No they aren't, they are minor aggravations. 97% of men and women older than 15 can read and write. In India it is 60%.
12% of our population is below the poverty line, in India it is nearly twice that.
Plus, our definition of poverty is different from most countries. To give an example, my grandmother is below the poverty line. Her life consists of living in a reasonably nice house, balanced diet (even goes out to eat with my mother), shopping, watches tv and just generally takes it easy. Once a year she comes with us to Disney World or some theme park and she spends a week at the beach with us. I dare you to say she is impoverished.
We don't really have true poverty in the United States. Think of it this way (this is not original, an instructor of mine gave me this gem) we think of a poor family as being in a small house, having one car that is usually older, one tv set, going out to eat on very rare occassions etc.
You just described a middle class family from 1964.
Sure there is a little bit of true poverty (and we can never get rid of it) but we are doing damn well as a nation and more importantly as my Indian friends like to tell me 'everyone here has a (good) chance at success with hardwork.'
When was the last time you paused to think how lucky you are?
Apparently it happens all the time. In Austin, TX it is huge. There is one city in Arkansas that uses it just like Federal Reserve Notes (meaning almost every store accepts them)
I think it is because 3rd parties are radical. I agree with a lot of what Badnarik has to say but no sooner to I think "This is refreshing" does he go off and say something like "The FDA and the Federal Reserve need to go!"
Then I come back down, and sigh
Why not say something like this... "The FDA is blocking drugs that could help people now. I want to give everyone the option of buying drugs that are not FDA approved, but they will be used at your own risk."
"The Federal Reserve is printing money and devaluing our currency. Monies like the American Liberty Dollar (private currency) is backed by silver. We should encourage usage (he did this in his debate with Cobb)"
"Blackberry, raspberry and cherry" !?!!? Yuck! It's not even beer.
Ummm...huh? Beer with flavors like those are still beer. Ever heard of Lambics and Wheat beers? They use very little in the way of hops and they often take on a banana-fruity flavor. I dare you to go to Ayinger's brewery and tell them their Weiss-Brau is "not even beer"
Or go to Young's in the UK and tell them "Chocolate beer is not beer!"
Now some of the alcopop like Smirnoff aint beer. That is what people who don't like the taste of beer drink to get a buzz. But a growing trend in microbrewing is to get different flavors out of conventional brews.
Still waiting to try a Pumpkin Ale:)
--Joey
BTW if you like SNPA only wish it were more bitter, try their Christmas beer called, Celebration. It is fantastic!
That presupposes that users of blank media are using it for copyright infringment purposes. Plus, that is not what the article is suggesting (I know this is/.)
They want to have a montly fee (eg $5)that is insurance, essentially, against anything bad/litigous(sp?) happening to you. It is like a get out of court card for a montly payment. Sounds interesting, but how the hell do they know which P2P songs are the most popular in order to divvy up your bread? Is Kazaa going to tell them?
The reason, besides the one I just listed, why this won't happen is the RIAA thinks they can still win. Only when it is totally clear beyond any doubt that they can't win, will they cave into a system like this.
ITunes was a nice start, but we need better quality and more formats (how sweet would it be to download an MP3 and Ogg for a buck?)
The music industry knows this is their last stand. I would love to know which artists like the current monopoly.
For example, sledding with a group of Czech kids in a small village near the Austrian border. Or walking around the streets of Bergen late one night with a Norwegian stoner (a "dark-side" tour of Norway). Not exactly activities advertised in a brochure, but fun and insightful. I saw many groups of other tourists taking countless pictures, and I always wondered why people go to another country only to see it through a viewfinder.
Yes FINALLY someone gets it!
Whenever anyone visits the USA from another country I immediately recommend the South Bronx, East LA,East St Louis, South Central Chicago etc.
Of course people want to see the viewfinder side of a country. We want to see the best of what ever it is we seeing. How many come to Florida and spend time in Ocala? They don't, it is Orlando, The Keys and Miami
Now don't get me wrong, I am all for seeing the nontouristy stuff as well. When I was in Norway, I saw the touristy Bergen (what an incredibly beautiful city) as well as small ones like Gjoevik , Lillehammer, Hammar, Bygdoey, Vangsnes and Balestrand.
