The politics and govt. are the way they are because the people don't care.
That is the status quo.
You seem to feel that the govt. made the people this way but it is quite the other way around. You forget- ultimately the govt. is the people. This is a fact that is undeniable. If every citizen of the U.S. woke up tomorrow and decided to change things- they would change. Who would stop it?
Every time you vote for the people who represent you in Washington.
If it is as important as you think- get the word out, get others to rally around your platform and elect someone who will get the job done.
If you don't think people will do that now- what makes you think they would be more active if they were voting for how money is budgeted directly?
If the American populace determined the budget it would be a complete mess. And if you think a majority of your fellow citizens are in favor of huge expenditures for space exploration - you are mistaken
Now- everybody is just knocking their beer, as if that has anything to do w/the issue.
But I would just say this- Take a couple jalapeno peppers and slice them up. Drop them in a pitcher of molson golden.
It is pretty good. Now if you are up in Canada or the midwest you may not know what a jalapeno pepper is or how to get one.
Just ask the first hispanic immigrant you can find. (I know they are up there- they'll be watching your kids or doing your lawn. If you can't find them there hang around really late after work and a bunch of them will come in to clean your building)
This may change your opinion of Molson a little bit.
but seems to work o.k. And they know it is slow and so I would imagine that it will get fixed.
W/it being a slash code site it is kind of nice to already have a good idea of how everything works. I had my account set up and most preferences in place in about 5 minutes. Not too bad.
Part of the problem is that the USA considers this to be acceptable
From what I've read today the U.S. does not find this to be acceptable. In fact they haven't made antipersonnel mines in years and have banned their export. Apparently they are very easy/cheap to manufacture and they continue to be in use because people want to kill other people and this is a very cheap way to do it. Poison gas is not a good comparison as it is not so cheap to produce, store and deploy.
They must be banned, and they should be removed from the face of the earth.
I agree that we would be better off without them but I am not sure that the ban will get the job done. It looks like these are way too easy to manufacture and there is a market. (kind of like narcotics).
I'll keep researching because I'm very interested but from what I've read on the antimine web site that supports the ban- the U.S. has not produced or exported mines in over 6 years- nor do they intend to do so in the future. Getting them to sign the ban seems symbolic at best. I'm familiar w/this kind of thinking as it is what drives the anti-gun lobby. Much more sentimental motivation than reason.
I agree with you about the treaty and the American military using land mines.
But the post does make a good point about selling land mines. Apparently (if the site above has good info. and I'm inclined to believe it does) we export mines to quite a few countries that really have no business buying them from us. I think that we ought to be much more selective in our weapons sales in general. This would be one more case in point.
Another post linked to an anti-mine site that says there are like 80 million landmines in 80 different countries.
Now some one else posted that the U.S. has placed most land mines but I find this difficult to believe.
I would imagine that many of those currently placing mines are those actively involved in conflicts looking for a cheap way to do some damage. Not the U.S. military. (I could be wrong but I doubt it)
So the problem is people wanting to kill others. The antimine people look to me to be avoiding the real issue in favor of blaming the tool.
I've never looked into this too closely so I haven't made up my mind on anything but it looks like once again the problem is people w/bad intentions. Can't ban that.
I would think that the major impediment to removing these mines is that there is still unrest in many of these places and they are not only old mines but new mines being placed now.
Now I don't know this to be the case and I would love to here from anyone who has better info. But it seems that money shouldn't be a problem (I think even I could raise money to help stop blowing up little kids).
And you don't have to have a laser to blow up munitions. I would think some heavy machinery could be fit to do the job.
So what is exactly keeping these mines from getting cleaned up?
but not as cool as if it took out buried mines as well. Seems as if the best use of this thing would be cleaning up the more 'obvious' stuff lying about. Unexploded bombs, etc. Not much for getting mines.
Of course the real problem w/mines all over the world is a social one as opposed to a technical problem. Too many little wars for territorial control being waged by people w/little regard for the welfare of others.
There's profit in it though so I don't expect it to change.
I love my Genesis. I keep it sitting on top of my DVD player. I don't play it all the time and I don't own a ton of games but I really like the few that I own and if I suddenly find myself w/an hour to relax- it beats watching the pablum that passes for television lately.
SEGA Rocks!
.
I loved video games
on
High Score
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
when I was a kid. I read video game magazines and hung out at the arcade or circle K a lot. (just one game at circle k but that let you get in lots of practice)
I don't know that I would call it a culture. I'd be more comfortable w/subculture.
Now that I have kids and a job I don't play much. When I do it is old games- if I'm at home I pull out my Sega Genesis and play Sonic or Dune.
