It's also the leading cause of spontaneous combustion. No, seriously, it is. It has something to do with prolonged exposure of the fat under the skin to low-heat flames, which can actually ignite yadda yadda yadda. Granted, I'm no spontaneous combustionologist, but I did see some very scientific-sounding reports on it recently.
Though I'd argue that candles, lanterns, and even incense have an even deadlier fire-starting history. Of course people who want to outlaw smoking indoors, or other crazy laws such as that, would like to see the entire planet padded with thick... padding. I can happily provide this service, at a rate of just $900/month, in a very comfortably padded room. My rooms are completely free of all fire and safety hazards, have a good ventilation system, drasitcally reduce risk of disease transmission (due to the inherent safety of isolation), AND provide time for mental self-exploration. They can also be used to save self-destructive individuals, such as homosexuals, sodomites, and Oprah viewers, from themselves.
I enjoy giving (heterosexual) head (to women). I actually genuinely enjoy it. It's something in the power to make them squirm, shake, or scream.
I also enjoy smoking the occasional cigar, clove, cigarette, or hookah. I've lived all over, and I've lived in places where each of these was illegal. It really doesn't make any sense to me, other than arbitrary bullshit rules about what is and isn't moral behavior. The argue that someone pays for "my" medicare plan, which I'm not allowed to opt out of, is really a bullshit argument. I don't agree with medicare as it is, and I ALREADY pay extra insurance money because I admit to using tobacco products.
INSIGHTFUL?! Show me one solid study that shows secondhand smoke causes slow, painful deaths. Hell, show me multiple, peer-reviewed studies. I can't believe this shit passes as "insightful" on a "news for nerds" site, simply because it restates a public misconception. If you're going to make claims like that, back them up, and maybe I'll do the same and show you why secondhand smoke isn't a huge health risk.
I would have to disagree, its not birth being the leading cause of death, its breathing. So I say we ban Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Argon and all our problems are solved.
I'm with you, so long as you can tell me how to light my cigarettes without any oxygen.
People like you are a cancer upon this nation. I hope you burn in hell.
Oh yeah? Well I hope you burn in an oven built by the Jews, Atheists, Communists, and Barbara Streisand.
It's judgemental bastards like you, who hide behind the "hope you burn in hell and God punishes you for me, because I'm above doing anything like that" creed that really fuck this place up. Get the fuck out, or burn in the oven I build. I'm not asking any Gods to do it for me; I have the balls to admit it's my personal feelings of disgust, not some divine law and order, that demands your suffering.
And why should your attitude worry any American? Certainly, no American has an opinion on Sweden or similar places, and the inhabitants couldn't care less what Americans think of them.
Historically, America has relied upon immigrants to provide the "breath of fresh air" and innovation. This has been evident throughout the 20th century, in nearly everything you can think of. Immigrants have been a constant challenge in America, founding new industries, revolutionizing the way we do things. They're also consistently the most motivated members of the workforce. They have the most incentive to make positive change. After a generation or two this generally dies down, and new hopes, aspirations, and ideas are really required. It'd be a terrible loss for this to happen. You think it HURTS America to have its pick of the brightest students from India (1 billion plus people)? America has been the recipient of, perhaps, the largest and most sustained "brain drain" in history.
Anyone who says this is not important is a complete and utter ignoramus, either not knowing or ignoring all facts on this matter. I'm not calling you one, unless you're saying "America doesn't need no fucking immigrants".
Immigration and labor aside, world image DOES matter. It affects all dealings and diplomacy with a country. It's nearly impossible to wage a war against a country that the general population of your country loves. It's nearly impossible to maintain positive diplomacy and alliances with a country your population hates. Do you really think Iran could make an alliance with Israel, even if the leadership thought it was a good idea? Of course not. And there's no way Australia or Britain will ever be able to be very hostile or harmful to America in international politics. This is because the general populations LIKE eachother. Americans, overall, see Brits as being rather jolly, if a bit goofy, and have nothing against them. They see Aussies in a very similar light, but think the accent is even funnier. Overall, they still see eachother as friendly. Anything that affects this relationship will cause disastrous results in politics, diplomacy, and trade, not to mention tourism, travel, and military alliances.
Although America is presently the world leader in MANY fields, and an absolute research powerhouse, it is still entirely dependent on the rest of the world. An isolationist America is an America about to enter a serious depression and decline.