I hope you did something other than go follow potheads while you were in Norway.
Let me agree with your spirit of the comments about the Czech kids though. Those types of experiences, the ones you don't buy and a giftshop or museum, the spontaneous moments are what give a soul to the country you are visiting. My father and I met up with a family that offered him a room in their house 30 years ago in Bavaria. They offered generously the same room to the two of us and gave me a lesson in what was important in life.
Bad idea letting soldiers vote. Put quite frankly and simply, they don't have the intelligence to make an informed decision. They are all brainwashed by watching cowboy movies. The solution?
Allow the smartest people on earth, College Professors at Ivy League schools that teach courses like "Contemporary Social Problems" or "Cultures of the Third Worlds" (read: people that "get it") to talk to the soliders and cast additional votes accordingly.
The problem with our process is that we don't spend enough time pontificating about history and the future. Instead we rely on practical real world experience. That is our downfall. Why not listen to those that are uncorrupted by working and living in reality?
The only problem is that it's either legal to parody, and you can do it, and you can slap down Lucas for trying to stop this, or you agree with them, and all parodies have to stop, because they aren't fair use.
You can't exactly say all parodies have to be reviewed prior to, especially live parodies.
No there is a judgment that must be made as to whether something is fair use or not. For example, if I show the new Star Wars trilogy on a projector and charge admission, then I am violating the copyright, am I not?
Now, let's say I make a "parody" by running up and down the isle squirting water at people while the movies play. Well, sorry, that isn't fair use; it is just fairly useless.
If someone wants to replace the sound, release a set of mp3s that can be synced up with the DVD that would be completely legal (I think, there still might be trademark issues with names like SkyWalker, Leia, etc?).
The way I see it, we had many more years of prosperity under Clinton than under Bush. Period. It might have sucked towards the end of Clinton, but it's sucked during Bush's entire presidency.
Okay let me expand that...
If it was bad towards the end of Clinton, you would agree it would be, by default, bad under Bush for a certain amount of time, right?
How long does it take to get policy ennacted? Nothing Bush did would have an effect until at least Summer of 01 (when tax cuts got put into the economy), a month after those we got a huge twist to the economic plan.
9/11 was to the Economy what the Mule was to Hari Seldon's plan.
So now we have that as well as corporate fraud that shakes the foundation of Wall Street, and a stock market crash (albeit not in that order). Bush will be the first president since Hoover to preside over a net jobs loss. He and Hoover had to deal with one thing in common...a market crash. This one was not as severe which is why when you look outside, it doesn't bear much resemblance to the Great Depression.
We are just now getting back on track from 3 economic altering events. Had we not had those, we would be in the greatest boom of all time. In fact, if Bush is reelected, we will likely get exactly that. Don't confuse the economy under Clinton from 1996->1999 with the economy from 1992-1996.
In 1996 we had the same unemployment as we do now, similar growth etc.
Yeah, dude, I know. I have seen each movie upwards of 20 times each. I am saying that Darth Vader was Anakin giving in to evil allowing Anakin to "die", so Anakin when he died was 20 or something.
I can accept the explanation that others offered that in order for Luke to see good in him and turn him, he was never evil and died a good, but old, man.
I hate to disagree, but we did not get the original trilogy. We got a trilogy that has been monkeyed with and, in parts, made worse while in other parts made better. On the whole, I like what he did to the three (even though I have seen the Hayden Christensen thing at the end of Jedi and hugely dislike it), but this is definately not the original trilogy.
I think this may come from me seeing the original movies in 1999 when I was 16, but I always thought Anakin should have been a young guy at the end of Jedi given the argument that Darth Vader killed him 30 years ago. It is still a great ending, and if anything, I think this was an actual improvement. My top 4 grrr... changes have been improved / fixed. Greedo/Han (fire simulataneously, not as bad), Luke screaming as he fell in ESB (back to the way it was), the Emperor (is consistent through out), Jabba scene (looks more consistent) etc.
