...are hard to find. But they exist. They're the silent majority.
Muslims have depicted Mohammed in drawings for years, even selling cheese with is likeness. They also tell jokes over there about "the prophets" that are rather un-Muslim. This is just mock outrage frome the Middle East Rent-A-Riot company.
I said what I said you illiterate moron. Interfering in other cultures is wrong. The Chinese didn't ask you to come and "unoppress" them. If you talk to the average person in China, they don't even think they're "oppressed". Try not to be so provincial your whole life. And pull your head out of your ass.
Soooo... if it was hotter in 800 CE, then the real question is how was mankind screwing up the global climate then?
(And when you're done hemming, hawing, or speculting, you might want to just admit that the Sun has more to do with global warming than a thousandth of 1% increase in atmospheric CO2.)
Most of the people rioting haven't even seen the comic. They were simply told that an infidel depicted the prophet Mohammed is a disparaging way.
Remember the Maplethorpe exhibit? Even borderline Christians got pissed over some idiot who shot a picture of a crucifix in a jar of urine. And there were a few violent protests over that too.
Please do point out those non-muslim countries where you have abject poverty and complete lack of freedom where there is absolutely no violence. Serbia? Croatia? Russia? Oh no, maybe we can talk about Spain, particuluarly around the Basque Autonomous region. Or on the other side of that border in France. And those buddhist's in India tossing molitov cocktails at busses full of Muslims? Or Tamil's blowing up bridges as trains full of buddhists roll over them. You can start at the US's southern border and just paint any country south of that as being chock-full-o-violence and they're about 99% Catholic. So help me to understand how Islam is most definately the root of all evil here, and how dictatorships, clan rule, nepotism, and corruption have nothing to do with it.
As an extension to your own rant, consider this: Abject poverty is not a trait of being muslim. In countries like Kuwait, Dubai, UAE, and so on, the general population enjoys a standard of living higher than that of many European countries. In countries like Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, and so many more, what you see there is a tremendous disparity between rich and poor, and a complete lack of a middle class.
That is, this is what you'd see if the media would report on it. And ironically, the media there likes to portray westerners as spoiled rotten, decadent, and filthy rich.
The spread of democracy is doing wonders in bridging the gap between rich and poor in those countries, and a generation or more you will see parity with the western world. But the media will always show the most marginalized portraits they can because that's what sells commercials.
Now, you apparently being American and all that, you aren't, presumably, open to such a possibility as yet, but for most of us out here on the other side of the world, not everything legal is morally correct.
Now you, apparently not being American and all that, you aren't, presumably, aware of the notion that forcing your morality onto other cultures is itself not morally correct. Here in America, we get labelled (ironically, but folks like yourself) all the time as being imperalists simply because the pervasiveness of our culture tends to override local customs. But the fine line between our hegemony and your brand of direct interference is chalked by the simple notion that you show a modicum of respect for other cultures.
If you as an individual want to support democracy in China, knock yourself out. Don't expect big business to do it for you.
Keyword here is "actively". There is nothing active about Yahoo! providing information on users by request. The information is already logged as a matter of course.
What you're in effect asking is that Yahoo make a moral decision, not a business decision. That's fine and dandy, except that when you force western morals onto a nonwestern audience, you're committing a moral fault in and of itself.
Newsflash: The government puts the pole there. They just pay the utilities (or your municipality) to do it, then rent it out. Look at the itemization on your phone bill and figure it out. And that pole isn't on "your" property, it's on the public right-of-way. Don't like it? Sell the surrounding property that is yours, and move somewhere where you don't have electricity and telecom service.
Verizon's network. Verizon's decision. And when Google, Amazon, and eBay find their bottom lines impacted by Verizon's reduced network availability, Verizon will find their bottom lines affected.
Not unsurprisingly, people are already screaming for "big gubment" to step in...
Let's see. I could waste my time explaining to you precisely how much of a crackpot Hansen is, but others have done that research for me.
