I am not intellectually stimulated by Norwegians at the least. The conversations doctors have at lunch revolve around one or two topics.
Maybe you are just hanging around with the wrong crowd. It seems odd to describe 4-5 million Norwegian based on a bunch of rich dudes around a table.
Take another country I've lived in, a small one called Iceland. The people there are spectacular. I love them to death. The women? Absolutely fabulous. They refer to Norwegian women as "burger butts".
Burger butts? Sounds like you are making stuff up as you go along.
They are a very open and warm people who speak English very well.
That's odd, because Norwegians are well known for their English skills. I don't have the same experience with people from Iceland.
One pet peeve of mine here in Norway is that about 90% of Norwegians don't even try to pronounce my typical English name correctly.... I've been told that the reason for this is that Norwegians don't like to make mistakes, so they won't try to pronounce my name right for fear of that. When I take a patient into my office for a consultation, about 50% react in the stereotypical xenophobic way when I shake their hands and introduce myself as their doctor and tell them my name.
Ok, so because they are afraid to make a mistake when pronouncing your name, they are xenophobic?
10% get it right and become interested in me as a person and ask me where I'm from. I'm of course not here to be asked where I'm from, but it's nice once in a while when someone takes an interest in you.
As an American, you should know that Americans are among the most superficial people on the planet. Americans don't ask because they really care. Seriously. You of all people should know that. Norwegians seem to be less happy about superficial small-talk.
That's a major issue in this culture. I haven't figured out if it's egotism or what, but no one seems interested in each other.
Or maybe they just aren't as superficial as Americans generally are?
The other thing that gets me about this first 50% of people who see me with suspicion or look down on me is that no matter what I do, they will always think that they're better than me and I will never be accepted.
How do you know that they look down on you? And how are these people who look down on you anyway?
they don't get much exposure to the outside world
Apart from their media being completely dominated by foreign productions, you mean? Especially American movies and music.
All of the foreigners I've met here have the same things to say about it, especially my American countrymen.
Funny, I have the opposite experience. One has to wonder why you feel the need to invent these things.
Norwegian speed limits are notoriously low for the conditions. A straight divided highway in the middle of nowhere will have a speed limit of 80 kph (about 49 mph) and people will drive 70.
Huh? That's not my experience. Some roads have a 110 (or 120?) kph speed limit, and the traffic generally flows well above the limit.
Up until around the 1970s, which is when they found oil, they were little more than farmers without any higher education or purpose.
Actually, Norway was more of a fishing/shipping nation than a farming nation, and has had some of the world's best and most advanced fleets.
The party you are probably referring to is closer to the Democrats than the Republicans, though. They want nationalized health care, in that even though they open up for private health care, the government still pays the bill. In US terms, that party is a left-leaning party.
Rich people generally spend and invest their money. Both benefit society greatly. Taxes do not benefit society if too high, because they will cause a lot of people to depend on handouts to survive.
So you vote libertarian because you think the world would be such a better place if all the rich people (i.e. not you or anyone you know) like Paris Hilton or Bill Gates got to keep all their fucking money instead of paying their taxes which can then be spent into giving you better healthcare or broadband connection?
They invest their money in various ways, which leads to jobs for "normal" people.
Which yields weird and amusing behaviours from middle class nowhere-near-rich people. They're against taxes on the rich as if they ever were going to make it one day
Or because they realize that the rich are investing their money in more jobs for middle class nowhere-near-rich people. Jobs = good.
So you have no other source than your own speculation, is that what you are saying? Maemo is no-profit, no-margin etc. as well, so according to your logic they will be dropping that.
Manjoo's piece attempted to 'prove' that Windows 7 was a better operating system based on one feature (Taskbar/Aero Views vs. Exposé
What on earth are you talking about? The article mentions several thing, such as Windows 7 staying out of your way more than Vista, the new "Libraries" file management, the new device connectivity handling, the several new improvements/additions to the taskbar, etc. Did you really just read the couple of sentences referring to Aero Peek, or are you consciously lying?
Widgets are incredibly useful because they allow you to customize your home screen the way you want it. I've got several useful widgets, including detailed battery info, WiFi and GPS toggling (to save battery), etc.
A 4 megapixel camera, and no camera light or flash. That's rather pathetic. Other than that, yes, I'm drooling over it.
By the way, that list of "50 phones to be released in the near future" has 13 phones that are already available, so why on earth are they claiming that 37 == 50?
I would not say the bacteria had been created with the ability to break down nylon molecules. I would say the bacteria was created to survive.
They weren't created. They just exist, and they survive because Evolution ensures that life adapts to its environment.
Here's an article I found enlightening on the broad subject:
You find misinformed, anti-scientific drivel enlightening? Why don't you read actual scientific literature instead of pseudoscientific nonsense? Educate yourself.
As an aside, "survival of the fittest" is often far more closely associated with evolution than it is with creation - but I was struck one day how brilliant the idea is. If you could design a free-wheeling thing like this earth, how would you design it any other way?
You are indeed an idiot. Life was created without death, remember?
There are no inconsistencies, only your amazing ignorance.
that are still a challenge for gradual, incremental evolution to explain
No, you ignorant fucktard. You are just spewing the same old Creationist nonsense that has been debunked time and time again. Why don't you educate yourself instead of spouting nonsense? No, these are not a challenge. They have been explained already.
evolved-over-billions-of-years-from-a-singularity-filled-with-energy evolution is still a challenge for me to accept
You are a fucking moron. The Big Bang has got nothing to do with Evolution. Evolution is biology, you ignorant fucking redneck.