I seriously wonder how many complaints there would be if more people liked the prequels. I like them, especially AOTC, which is my favorite of all 6 (yeah, even ESB, so suck on it). I am looking forward to Episode 3...
I know, it inst a political forum. But US stinks. Thnak god i not living the most sick land on earth. Dont misunderstand me now, there is really alot of good things in US but in general im glad im spared ADS Sick no 1 #Country.....
I'll also assume you have never been to the US. I I'll assume you are from Sweden have heard the US is a "sick land" (or words to that effect) often while traveling abroad. Every person who says that (with one exception) hasn't visited here.
We are actually a great country. I mean not just a really good country to live in like the Scandinavian countries, but a really great one.
I know a Norwegian who visited the US but spent all his time in New Orleans. He said, "Yeah the US is okay." I think he was being polite as NO ain't all that good.
It is just that often times people would compare Stockholm to Trenton, NJ. That is unfair, try comparing Stockholm to Denver.
Your Krona will buy a lot over here now, come visit and see for yourself.
--Joey
BTW, this post may have sounded a little trollish(?), but that was not my intention:)
My comments about American Democracy (more specfically the 2 party system) are at the bottom*
Well, I think Badnarik could possibly take votes away from Bush. There are several Republicans that are mad at Bush for not controlling spending, I am willing to give him a small pass since we have had some unusual circumstances during his presidency.
Badnarik is just too extreme (I want an FDA thank you very much) for my tastes. If the Libertarians were more moderate they would be a good party,and would engender a great deal of support.
I am fiscally conservative and socially somewhat liberal. I just don't think the "social" issues have any chance of changing any time soon, plus I care less about them.
I do agree that a vote for Nader or McCobb is probably a vote for Bush. Although, if they weren't running many of their supporters may not vote at all so it is hard to say
Bush 50% Kerry 47% Nader 3%
Well, there you see, Kerry has a tie because you just add the 3 to 47!
I am looking forward to the election:)
--Joey
*In some ways our 2 party system works well, because picture that we had 10 (viable) parties, and let's say one of the parties was called the "Party of God" you could have people like Falwell controlling the all branches of government, because you only need 10% to win. It would give rise to extreme opinions because you have to find your niche. Even with our system, we still haven't had the winner of the last few elections grab more than 50% of the votes (I doubt this will be different).
3.99/can usually gets you crappy coffee. Usually, from my somewhat limited experience, Star Bucks makes good coffee. Plus 3.99 is usually a Latte with a syrup foam all that crap. At my school, a Star Bucks Tall of Verona (or something like that, the "smooth" Italian style coffee) is $1.39.
Since we are on the subject of beer, and I happen to be a beer geek, I thought I would give you a few recommendations
If you are used to drinking beers like American Budweiser, Miller, Coors, etc you would likely find Pilsner Urquell, Czechvar (the original Budweiser from the Czech Republic) etc.
If you dig Guiness, I recommend Young's Oatmeal and Chocolate Stout.
If your thing is Heineiken(sp?), then you are beyond hope...
Next time you are at the store this winter, try Sierra Nevada Celebration, which is possibly my favorite beer of all time, and it is fairly available.
If you find yourself becoming interested in brewing, or the pursuit of interesting ales, try beeradvocate.com as they are the slashdot of beers.
--Joey
PS Paulaner's, Spaten's, and Sam Adam's Oktoberfest beers are great and are available for a limited time right now:)
I know a guy who created a kind of numerology that could be used to predict the history of man. Not so much of the individual but masses of people. I am on my way to Trantor tomorrow to meet him and his group.
Apparently the empire could be in some deep shit...
The article makes several claims against the dems in particular as if it were an Us vs. Them article. For instance it talks about the Dems refusing to endorse Welfare Reform. If I seem to remember correctly, the right holds the power these days and could reform it however they want. Secondly, Clinton was the first person to actively push through legislation on either side in a good many years.
The Republicans do not have a 60 vote filibuster proof majority. Clinton got it pushed through by the Republicans holding his feet to the fire, and because he viewed it as an issue that he could take away from the right.
Since you were a former elephant, who are you voting for now? Voting libertarian?