America shouldn't try to pussy-foot around everything, and shouldn't "take shit" because it's afraid to offend people, but it should pick its battles wisely, and be conscious of its public world image. Image affects a lot more than people like to think, and is really one of the invisible hands in the history of our civilizations.
If you want to play that game then the U.S. is permanently indebted to France. If it were not for France the rebels in the U.S. might well have lost the revolution and America would still be a British colony.
Right. And this was ordered by the French Royal Family. Which the French people then massacred over the debt incurred in that war. He who murders my friend is my...? ENEMY!
Die, you French Royal Family-murdering frenchmen scum!
But seriously, I appreciate the help France gave us. I appreciate the statue of liberty. I just can't STAND the French themselves. They're just as arrogant as Americans, always demand to be important and the center of attention. They think their language is good. The food is HORRIBLE. The countryside isn't all that pretty. The women aren't as attractive as, say, Thai girls.
Basically, if they weren't so american, and if they spoke a language I liked more, and if the food was better, AND if it was located somewhere else (can we say tropical? sub-tropical at least?) I would like the place. Until then, sorry, thanks for the help and the statue, but I really just don't LIKE you guys. Nothing personal.
If I say 1+1=3, will you invest in my stock? Probably not.
Oh, but they WILL! You just need a really complicated formula that divides by 0 somewhere in the middle, and three independent mathematicians to certify your work as "mathematically correct".
Of course it'd be easier to sell them magnets that cure cancer and machines that work out for them.
I think you're misunderestimating the gullibility of the public.
Ever stop to wonder for a second how our world might change if EVERYBODY was required to have their own landfill in their own backyard?
I'd be more than happy to have a completed landfill in my backyard. The largest american landfill currently produces enough electricity to power 60,000 homes, and basically looks like a giant park. The nearby groundwater is safe to drink, and it's just beautiful. You would never even think that this used to be such a "dirty" place. It's not only out of sight and out of mind, it's not a PROBLEM. It's even producing relatively clean electricity (courtesy of pipes getting all of those nasty decomposition gases out of the landfill and into a powerplant).
Of course it's silly for everybody to have their own landfill in their backyard. Most people don't have the proper equipment to do this efficiently and properly. There'd be lead and all sorts of toxins leaking into the groundwater across the world. It'd be a huge mess. But with proper construction at centralized landfills this pollution can be essentially eliminated, with the resultant gases used to generate electricity. I really don't see a problem with this. Sprinkle a few trees and whatnot on top of the old landfill and you have a beautiful park, campground, or place to relocate indigenous people:).
Most recycling operations produce more hazardous waste than they save, are a complete waste of energy, and are nothing more than feel-good government-subsidized programs. They do absolutely nothing to solve the problems. Better landfill technology, reduced wasteful packaging on goods sold, and perhaps home decomposers for grass/food/manure to be turned into fertilizer are what is really needed. Require all new houses (in areas that are worthy.. obviously no solar requirements in Alaska) to be built with solar or wind or some other form of renewable energy, drop the speedlimits by about 30% and built more efficient vehicles and our waste would be nearly eliminated. It'd be out of sight, out of mind, and, also, not a problem, just like our solid waste currently is.
Mythbusters already did a great job on this one:). But thanks for actually speaking out and doing some of your own research. Most people just take this kind of crap as fact.
Reminds me of the bottled water craze, circumcision, and the endangered species act.
go on, make your blood drop below PH7. then go into a coma & die then tell us again slightly acidic doesn't mean anything to the billions & billions of individuals living in the oceans.
Billions & billions of individuals living in the oceans?
Do you know something the rest of us don't? I mean I know there are a few underwater laboratories, and the navy likes to keep a few submarines down there, but... billions?
I don't understand why you would pay thousands (or tens of thousands) of dollars on a machine, but you won't pay a measly $400 for the software? That just doesn't make any sense. If you are going to invest that much, why worry about the cost of software?
$400 for GOOD CAD/CAM software? Show me now. I'll buy ten copies to start with. MasterCAM costs well into the 5-digit range, and it's worth every penny, at least when one workstation with about $20,000 of hardware/software can do all the design and programming for $1,000,000/year (US) in production.
But would you say it's better to do an online program like University of Maryland than to not get a degree at all? In other words, is it worth the effort if your job will not permit you to do traditional learning?
