficiencies.
It may be common practice in Europe, but my understanding is that the laws here are a bit different. Anyway, the email states "We represent Nintendo of America, Inc.," and it would surely be illegal to say that if it were not true. Most likely Nintendo just contracts out the dull "search for 'Nintendo' on Google and intimidate every questionable site that comes up" job to a firm that specializes in that sort of thing.
Virtually all the absurd C&D letters I've seen on the web have come from firms representing the company that actually owns the intellectual property in question.
The museum doesn't "relate to the 1970's," it relates to the Vietnam War. Since that war was with America, it makes sense to have items related to the aftermath and eventual reconcilliation. Note that the caption doesn't even identify Kerry by name, but only refers to him as part of a "Congresman and Veterans Delegation."
As for the "pictures of Kerry and Fonda together," only one of them is genuine, and that is the one that shows them both sitting in the crowd at an anti-war rally. This widely circulated photo is a fake. I'm sure there are some unsavory sorts who share your political affiliatons, but that shouldn't impinge on your own character. Likewise, the fact that Kerry and Fonda both opposed the war does not link the two of them.
Did you even read that article? Even with the editorial slant, it should be obvious that the picture is meant to honor the reopening of diplomatic relations with the US. The picture is of a visiting foreign dignitary in 1993, not of a military combatant from the 1970's.
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If it is manmade, then it will accelerate as China and India industrialize, and the solution is to cut pollution.
Personally, I'm staying agnostic. I've been voting against the Republicans lately for reasons that have nothing to do with the environment, so it really doesn't matter what I think.
As for the question posed in your other post (who competes with the major labels?), the answer is that they are supposed to compete with one another. Now, as we know, there was a court case that they lost a couple years back for illegal collusion, which is why I added that caveat.
As for Windows, there are interoperability issues, making one operating system a much poorer substitute for another. Therefore, rather than thinking of it as flavors of ice cream, one could think of it like a monopoly on ice cream in general (with your competitors selling cakes and chocolate), or even on dessert in general (with your competitors selling vegetables, meat, cheese, etc.).
I'll conceed that, no matter how low he prices it, Eminem isn't going to sell any cds to people who don't like rap. Further, band of the caliber of the Beatles is always going to sell more albums than a mediocre band. (Even those two "obvious" points deserve some qualification: have you ever had the experience of going through a used cd section and seeing someone you'd never loved, but been mildly curious to hear more of, and decided to go for it because it was only like $2?) But, take two bands of similar style and quality (who are therefore likely to have fan bases that largely overlap), and price can be a very significant factor.
With digital media, government gives monopolies to companies (for a limited time) for their intellectual products. Competition still exists (except when they illegally collude) because the products are very similar (like if I had a monopoly on chocolate ice cream, I could only raise prices a little bit before people started buying vanilla from my competitors). Price is therefore still responsive to supply and demand, unlike in a situation with a price floor. However, because of the copyrights, this competitive equilibrium is still far above the marginal cost of production (which should, in a perfectly competitive market, be the equilibrium price; as you say, this is near zero), creating an incentive for piracy. The concepts are very strongly intertwined, but it's not quite the same as a price floor.
Earlier the Fox News bit had a whole section that went like this: "critics say that Fox is biased because A, but they are wrong. They also say B, but are wrong," with no further argument beyond that. Now the "they are wrong" bits have been removed.
I agree that in this case direct aid is the best form of action. In the general sense, requiring aid to be repaid at the prime rate seems perfectly reasonable though. If the money will not yield at least US prime rate, then it would be better invested at home rather than abroad.
I'm really not that well informed, I get my info from CNN. Still, a quick google search turned up this. Apparently after Carter's botched efforts, getting Americans back into Iran is no mean feat.
I'm not a huge fan of Bush by any stretch of the imagination (I voted against him in November), but I can't fault the US government's behavior so far. They authorized a small amount of money to begin with, to help with the most urgent needs (sending food, clearing bodies, and so forth), and over the next few weeks and months will continue to increase the commitment as the specific needs of the countries who have been hurt are ascertained.