Other "black boxes" gave us the location? Well, pardon me for being a smartass, but can't we assume the crash happened where the black box and all the wreckage is?
No one is denying that DNF is being made. GL has flat out said, "No 7,8,9, so bug off, you fucking fanboys, get a life...after Episode III comes out of course"
Slashdot Mirror
No they aren't, they are minor aggravations. 97% of men and women older than 15 can read and write. In India it is 60%.
12% of our population is below the poverty line, in India it is nearly twice that.
Plus, our definition of poverty is different from most countries. To give an example, my grandmother is below the poverty line. Her life consists of living in a reasonably nice house, balanced diet (even goes out to eat with my mother), shopping, watches tv and just generally takes it easy. Once a year she comes with us to Disney World or some theme park and she spends a week at the beach with us. I dare you to say she is impoverished.
We don't really have true poverty in the United States. Think of it this way (this is not original, an instructor of mine gave me this gem) we think of a poor family as being in a small house, having one car that is usually older, one tv set, going out to eat on very rare occassions etc.
You just described a middle class family from 1964.
Sure there is a little bit of true poverty (and we can never get rid of it) but we are doing damn well as a nation and more importantly as my Indian friends like to tell me 'everyone here has a (good) chance at success with hardwork.'
When was the last time you paused to think how lucky you are?
--Joey
Apparently it happens all the time. In Austin, TX it is huge. There is one city in Arkansas that uses it just like Federal Reserve Notes (meaning almost every store accepts them)
--Joey
I think it is because 3rd parties are radical. I agree with a lot of what Badnarik has to say but no sooner to I think "This is refreshing" does he go off and say something like "The FDA and the Federal Reserve need to go!"
Then I come back down, and sigh
Why not say something like this... "The FDA is blocking drugs that could help people now. I want to give everyone the option of buying drugs that are not FDA approved, but they will be used at your own risk."
"The Federal Reserve is printing money and devaluing our currency. Monies like the American Liberty Dollar (private currency) is backed by silver. We should encourage usage (he did this in his debate with Cobb)"
--Joey
If you are right, the 12k in 2024 will be like 8k today. Something that while expensive, is definitely possible for most folks.
--Joey
You must be certifiably insane then. Young's Double Chocolate Stout is a fantastic beer
--Joey
Ummm...huh? Beer with flavors like those are still beer. Ever heard of Lambics and Wheat beers? They use very little in the way of hops and they often take on a banana-fruity flavor. I dare you to go to Ayinger's brewery and tell them their Weiss-Brau is "not even beer"
Or go to Young's in the UK and tell them "Chocolate beer is not beer!"
Now some of the alcopop like Smirnoff aint beer. That is what people who don't like the taste of beer drink to get a buzz. But a growing trend in microbrewing is to get different flavors out of conventional brews.
Still waiting to try a Pumpkin Ale
--Joey
BTW if you like SNPA only wish it were more bitter, try their Christmas beer called, Celebration. It is fantastic!
Yes I would. I have a Morrocan friend who did this. He labels himself African American. I love that being PC opens loopholes like these.
I'll echo that it is a great day for space flight.
--Joey
That presupposes that users of blank media are using it for copyright infringment purposes. Plus, that is not what the article is suggesting (I know this is /.)
They want to have a montly fee (eg $5)that is insurance, essentially, against anything bad/litigous(sp?) happening to you. It is like a get out of court card for a montly payment. Sounds interesting, but how the hell do they know which P2P songs are the most popular in order to divvy up your bread? Is Kazaa going to tell them?
The reason, besides the one I just listed, why this won't happen is the RIAA thinks they can still win. Only when it is totally clear beyond any doubt that they can't win, will they cave into a system like this.
ITunes was a nice start, but we need better quality and more formats (how sweet would it be to download an MP3 and Ogg for a buck?)
The music industry knows this is their last stand. I would love to know which artists like the current monopoly.
--Joey
Yes FINALLY someone gets it!
Whenever anyone visits the USA from another country I immediately recommend the South Bronx, East LA,East St Louis, South Central Chicago etc.