I could further waste my time by explaining the difference between a real scientist (Not Hansen), and a political hack (Hansen). I could discuss things like how policy decisions are not within the purview of a scientific paper, or how real scientists (again, not Hansen) don't tweak their data to support their conclusions. But I suspect that in the end, you'd still continue with your Gaia worshipping global warming will kill us all four legs good two legs bad wankery. So piss off.
Amidst your wankery on computer modelling, your demonization of the oil and gas lobby (who have nothing to do with this story), you ought to consider one fact. Dr. Hansens first computer models didn't even include oceans. In fact, most computer models are flawed because they assign constants to such things as solar forcing, atmospheric volume, atmospheric transmissivity, and so on. I could explain all this to you in great detail, but you're too busy worshipping "science" to listen to reason.
Scientists who make policy statements gave us the atomic bomb.
Think about this for a second. Einstein - who without proof - convinced Truman that the Nazi's were developing an atomic weapon, and that the US should get their first. An airraid on a hydroelectric dam ended whatever nascent research Hitler's government had done on atomic weapons well before the Manhatten project was underway, and we went on to drop two atomic bombs on the Japanese.
Just because someone carries an advanced degree and spends considerable portions of their life doing research doesn't make them particularly wise or even suited to comment on the issue.
Care to reconsider your arrogant idolatry of scientists?
I'd be pissed if my State installed this along highways (and NC's Corrupt Legislature, who recently allowed the first toll roads in this states history would do that). Otherwise, they'd have to answer for all the porkbarrel spending that has drained the highway fund and ruined the State's road system.
But I digress. People coming up ramps are already breaking, even with gravity doing part of the job. This system would place a bit of electrodynamic drag on the chassis so instead of that chemical energy being converted into waste heat in the braking system, it would be electrical power.
We could play what-ifs all day long, but in truth changing jobs is very expensive, and it takes a very large offer the make it worth it. It almost never is. If you work at a company and can't tell if you're going to be around in another six months, then you shouldn't be working there to begin with.
Two weeks notice is the industry standard. Obviously, you know well ahead of time that you're going to leave. When I've resigned from jobs where I actually cared (and the professional thing to do is at least pretend to care), what I did is that I began ahead of time by preparing documentation for my replacement on those little idiosyncracies that make it difficult for someone else to step right into your position. Keep this documentation secret though; don't tell anyone what you're doing. Once you've completed this task, you're ready to give your two weeks notice.
When you do, use more tact than to say "Dear Suckers, I've found a job which will give me both respect and pay commensurate to my skillsets and experience." I know that's what we all really mean when we resign, and no matter how we say it, that's what the manager is going to hear. What you want to do is go to your bosses informally, and let them know you've recieved a "competitive employment offer" from another company. Give them the opportunity to win you back. Unless you really hate the job, if you are worth your salt they will try to keep you and you're better off staying. Anyway, make small talk, and let them know that you've enjoyed working there and that you're going to miss working with some of your coworkers, but that the offer was better for reason X (where X could be more pay, less hours, better location, flextime, telecommuting, your wife works there, they have fridges stocked with free AMP and Jolt Cola, et al).