If I'm feeling really crazy I head over to Castles and Coasters. Downstairs the arcade is all the latest games. Upstairs is where they put all the old machines. On a friday or saturday night you'll find 10 or 15 guys who are all 30 something years old (like me) up there playing Galaga, Tempest, Centipede, Red Baron, etc.
There is no way you saw him at the theatre yesterday. I have a friend who has a cousin who is involved at the very highest levels and she said she was with him all day working out the details of annexing the asteroid belt.
(your post gave me a chuckle and grin on what has otherwise been a quite miserable day- thank you)
You haven't read the book and for that you should be ashamed.
You take lasers that you previously used to mine ice and you mount them so that you can burn any earth ships that are inbound.
They can take out the catapult if they know where it is. They may know where your commercial catapult is but you build a second that is underground and hidden. They will never find that one and you will prevail.
Sure and when the Brittish experts go out there to 'figure out' what happened the official report will cite some kind of propane explosion or something.
Better yet 'reveal' they were using the platform to store and build terrorist bombing equipment.
I love the idea of data havens, but how can you protect one.
You put it on the moon that's how. And if the govt. gives you grief you wrap big chunks of rock in steal jackets- launch them w/a magnetic catapult and drop them on the earth. You just keep that up until the earth gives in and you have your freedom as a sovereign planet.
Slashdot Mirror
People don't vote because they don't care.
The politics and govt. are the way they are because the people don't care.
That is the status quo.
You seem to feel that the govt. made the people this way but it is quite the other way around. You forget- ultimately the govt. is the people. This is a fact that is undeniable. If every citizen of the U.S. woke up tomorrow and decided to change things- they would change. Who would stop it?
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Not if you'd wanted peanuts too.
(I think this was the funniest thing I read today)
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I think everyone on slashdot would agree
This is a joke right?
Because if it's not I don't see how I can take anything you say seriously.
Wrong.
Every November you get to vote.
And don't tell me that who we put in office makes no difference.
If everyone in America wanted a radical change they could have voted for Nader. But most people like the status quo and the way things are.
And when you live in a democracy what most people want is what you get.
.
You do get to vote on what NASA does w/its money.
Every time you vote for the people who represent you in Washington.
If it is as important as you think- get the word out, get others to rally around your platform and elect someone who will get the job done.
If you don't think people will do that now- what makes you think they would be more active if they were voting for how money is budgeted directly?
If the American populace determined the budget it would be a complete mess. And if you think a majority of your fellow citizens are in favor of huge expenditures for space exploration - you are mistaken
.
"here are a bunch of links you might find interesting- but hurry! Hurry! Oh, they're all gone now - sorry. check back in a couple days"
AMEN Brother.
Hopefully I'll be able to see some of this stuff tomorrow.
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and that's why they are getting their butts kicked by the dark side.
.
Now- everybody is just knocking their beer, as if that has anything to do w/the issue.
But I would just say this- Take a couple jalapeno peppers and slice them up. Drop them in a pitcher of molson golden.
It is pretty good. Now if you are up in Canada or the midwest you may not know what a jalapeno pepper is or how to get one.
Just ask the first hispanic immigrant you can find. (I know they are up there- they'll be watching your kids or doing your lawn. If you can't find them there hang around really late after work and a bunch of them will come in to clean your building)
This may change your opinion of Molson a little bit.
.
I would tend to agree.
There are very slim chances it would be a good movie. Very, very good chances that it would suck.
Kind of like what they did to Dune.
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but seems to work o.k. And they know it is slow and so I would imagine that it will get fixed.
W/it being a slash code site it is kind of nice to already have a good idea of how everything works. I had my account set up and most preferences in place in about 5 minutes. Not too bad.
.
The world considers this to be acceptable.
This is what I mean about the people problem.
Part of the problem is that the USA considers this to be acceptable
From what I've read today the U.S. does not find this to be acceptable. In fact they haven't made antipersonnel mines in years and have banned their export. Apparently they are very easy/cheap to manufacture and they continue to be in use because people want to kill other people and this is a very cheap way to do it. Poison gas is not a good comparison as it is not so cheap to produce, store and deploy.
They must be banned, and they should be removed from the face of the earth.
I agree that we would be better off without them but I am not sure that the ban will get the job done. It looks like these are way too easy to manufacture and there is a market. (kind of like narcotics).
I'll keep researching because I'm very interested but from what I've read on the antimine web site that supports the ban- the U.S. has not produced or exported mines in over 6 years- nor do they intend to do so in the future. Getting them to sign the ban seems symbolic at best. I'm familiar w/this kind of thinking as it is what drives the anti-gun lobby. Much more sentimental motivation than reason.