While I use the internet a dangerous amount, I have found my campus experience invaluable. Agreed. Not valuable.
I now work in Sales, managing big enterprise accounts and I'm finding myself using people... more and more. Finally, somebody from Sales admits it! Thank you.
Thank you. Finally somebody who has a clue about the situation, although I'm curious to know where you work:). I am a bit irked about the war being sold as a WMD issue, though, although we have found all sorts of interesting WMD-related things over there. I think if Saddam wanted to prove he didn't have WMDs, it would've been fairly easy. I see it as him bluffing, not only to us, but to the rest of the arab world, and we were only able to find out for sure AFTER the war. This doesn't mean that he wouldn't have rapidly rebuilt his WMD program if sanctions were ever lifted, or if he was ever given the opportunity. And the France/Russia coalition would've helped him if they kept their lucrative oil contracts.
If the war was only about oil, it would've been much simpler for us to say "yes, yes, we'll announce that you don't have any WMDs, attempt to lift sanctions, etc. if you'll give us such and such contract". It would've been a heck of a lot cheaper and more profitable for us, too.
I tip my hat to you, your post was very informative. I know you're right about the laws being unenforcable, but the fact that they're still on the books scares me.
I completely forget about the child pornography laws! Thanks for pointing that out. I'll make sure to keep that in mind in the future.
Please don't equate Mother Theresa to Google. Google deserves much, much better. The old Mother wasn't all that great of a person when you really get down to it. I understand she just enjoyed watching others suffer, and felt that was necessary to go to heaven. She didn't do much for the people in her care.
I agree with the rest of your post, but I have to correct you. Sex tourism laws are fucking bullshit.
And you forgot my FAVORITE subject: sodomy. If you live in a state where sodomy is still on the books as illegal, travel to a country where sodomy is legal, get funky with someone and do a little sodomy dance with another consenting adult, can you be prosecuted upon your return to the US?
What if you live in a state where the age of consent is 18, but a neighboring state has an age of consent of 16, then you travel to, say, Thailand, and end up banging a 17 year old girl. Fuck, what if you MARRY her. Are you going to be prosecuted upon your return to the states? Can you live with your wife and legally sleep with her in your home state?
Sex tourism laws are just another attempt at legislating morality. And bullshit.
The decomposition from halon can also be rather harmful. It's still used for many government/military aircraft fire extinguishers, and I'm sure it's still being used elsewhere in the government.
Slashdot Mirror
It's also the leading cause of spontaneous combustion. No, seriously, it is. It has something to do with prolonged exposure of the fat under the skin to low-heat flames, which can actually ignite yadda yadda yadda. Granted, I'm no spontaneous combustionologist, but I did see some very scientific-sounding reports on it recently.
Though I'd argue that candles, lanterns, and even incense have an even deadlier fire-starting history. Of course people who want to outlaw smoking indoors, or other crazy laws such as that, would like to see the entire planet padded with thick... padding. I can happily provide this service, at a rate of just $900/month, in a very comfortably padded room. My rooms are completely free of all fire and safety hazards, have a good ventilation system, drasitcally reduce risk of disease transmission (due to the inherent safety of isolation), AND provide time for mental self-exploration. They can also be used to save self-destructive individuals, such as homosexuals, sodomites, and Oprah viewers, from themselves.
I enjoy giving (heterosexual) head (to women). I actually genuinely enjoy it. It's something in the power to make them squirm, shake, or scream.
I also enjoy smoking the occasional cigar, clove, cigarette, or hookah. I've lived all over, and I've lived in places where each of these was illegal. It really doesn't make any sense to me, other than arbitrary bullshit rules about what is and isn't moral behavior. The argue that someone pays for "my" medicare plan, which I'm not allowed to opt out of, is really a bullshit argument. I don't agree with medicare as it is, and I ALREADY pay extra insurance money because I admit to using tobacco products.
INSIGHTFUL?! Show me one solid study that shows secondhand smoke causes slow, painful deaths. Hell, show me multiple, peer-reviewed studies. I can't believe this shit passes as "insightful" on a "news for nerds" site, simply because it restates a public misconception. If you're going to make claims like that, back them up, and maybe I'll do the same and show you why secondhand smoke isn't a huge health risk.
I'm with you, so long as you can tell me how to light my cigarettes without any oxygen.
Ok, but the difference is that we DO have WMD.