If they don't at least hint at an offer, or express a desire to keep you on board, then spring your letter of resignation on them. The most important thing about the letter of resignation is that it a) protects the company you're leaving, b) shows that you've been a productive employee, and c) assures them that you're leaving is not the collapse of civilization, but merely the onset of a difficult and expensive circumstance the company will have to endure to replace you. For part (a), you'll want to say something like "ACME Software has been like family to me, and I have enjoyed working with every one of you (including Milton and his wierd ideas about squirrel marriage)." Without fencing too badly, what this says is that you're not harboring a grudge against this company,and you're not going to turn around and sue the bejezus out of them. Then for part (b), you toot your own horn: "As a systems administrator for ACME software, I have seen from the inside how dynamic and responsive this company has been. As a member of the Illudium Q36 Explosive Space Modulator design and research team, I was energized by how we delivered agile solutions to the market. I enjoyed how we were able to continue that kind of momentum to later seize the market on Wearable Rocket Assisted Roadrunner Pursuit technologies." Lastly, in (c) you let them know that you're not dumping them like a prom date who didn't put out, and that even though you're leaving you have a vested interest in the continued success in the company. "I have meticulously prepared documentation related to my duties which will assist my fellow team members in bridging the gap created in my departure until such time as my successor can be brought up to speed. This should minimize the negative impact on productivity and allow the Coyote Products Division to remain a leader within the company. Of course, I stand ready to support the company after I've left, and should you need to consult with me I will make myself available as much as possible."
Obviously, such a resignation letter reeks of corporate ass kissing, but if there's ever a time such sycophantry is needed, its when jittery managers are faced with a talent-loss situation. Also, be reasonable with your timing. If your plan is to leave, don't leave during some critical point in a project (unless you're in one of those companies where every point is a "critical point"). Now if your reason for leaving is more money, and you're open to remaining, then it is to your advantage to choose a critical period to broach the issue. H
Debate works much better when you keep your comments relevent to the discussion. Oh, and there's no need for me to produce "peer reviewed articles" to refute your off-the-cuff stupidity.
Once gain, a quick R of TFA shows that the poster hasn't a clue of the content of the article. "Regulation" here refers to oversight: the ability of independant agencies to monitor and 'correct' anti-competitive and monopolistic behavior. In the study, the 'regulated' businesses were free to make fundamental business decisions within the framework of laws that protect the consumers. "Regulation" as applied in American political economics is where a government agency sets controls on specific business decisions, such as the wholesale price of goods, import/export quotas, taxation of specific for entirely political reasons, or mandating specific practices.
People, no matter how hard you want to not have to admit it, government regulation is bad. In the US, it has a particularly nasty track record in that it has caused or significantly contributed to every "market correction" of any signifigance. While no economist will ever admit that having government regulatory bodies watchdog private industry is a bad idea, only a rabid Keynesian (or outright Marxist) would ever think it's kosher to allow government to fiddle with the mechanicals of a societies economic engine.
If by 'your state" you're referring to California, then your argument is poorly founded. California never 'deregulated' anything, lest of all their energy industry. What they did do is release price controls on the demand side, so that power companies were able to pay lower rates. They did not release price controls on the demand side, so power producers in California were suddenly required to charge way more than their free-er market competitors in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas. So, they stopped producing. And when summer came along, there wasn't enough supply to keep everyones air conditioner, fridge, tv, and playstation on. Ergo, you had rolling blackouts.
Regulation kills business. It's pure and simple, time tested and proven, and no amount of circular argumentation is going to change that immutable truth.
I volunteered to be an election judge for Onslow County during the recent November elections, and it was our first time using electronic voting in this county. We didn't use diebold, but instead turned to Hart IC and their eSlate system.
And I have to say... electronic voting is not yet ready for prime time. The HartIC units were probably the best of whats available, but still came up short in ease of use, design, and redundancy. I still have my receipt, and that's one thing I did like. My vote was linked via a unique pin number at my specific ward, but the pin did not uniquely identify me.
This is one area where I believe the OpenSource community has an opportunity to jump out way ahead by developing low-cost f/oss hardware software solutions. With a network of conscientious coders and some low cost hardware, I think it's possible to produce voting machines for very little.
Oh, and a word to diebold: don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. I watched your crappy hardware screw up votes in Gila County, AZ. I watched thousands disenfranchised by your substandard product in Cartaret County, NC. I will sleep better knowing you're not screwing up anything in the other 99 North Carolina counties.
Slashdot Mirror
...are hard to find. But they exist. They're the silent majority.