I agree with you about the treaty and the American military using land mines.
But the post does make a good point about selling land mines. Apparently (if the site above has good info. and I'm inclined to believe it does) we export mines to quite a few countries that really have no business buying them from us. I think that we ought to be much more selective in our weapons sales in general. This would be one more case in point.
.
So that's what I figured.
Another post linked to an anti-mine site that says there are like 80 million landmines in 80 different countries.
Now some one else posted that the U.S. has placed most land mines but I find this difficult to believe.
I would imagine that many of those currently placing mines are those actively involved in conflicts looking for a cheap way to do some damage. Not the U.S. military. (I could be wrong but I doubt it)
So the problem is people wanting to kill others. The antimine people look to me to be avoiding the real issue in favor of blaming the tool.
I've never looked into this too closely so I haven't made up my mind on anything but it looks like once again the problem is people w/bad intentions. Can't ban that.
.
most land-mines were planted by them
Numbers?
Supporting facts?
Source of information?
I seriously doubt the accuracy of this statement and ask that you provide any piece of information that would back it up.
I would think that the major impediment to removing these mines is that there is still unrest in many of these places and they are not only old mines but new mines being placed now.
Now I don't know this to be the case and I would love to here from anyone who has better info. But it seems that money shouldn't be a problem (I think even I could raise money to help stop blowing up little kids).
And you don't have to have a laser to blow up munitions. I would think some heavy machinery could be fit to do the job.
So what is exactly keeping these mines from getting cleaned up?
.
but not as cool as if it took out buried mines as well. Seems as if the best use of this thing would be cleaning up the more 'obvious' stuff lying about. Unexploded bombs, etc. Not much for getting mines.
Of course the real problem w/mines all over the world is a social one as opposed to a technical problem. Too many little wars for territorial control being waged by people w/little regard for the welfare of others.
There's profit in it though so I don't expect it to change.
.
You're right.
/. because when there isn't I forget that other countries even exist.
It's ignoring a lot of games that my friends and I wrote in the 80's as well. They were huge amongst the other computer room geeks at my school.
What a sucky book not to include every game from every where.
There should be a U.S. Centric post on every single thread on
.
I love my Genesis. I keep it sitting on top of my DVD player. I don't play it all the time and I don't own a ton of games but I really like the few that I own and if I suddenly find myself w/an hour to relax- it beats watching the pablum that passes for television lately.
SEGA Rocks!
.
when I was a kid. I read video game magazines and hung out at the arcade or circle K a lot. (just one game at circle k but that let you get in lots of practice)
I don't know that I would call it a culture. I'd be more comfortable w/subculture.
Now that I have kids and a job I don't play much. When I do it is old games- if I'm at home I pull out my Sega Genesis and play Sonic or Dune.
If I'm feeling really crazy I head over to Castles and Coasters. Downstairs the arcade is all the latest games. Upstairs is where they put all the old machines. On a friday or saturday night you'll find 10 or 15 guys who are all 30 something years old (like me) up there playing Galaga, Tempest, Centipede, Red Baron, etc.
.
There is no way you saw him at the theatre yesterday. I have a friend who has a cousin who is involved at the very highest levels and she said she was with him all day working out the details of annexing the asteroid belt.
(your post gave me a chuckle and grin on what has otherwise been a quite miserable day- thank you)
.
You haven't read the book and for that you should be ashamed.
You take lasers that you previously used to mine ice and you mount them so that you can burn any earth ships that are inbound.
They can take out the catapult if they know where it is. They may know where your commercial catapult is but you build a second that is underground and hidden. They will never find that one and you will prevail.
Mike says so.
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Sure and when the Brittish experts go out there to 'figure out' what happened the official report will cite some kind of propane explosion or something.
Better yet 'reveal' they were using the platform to store and build terrorist bombing equipment.
I should be a CIA director.
.
I love the idea of data havens, but how can you protect one.
You put it on the moon that's how. And if the govt. gives you grief you wrap big chunks of rock in steal jackets- launch them w/a magnetic catapult and drop them on the earth. You just keep that up until the earth gives in and you have your freedom as a sovereign planet.
really it's a no brainer.
everything else is a mere SAS raid away from extinction
I doubt it. You could lose a well trained commando or 2.
A guided missile would solve everything with zero possibility of casualties. (on the winning side that is) No worries for colateral damage either.
they will get shut down.
The reality of the situation is that Sealand exists because they just are not worth going after.
If they cause too much trouble they'll get shut down. (not 'right' but that is the reality of it)
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