Oh yeah? Well I hope you burn in an oven built by the Jews, Atheists, Communists, and Barbara Streisand.
It's judgemental bastards like you, who hide behind the "hope you burn in hell and God punishes you for me, because I'm above doing anything like that" creed that really fuck this place up. Get the fuck out, or burn in the oven I build. I'm not asking any Gods to do it for me; I have the balls to admit it's my personal feelings of disgust, not some divine law and order, that demands your suffering.
Historically, America has relied upon immigrants to provide the "breath of fresh air" and innovation. This has been evident throughout the 20th century, in nearly everything you can think of. Immigrants have been a constant challenge in America, founding new industries, revolutionizing the way we do things. They're also consistently the most motivated members of the workforce. They have the most incentive to make positive change. After a generation or two this generally dies down, and new hopes, aspirations, and ideas are really required. It'd be a terrible loss for this to happen. You think it HURTS America to have its pick of the brightest students from India (1 billion plus people)? America has been the recipient of, perhaps, the largest and most sustained "brain drain" in history.
Anyone who says this is not important is a complete and utter ignoramus, either not knowing or ignoring all facts on this matter. I'm not calling you one, unless you're saying "America doesn't need no fucking immigrants".
Immigration and labor aside, world image DOES matter. It affects all dealings and diplomacy with a country. It's nearly impossible to wage a war against a country that the general population of your country loves. It's nearly impossible to maintain positive diplomacy and alliances with a country your population hates. Do you really think Iran could make an alliance with Israel, even if the leadership thought it was a good idea? Of course not. And there's no way Australia or Britain will ever be able to be very hostile or harmful to America in international politics. This is because the general populations LIKE eachother. Americans, overall, see Brits as being rather jolly, if a bit goofy, and have nothing against them. They see Aussies in a very similar light, but think the accent is even funnier. Overall, they still see eachother as friendly. Anything that affects this relationship will cause disastrous results in politics, diplomacy, and trade, not to mention tourism, travel, and military alliances.
Although America is presently the world leader in MANY fields, and an absolute research powerhouse, it is still entirely dependent on the rest of the world. An isolationist America is an America about to enter a serious depression and decline.
America shouldn't try to pussy-foot around everything, and shouldn't "take shit" because it's afraid to offend people, but it should pick its battles wisely, and be conscious of its public world image. Image affects a lot more than people like to think, and is really one of the invisible hands in the history of our civilizations.
Right. And this was ordered by the French Royal Family. Which the French people then massacred over the debt incurred in that war. He who murders my friend is my...? ENEMY!
Die, you French Royal Family-murdering frenchmen scum!
But seriously, I appreciate the help France gave us. I appreciate the statue of liberty. I just can't STAND the French themselves. They're just as arrogant as Americans, always demand to be important and the center of attention. They think their language is good. The food is HORRIBLE. The countryside isn't all that pretty. The women aren't as attractive as, say, Thai girls.
Basically, if they weren't so american, and if they spoke a language I liked more, and if the food was better, AND if it was located somewhere else (can we say tropical? sub-tropical at least?) I would like the place. Until then, sorry, thanks for the help and the statue, but I really just don't LIKE you guys. Nothing personal.
"I never said that!"
--Albert Einstein
But has Doom 3 been released yet?
Oh, wait. Shit. Umm, Half-Life 2? Wait, that's also out now, isn't it?
Hrrmm... Duke Nukem 4? Yeah, THAT will be the day.
Oh, but they WILL! You just need a really complicated formula that divides by 0 somewhere in the middle, and three independent mathematicians to certify your work as "mathematically correct".
Of course it'd be easier to sell them magnets that cure cancer and machines that work out for them.
I think you're misunderestimating the gullibility of the public.
But SCUBA divers do it deeper, stay down longer, come up wetter, and are always satisfied.
I'd be more than happy to have a completed landfill in my backyard. The largest american landfill currently produces enough electricity to power 60,000 homes, and basically looks like a giant park. The nearby groundwater is safe to drink, and it's just beautiful. You would never even think that this used to be such a "dirty" place. It's not only out of sight and out of mind, it's not a PROBLEM. It's even producing relatively clean electricity (courtesy of pipes getting all of those nasty decomposition gases out of the landfill and into a powerplant).