Muslims have depicted Mohammed in drawings for years, even selling cheese with is likeness. They also tell jokes over there about "the prophets" that are rather un-Muslim. This is just mock outrage frome the Middle East Rent-A-Riot company.
and your three weathly examples are hardly representative
No shit. But they are Muslim countries where violence is low. But thanks for restating one of my points for people that speak your version of English.
I said what I said you illiterate moron. Interfering in other cultures is wrong. The Chinese didn't ask you to come and "unoppress" them. If you talk to the average person in China, they don't even think they're "oppressed". Try not to be so provincial your whole life. And pull your head out of your ass.
Soooo... if it was hotter in 800 CE, then the real question is how was mankind screwing up the global climate then?
(And when you're done hemming, hawing, or speculting, you might want to just admit that the Sun has more to do with global warming than a thousandth of 1% increase in atmospheric CO2.)
Most of the people rioting haven't even seen the comic. They were simply told that an infidel depicted the prophet Mohammed is a disparaging way.
Remember the Maplethorpe exhibit? Even borderline Christians got pissed over some idiot who shot a picture of a crucifix in a jar of urine. And there were a few violent protests over that too.
Actually, Denmark employs thousands of Saudi citizens, and a boycott of their products is costing them their jobs as we speak.
Please do point out those non-muslim countries where you have abject poverty and complete lack of freedom where there is absolutely no violence. Serbia? Croatia? Russia? Oh no, maybe we can talk about Spain, particuluarly around the Basque Autonomous region. Or on the other side of that border in France. And those buddhist's in India tossing molitov cocktails at busses full of Muslims? Or Tamil's blowing up bridges as trains full of buddhists roll over them. You can start at the US's southern border and just paint any country south of that as being chock-full-o-violence and they're about 99% Catholic. So help me to understand how Islam is most definately the root of all evil here, and how dictatorships, clan rule, nepotism, and corruption have nothing to do with it.
As an extension to your own rant, consider this: Abject poverty is not a trait of being muslim. In countries like Kuwait, Dubai, UAE, and so on, the general population enjoys a standard of living higher than that of many European countries. In countries like Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, and so many more, what you see there is a tremendous disparity between rich and poor, and a complete lack of a middle class.
That is, this is what you'd see if the media would report on it. And ironically, the media there likes to portray westerners as spoiled rotten, decadent, and filthy rich.
The spread of democracy is doing wonders in bridging the gap between rich and poor in those countries, and a generation or more you will see parity with the western world. But the media will always show the most marginalized portraits they can because that's what sells commercials.
Now, you apparently being American and all that, you aren't, presumably, open to such a possibility as yet, but for most of us out here on the other side of the world, not everything legal is morally correct.
Now you, apparently not being American and all that, you aren't, presumably, aware of the notion that forcing your morality onto other cultures is itself not morally correct. Here in America, we get labelled (ironically, but folks like yourself) all the time as being imperalists simply because the pervasiveness of our culture tends to override local customs. But the fine line between our hegemony and your brand of direct interference is chalked by the simple notion that you show a modicum of respect for other cultures.
If you as an individual want to support democracy in China, knock yourself out. Don't expect big business to do it for you.
Keyword here is "actively". There is nothing active about Yahoo! providing information on users by request. The information is already logged as a matter of course.
What you're in effect asking is that Yahoo make a moral decision, not a business decision. That's fine and dandy, except that when you force western morals onto a nonwestern audience, you're committing a moral fault in and of itself.
Newsflash: The government puts the pole there. They just pay the utilities (or your municipality) to do it, then rent it out. Look at the itemization on your phone bill and figure it out. And that pole isn't on "your" property, it's on the public right-of-way. Don't like it? Sell the surrounding property that is yours, and move somewhere where you don't have electricity and telecom service.
Verizon's network. Verizon's decision. And when Google, Amazon, and eBay find their bottom lines impacted by Verizon's reduced network availability, Verizon will find their bottom lines affected.
Not unsurprisingly, people are already screaming for "big gubment" to step in...