Of course people want to see the viewfinder side of a country. We want to see the best of what ever it is we seeing. How many come to Florida and spend time in Ocala? They don't, it is Orlando, The Keys and Miami
Now don't get me wrong, I am all for seeing the nontouristy stuff as well. When I was in Norway, I saw the touristy Bergen (what an incredibly beautiful city) as well as small ones like Gjoevik , Lillehammer, Hammar, Bygdoey, Vangsnes and Balestrand.
I hope you did something other than go follow potheads while you were in Norway.
Let me agree with your spirit of the comments about the Czech kids though. Those types of experiences, the ones you don't buy and a giftshop or museum, the spontaneous moments are what give a soul to the country you are visiting. My father and I met up with a family that offered him a room in their house 30 years ago in Bavaria. They offered generously the same room to the two of us and gave me a lesson in what was important in life.
--Joey
Bad idea letting soldiers vote. Put quite frankly and simply, they don't have the intelligence to make an informed decision. They are all brainwashed by watching cowboy movies. The solution?
Allow the smartest people on earth, College Professors at Ivy League schools that teach courses like "Contemporary Social Problems" or "Cultures of the Third Worlds" (read: people that "get it") to talk to the soliders and cast additional votes accordingly.
The problem with our process is that we don't spend enough time pontificating about history and the future. Instead we rely on practical real world experience. That is our downfall. Why not listen to those that are uncorrupted by working and living in reality?
--Joey
Except that it would keep bringing the same story to you just spaced hours apart and the entire family would complain about the it.
--Joey
No there is a judgment that must be made as to whether something is fair use or not. For example, if I show the new Star Wars trilogy on a projector and charge admission, then I am violating the copyright, am I not?
Now, let's say I make a "parody" by running up and down the isle squirting water at people while the movies play. Well, sorry, that isn't fair use; it is just fairly useless.
If someone wants to replace the sound, release a set of mp3s that can be synced up with the DVD that would be completely legal (I think, there still might be trademark issues with names like SkyWalker, Leia, etc?).
--Joey
Wait a second, you won't buy Episodes 1-3 unless Episode 1 is made into a special edition?
I don't get it, so do you like Episode 2? If so, you still won't buy it unless it Episode 1 gets edited?
--Joey
Okay let me expand that...
If it was bad towards the end of Clinton, you would agree it would be, by default, bad under Bush for a certain amount of time, right?
How long does it take to get policy ennacted? Nothing Bush did would have an effect until at least Summer of 01 (when tax cuts got put into the economy), a month after those we got a huge twist to the economic plan.
9/11 was to the Economy what the Mule was to Hari Seldon's plan.
So now we have that as well as corporate fraud that shakes the foundation of Wall Street, and a stock market crash (albeit not in that order). Bush will be the first president since Hoover to preside over a net jobs loss. He and Hoover had to deal with one thing in common...a market crash. This one was not as severe which is why when you look outside, it doesn't bear much resemblance to the Great Depression.
We are just now getting back on track from 3 economic altering events. Had we not had those, we would be in the greatest boom of all time. In fact, if Bush is reelected, we will likely get exactly that. Don't confuse the economy under Clinton from 1996->1999 with the economy from 1992-1996.
In 1996 we had the same unemployment as we do now, similar growth etc.
--Joey
Yeah, dude, I know. I have seen each movie upwards of 20 times each. I am saying that Darth Vader was Anakin giving in to evil allowing Anakin to "die", so Anakin when he died was 20 or something.
.
I can accept the explanation that others offered that in order for Luke to see good in him and turn him, he was never evil and died a good, but old, man
--Joey
I think this may come from me seeing the original movies in 1999 when I was 16, but I always thought Anakin should have been a young guy at the end of Jedi given the argument that Darth Vader killed him 30 years ago. It is still a great ending, and if anything, I think this was an actual improvement. My top 4 grrr... changes have been improved / fixed. Greedo/Han (fire simulataneously, not as bad), Luke screaming as he fell in ESB (back to the way it was), the Emperor (is consistent through out), Jabba scene (looks more consistent) etc.