The world rallied around the US after 9/11, irrespective of past tensions and difficulties, and I don't think anyone here has forgotten that. We'll do everything within our power to help rebuild those countries devastated by the tsunami, just give us time to get through the bureaucracy, and to make sure our money is going to the right place (someone earlier posted about how in India, so many donations of clothing have been recieved that there are piles of stuff no one wants to wear just lying around. Imagine if the US sent over $100 MILLION of unnecessary clothing).
The US$ has been falling more against the the Euro than against other currencies; it is is still worth a fairly respectable 105 Yen. Also, who knows where the currency markets will be by the time the plants get going. A weak dollar boosts exports, strengthening the economy, and eventually raising the dollar back up.
Even today we have crap like magnetic therapy and other such scams that the established medical community knows is crap, but enjoy mainstream popularity nevertheless (see the Sharper Image). Are you sure that your 1915 irradiated watercooler isn't more of the same?
Moore never invented a law. He made a prediction about transistor density. This has been extrapolated into a law, which we've named after Moore, which generally states that computer equipment improves on virtually every numerically measurable front at an exponential rate. So a reference to "Moore's Law" is entirely appropriate.
Apparently Slashdot policy is that the only "registration required" site allowed is the NY Times, and that's only because it's been grandfathered in.
However, as long as we're complaining about unnecessary remakes, what about Flight of the Phoenix?
Technically a card game, not a board game, but insanely fun. Plus it's fast, easy to get people into (there's no fear of getting locked into a 3 hour ordeal if it turns out to be boring). Made by Cheapass games, I can't find a current reference to it on their site. Maybe it's out of production, but copies still seem to be available from game stores
As long as we're confusing the issue with facts, it should be noted that Senator Lieberman was (and for all I know, still is) on the advisory board for the PTC. Both parties have their own big brother wannabes.
I can't speak to that in detail, but I do know that in Japan, my 4'11" ex can reach the overhead handholds on the subway, so I would be willing to bet that ceilings are considerably lower.
Interestingly, the USA has 1/3rd of the world's total economy, but emits only 1/4th of the world's pollution. It's all in how you look at things...
Actually, I remember an article shortly before Lilo and Stitch came out about how each Disney animated movie since The Lion King has cost more, and grossed less. Lilo and Stitch cut way back on animation costs, looking to reverse the trends.
I'm not disagreeing with the notion that terrorist threats are overblown, but let's not exaggerate here.
"Most Favored Nation" trade status is also known as "normal" trade status, and only a select few countries are not in this category. The fact that China has this status is only remarkable because they are a nominally Communist country.
Where from ShieldWolf's comment did you get that notion? All the man was saying was "Bush has a problem communicating." Can't you agree with that statement? We could easily go back and forth on whether Bush has other positive factors that make up for this, or even whether it is important that the president be a great communicator.
Likewise, we can agree that Kerry's sad, droopy face makes him rather uncharismatic. Is that important? Does Kerry have other positive factors to make up for it? That's where reasonable people can disagree. Let's not be so blinded by partisanism that we can't acknowledge self evident deficiencies.
Now, witness the power of this FULLY ARMED AND OPERATIONAL battlestation!
Virtually all the absurd C&D letters I've seen on the web have come from firms representing the company that actually owns the intellectual property in question.
As for the "pictures of Kerry and Fonda together," only one of them is genuine, and that is the one that shows them both sitting in the crowd at an anti-war rally. This widely circulated photo is a fake. I'm sure there are some unsavory sorts who share your political affiliatons, but that shouldn't impinge on your own character. Likewise, the fact that Kerry and Fonda both opposed the war does not link the two of them.
Did you even read that article? Even with the editorial slant, it should be obvious that the picture is meant to honor the reopening of diplomatic relations with the US. The picture is of a visiting foreign dignitary in 1993, not of a military combatant from the 1970's.