Let's see. I could waste my time explaining to you precisely how much of a crackpot Hansen is, but others have done that research for me.
I could further waste my time by explaining the difference between a real scientist (Not Hansen), and a political hack (Hansen). I could discuss things like how policy decisions are not within the purview of a scientific paper, or how real scientists (again, not Hansen) don't tweak their data to support their conclusions. But I suspect that in the end, you'd still continue with your Gaia worshipping global warming will kill us all four legs good two legs bad wankery. So piss off.
Amidst your wankery on computer modelling, your demonization of the oil and gas lobby (who have nothing to do with this story), you ought to consider one fact. Dr. Hansens first computer models didn't even include oceans. In fact, most computer models are flawed because they assign constants to such things as solar forcing, atmospheric volume, atmospheric transmissivity, and so on. I could explain all this to you in great detail, but you're too busy worshipping "science" to listen to reason.
Film at 11:00.
Scientists who make policy statements gave us the atomic bomb.
Think about this for a second. Einstein - who without proof - convinced Truman that the Nazi's were developing an atomic weapon, and that the US should get their first. An airraid on a hydroelectric dam ended whatever nascent research Hitler's government had done on atomic weapons well before the Manhatten project was underway, and we went on to drop two atomic bombs on the Japanese.
Just because someone carries an advanced degree and spends considerable portions of their life doing research doesn't make them particularly wise or even suited to comment on the issue.
Care to reconsider your arrogant idolatry of scientists?
Days ago...
I'd be pissed if my State installed this along highways (and NC's Corrupt Legislature, who recently allowed the first toll roads in this states history would do that). Otherwise, they'd have to answer for all the porkbarrel spending that has drained the highway fund and ruined the State's road system.
But I digress. People coming up ramps are already breaking, even with gravity doing part of the job. This system would place a bit of electrodynamic drag on the chassis so instead of that chemical energy being converted into waste heat in the braking system, it would be electrical power.
We could play what-ifs all day long, but in truth changing jobs is very expensive, and it takes a very large offer the make it worth it. It almost never is. If you work at a company and can't tell if you're going to be around in another six months, then you shouldn't be working there to begin with.
Two weeks notice is the industry standard. Obviously, you know well ahead of time that you're going to leave. When I've resigned from jobs where I actually cared (and the professional thing to do is at least pretend to care), what I did is that I began ahead of time by preparing documentation for my replacement on those little idiosyncracies that make it difficult for someone else to step right into your position. Keep this documentation secret though; don't tell anyone what you're doing. Once you've completed this task, you're ready to give your two weeks notice.
When you do, use more tact than to say "Dear Suckers, I've found a job which will give me both respect and pay commensurate to my skillsets and experience." I know that's what we all really mean when we resign, and no matter how we say it, that's what the manager is going to hear. What you want to do is go to your bosses informally, and let them know you've recieved a "competitive employment offer" from another company. Give them the opportunity to win you back. Unless you really hate the job, if you are worth your salt they will try to keep you and you're better off staying. Anyway, make small talk, and let them know that you've enjoyed working there and that you're going to miss working with some of your coworkers, but that the offer was better for reason X (where X could be more pay, less hours, better location, flextime, telecommuting, your wife works there, they have fridges stocked with free AMP and Jolt Cola, et al).