I seriously wonder how many complaints there would be if more people liked the prequels. I like them, especially AOTC, which is my favorite of all 6 (yeah, even ESB, so suck on it). I am looking forward to Episode 3...
--Joey
I'll also assume you have never been to the US. I I'll assume you are from Sweden
have heard the US is a "sick land" (or words to that effect) often while traveling abroad. Every person who says that (with one exception) hasn't visited here.
We are actually a great country. I mean not just a really good country to live in like the Scandinavian countries, but a really great one.
I know a Norwegian who visited the US but spent all his time in New Orleans. He said, "Yeah the US is okay." I think he was being polite as NO ain't all that good.
It is just that often times people would compare Stockholm to Trenton, NJ. That is unfair, try comparing Stockholm to Denver.
Your Krona will buy a lot over here now, come visit and see for yourself.
--Joey
BTW, this post may have sounded a little trollish(?), but that was not my intention
My comments about American Democracy (more specfically the 2 party system) are at the bottom*
:)
Well, I think Badnarik could possibly take votes away from Bush. There are several Republicans that are mad at Bush for not controlling spending, I am willing to give him a small pass since we have had some unusual circumstances during his presidency.
Badnarik is just too extreme (I want an FDA thank you very much) for my tastes. If the Libertarians were more moderate they would be a good party,and would engender a great deal of support.
I am fiscally conservative and socially somewhat liberal. I just don't think the "social" issues have any chance of changing any time soon, plus I care less about them.
I do agree that a vote for Nader or McCobb is probably a vote for Bush. Although, if they weren't running many of their supporters may not vote at all so it is hard to say
Bush 50% Kerry 47% Nader 3%
Well, there you see, Kerry has a tie because you just add the 3 to 47!
I am looking forward to the election
--Joey
*In some ways our 2 party system works well, because picture that we had 10 (viable) parties, and let's say one of the parties was called the "Party of God" you could have people like Falwell controlling the all branches of government, because you only need 10% to win. It would give rise to extreme opinions because you have to find your niche. Even with our system, we still haven't had the winner of the last few elections grab more than 50% of the votes (I doubt this will be different).
3.99/can usually gets you crappy coffee. Usually, from my somewhat limited experience, Star Bucks makes good coffee. Plus 3.99 is usually a Latte with a syrup foam all that crap. At my school, a Star Bucks Tall of Verona (or something like that, the "smooth" Italian style coffee) is $1.39.
--Joey
Since we are on the subject of beer, and I happen to be a beer geek, I thought I would give you a few recommendations
:)
If you are used to drinking beers like American Budweiser, Miller, Coors, etc you would likely find Pilsner Urquell, Czechvar (the original Budweiser from the Czech Republic) etc.
If you dig Guiness, I recommend Young's Oatmeal and Chocolate Stout.
If your thing is Heineiken(sp?), then you are beyond hope...
Next time you are at the store this winter, try Sierra Nevada Celebration, which is possibly my favorite beer of all time, and it is fairly available.
If you find yourself becoming interested in brewing, or the pursuit of interesting ales, try beeradvocate.com as they are the slashdot of beers.
--Joey
PS Paulaner's, Spaten's, and Sam Adam's Oktoberfest beers are great and are available for a limited time right now
I know a guy who created a kind of numerology that could be used to predict the history of man. Not so much of the individual but masses of people. I am on my way to Trantor tomorrow to meet him and his group.
Apparently the empire could be in some deep shit...
--Gaal Dornick
The Republicans do not have a 60 vote filibuster proof majority. Clinton got it pushed through by the Republicans holding his feet to the fire, and because he viewed it as an issue that he could take away from the right.
Since you were a former elephant, who are you voting for now? Voting libertarian?
--Joey
but, what if you were to parody it say
The Prince's Diaries
or
The Princess Diarias
--Joey
Other "black boxes" gave us the location? Well, pardon me for being a smartass, but can't we assume the crash happened where the black box and all the wreckage is?
--Joey
No one is denying that DNF is being made. GL has flat out said, "No 7,8,9, so bug off, you fucking fanboys, get a life...after Episode III comes out of course"
I do believe that is a direct quote.
--Joey