Of course it's silly for everybody to have their own landfill in their backyard. Most people don't have the proper equipment to do this efficiently and properly. There'd be lead and all sorts of toxins leaking into the groundwater across the world. It'd be a huge mess. But with proper construction at centralized landfills this pollution can be essentially eliminated, with the resultant gases used to generate electricity. I really don't see a problem with this. Sprinkle a few trees and whatnot on top of the old landfill and you have a beautiful park, campground, or place to relocate indigenous people
Most recycling operations produce more hazardous waste than they save, are a complete waste of energy, and are nothing more than feel-good government-subsidized programs. They do absolutely nothing to solve the problems. Better landfill technology, reduced wasteful packaging on goods sold, and perhaps home decomposers for grass/food/manure to be turned into fertilizer are what is really needed. Require all new houses (in areas that are worthy.. obviously no solar requirements in Alaska) to be built with solar or wind or some other form of renewable energy, drop the speedlimits by about 30% and built more efficient vehicles and our waste would be nearly eliminated. It'd be out of sight, out of mind, and, also, not a problem, just like our solid waste currently is.
Mythbusters already did a great job on this one :). But thanks for actually speaking out and doing some of your own research. Most people just take this kind of crap as fact.
Reminds me of the bottled water craze, circumcision, and the endangered species act.
Billions & billions of individuals living in the oceans?
Do you know something the rest of us don't? I mean I know there are a few underwater laboratories, and the navy likes to keep a few submarines down there, but... billions?
$400 for GOOD CAD/CAM software? Show me now. I'll buy ten copies to start with. MasterCAM costs well into the 5-digit range, and it's worth every penny, at least when one workstation with about $20,000 of hardware/software can do all the design and programming for $1,000,000/year (US) in production.
Yes. This is the standard abbreviation in the states. It's either BA or BS (arts/science) or MA/MS/MBA etc. I think it's rather fitting.
But would you say it's better to do an online program like University of Maryland than to not get a degree at all? In other words, is it worth the effort if your job will not permit you to do traditional learning?
While I use the internet a dangerous amount, I have found my campus experience invaluable.
... more and more.
Agreed. Not valuable.
I now work in Sales, managing big enterprise accounts and I'm finding myself using people
Finally, somebody from Sales admits it! Thank you.
I kid, I kid.
Thank you. Finally somebody who has a clue about the situation, although I'm curious to know where you work :). I am a bit irked about the war being sold as a WMD issue, though, although we have found all sorts of interesting WMD-related things over there. I think if Saddam wanted to prove he didn't have WMDs, it would've been fairly easy. I see it as him bluffing, not only to us, but to the rest of the arab world, and we were only able to find out for sure AFTER the war. This doesn't mean that he wouldn't have rapidly rebuilt his WMD program if sanctions were ever lifted, or if he was ever given the opportunity. And the France/Russia coalition would've helped him if they kept their lucrative oil contracts.
If the war was only about oil, it would've been much simpler for us to say "yes, yes, we'll announce that you don't have any WMDs, attempt to lift sanctions, etc. if you'll give us such and such contract". It would've been a heck of a lot cheaper and more profitable for us, too.
I tip my hat to you, your post was very informative. I know you're right about the laws being unenforcable, but the fact that they're still on the books scares me.
I completely forget about the child pornography laws! Thanks for pointing that out. I'll make sure to keep that in mind in the future.
Please don't equate Mother Theresa to Google. Google deserves much, much better. The old Mother wasn't all that great of a person when you really get down to it. I understand she just enjoyed watching others suffer, and felt that was necessary to go to heaven. She didn't do much for the people in her care.
thanks! I'm glad I could clear things up a bit.
I agree with the rest of your post, but I have to correct you. Sex tourism laws are fucking bullshit.
And you forgot my FAVORITE subject: sodomy. If you live in a state where sodomy is still on the books as illegal, travel to a country where sodomy is legal, get funky with someone and do a little sodomy dance with another consenting adult, can you be prosecuted upon your return to the US?
What if you live in a state where the age of consent is 18, but a neighboring state has an age of consent of 16, then you travel to, say, Thailand, and end up banging a 17 year old girl. Fuck, what if you MARRY her. Are you going to be prosecuted upon your return to the states? Can you live with your wife and legally sleep with her in your home state?
Sex tourism laws are just another attempt at legislating morality. And bullshit.
The decomposition from halon can also be rather harmful. It's still used for many government/military aircraft fire extinguishers, and I'm sure it's still being used elsewhere in the government.