If they don't at least hint at an offer, or express a desire to keep you on board, then spring your letter of resignation on them. The most important thing about the letter of resignation is that it a) protects the company you're leaving, b) shows that you've been a productive employee, and c) assures them that you're leaving is not the collapse of civilization, but merely the onset of a difficult and expensive circumstance the company will have to endure to replace you. For part (a), you'll want to say something like "ACME Software has been like family to me, and I have enjoyed working with every one of you (including Milton and his wierd ideas about squirrel marriage)." Without fencing too badly, what this says is that you're not harboring a grudge against this company,and you're not going to turn around and sue the bejezus out of them. Then for part (b), you toot your own horn: "As a systems administrator for ACME software, I have seen from the inside how dynamic and responsive this company has been. As a member of the Illudium Q36 Explosive Space Modulator design and research team, I was energized by how we delivered agile solutions to the market. I enjoyed how we were able to continue that kind of momentum to later seize the market on Wearable Rocket Assisted Roadrunner Pursuit technologies." Lastly, in (c) you let them know that you're not dumping them like a prom date who didn't put out, and that even though you're leaving you have a vested interest in the continued success in the company. "I have meticulously prepared documentation related to my duties which will assist my fellow team members in bridging the gap created in my departure until such time as my successor can be brought up to speed. This should minimize the negative impact on productivity and allow the Coyote Products Division to remain a leader within the company. Of course, I stand ready to support the company after I've left, and should you need to consult with me I will make myself available as much as possible."
Obviously, such a resignation letter reeks of corporate ass kissing, but if there's ever a time such sycophantry is needed, its when jittery managers are faced with a talent-loss situation. Also, be reasonable with your timing. If your plan is to leave, don't leave during some critical point in a project (unless you're in one of those companies where every point is a "critical point"). Now if your reason for leaving is more money, and you're open to remaining, then it is to your advantage to choose a critical period to broach the issue. H
Debate works much better when you keep your comments relevent to the discussion. Oh, and there's no need for me to produce "peer reviewed articles" to refute your off-the-cuff stupidity.
Once gain, a quick R of TFA shows that the poster hasn't a clue of the content of the article. "Regulation" here refers to oversight: the ability of independant agencies to monitor and 'correct' anti-competitive and monopolistic behavior. In the study, the 'regulated' businesses were free to make fundamental business decisions within the framework of laws that protect the consumers. "Regulation" as applied in American political economics is where a government agency sets controls on specific business decisions, such as the wholesale price of goods, import/export quotas, taxation of specific for entirely political reasons, or mandating specific practices.
People, no matter how hard you want to not have to admit it, government regulation is bad. In the US, it has a particularly nasty track record in that it has caused or significantly contributed to every "market correction" of any signifigance. While no economist will ever admit that having government regulatory bodies watchdog private industry is a bad idea, only a rabid Keynesian (or outright Marxist) would ever think it's kosher to allow government to fiddle with the mechanicals of a societies economic engine.
If by 'your state" you're referring to California, then your argument is poorly founded. California never 'deregulated' anything, lest of all their energy industry. What they did do is release price controls on the demand side, so that power companies were able to pay lower rates. They did not release price controls on the demand side, so power producers in California were suddenly required to charge way more than their free-er market competitors in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas. So, they stopped producing. And when summer came along, there wasn't enough supply to keep everyones air conditioner, fridge, tv, and playstation on. Ergo, you had rolling blackouts.
Regulation kills business. It's pure and simple, time tested and proven, and no amount of circular argumentation is going to change that immutable truth.
I volunteered to be an election judge for Onslow County during the recent November elections, and it was our first time using electronic voting in this county. We didn't use diebold, but instead turned to Hart IC and their eSlate system.
And I have to say... electronic voting is not yet ready for prime time. The HartIC units were probably the best of whats available, but still came up short in ease of use, design, and redundancy. I still have my receipt, and that's one thing I did like. My vote was linked via a unique pin number at my specific ward, but the pin did not uniquely identify me.
This is one area where I believe the OpenSource community has an opportunity to jump out way ahead by developing low-cost f/oss hardware software solutions. With a network of conscientious coders and some low cost hardware, I think it's possible to produce voting machines for very little.
Oh, and a word to diebold: don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. I watched your crappy hardware screw up votes in Gila County, AZ. I watched thousands disenfranchised by your substandard product in Cartaret County, NC. I will sleep better knowing you're not screwing up anything in the other 99 North Carolina counties.
... I mean, what was that about?