Wow, your ignorance (or is it dishonesty?) is amazing. How about you pick up a basic biology book instead of asking all these misguided questions, and making all these dishonest claims?
We do have the fossils you ask for. It's just a matter of you educating yourself.
No, evolution is not "fairly rapid".
Why "should" one mammoth be successful enough to have offspring alive today?
We have found several "spot" where these branches meet".
Give it up already. It was clearly not an honest question, as he used the standard Creationist lie "I believe in Evolution, but". And it is not that people are incapable of answering it, it's that the answer is so easy to find only dishonest creationists will ask it.
In some of my previous posts, I've tried to convey the idea that perhaps we're not seeing new characteristics generate - rather we're seeing a reconfiguration / recombination / whatever of existing information.
Yes, a mutation. Which resulted in a new species of bacteria, with new characteristics. There are many examples of this, such as Nylonase. But I guess you are saying that they carried the ability to digest nylon in their genes since they were magically created by God! Geez.
As the quote says, it already knew how to use citrate. Creationists are fine with that. I think when you look closely at each example of evolution, this theme will keep coming up. The information was already there, it just needed to be flipped on or off or the genes reconfigured or recombined.
No, the "information" was not already there. A mutation enabled it to use citrate in conditions which it would otherwise not be able to do it.
Slashdot Mirror
So they will ban private hospitals?
By the way, do you think government monopoly on the use of force (police, military) is a bad thing?
Isn't the fine only for people who can afford it, but refuse? If you can't afford it, I believe you will get help.
What happens if you suddenly need major care?
If you don't have an insurance and get sick, who pays the bill if you can't afford it?
Maybe you are just hanging around with the wrong crowd. It seems odd to describe 4-5 million Norwegian based on a bunch of rich dudes around a table.
Burger butts? Sounds like you are making stuff up as you go along.
That's odd, because Norwegians are well known for their English skills. I don't have the same experience with people from Iceland.
Ok, so because they are afraid to make a mistake when pronouncing your name, they are xenophobic?
As an American, you should know that Americans are among the most superficial people on the planet. Americans don't ask because they really care. Seriously. You of all people should know that. Norwegians seem to be less happy about superficial small-talk.
Or maybe they just aren't as superficial as Americans generally are?
How do you know that they look down on you? And how are these people who look down on you anyway?
Apart from their media being completely dominated by foreign productions, you mean? Especially American movies and music.
Funny, I have the opposite experience. One has to wonder why you feel the need to invent these things.
Huh? That's not my experience. Some roads have a 110 (or 120?) kph speed limit, and the traffic generally flows well above the limit.
Actually, Norway was more of a fishing/shipping nation than a farming nation, and has had some of the world's best and most advanced fleets.
Huh?
That's not true from what I hear. If you drive too fast, you drive too fast.
The party you are probably referring to is closer to the Democrats than the Republicans, though. They want nationalized health care, in that even though they open up for private health care, the government still pays the bill. In US terms, that party is a left-leaning party.
What happens when the supply of money runs out?
Rich people generally spend and invest their money. Both benefit society greatly. Taxes do not benefit society if too high, because they will cause a lot of people to depend on handouts to survive.
The rich may move jobs out of the country, but they are also creating even more jobs inside the country.
They invest their money in various ways, which leads to jobs for "normal" people.
Or because they realize that the rich are investing their money in more jobs for middle class nowhere-near-rich people. Jobs = good.
So you have no other source than your own speculation, is that what you are saying? Maemo is no-profit, no-margin etc. as well, so according to your logic they will be dropping that.
Source? Just because Maemo exists doesn't mean that Nokia is abandoning Symbian.
What on earth are you talking about? The article mentions several thing, such as Windows 7 staying out of your way more than Vista, the new "Libraries" file management, the new device connectivity handling, the several new improvements/additions to the taskbar, etc. Did you really just read the couple of sentences referring to Aero Peek, or are you consciously lying?
Isn't the HTC Leo a Windows Mobile phone?
Widgets are incredibly useful because they allow you to customize your home screen the way you want it. I've got several useful widgets, including detailed battery info, WiFi and GPS toggling (to save battery), etc.
By the way, that list of "50 phones to be released in the near future" has 13 phones that are already available, so why on earth are they claiming that 37 == 50?
They weren't created. They just exist, and they survive because Evolution ensures that life adapts to its environment.
You find misinformed, anti-scientific drivel enlightening? Why don't you read actual scientific literature instead of pseudoscientific nonsense? Educate yourself.
You are indeed an idiot. Life was created without death, remember?
There are no inconsistencies, only your amazing ignorance.
No, you ignorant fucktard. You are just spewing the same old Creationist nonsense that has been debunked time and time again. Why don't you educate yourself instead of spouting nonsense? No, these are not a challenge. They have been explained already.
You are a fucking moron. The Big Bang has got nothing to do with Evolution. Evolution is biology, you ignorant fucking redneck.
Nope, it was something else because it no longer matched the criteria of E. coli.
Your ignorance and dishonesty is astounding. Where you you get this idiotic nonsense from?
We do have the fossils you ask for. It's just a matter of you educating yourself.
No, evolution is not "fairly rapid".
Why "should" one mammoth be successful enough to have offspring alive today?
We have found several "spot" where these branches meet".
Indeed, tigers and lions are showing speciation.
Give it up already. It was clearly not an honest question, as he used the standard Creationist lie "I believe in Evolution, but". And it is not that people are incapable of answering it, it's that the answer is so easy to find only dishonest creationists will ask it.
No, the new bacteria were not E. coli because of the trait that made previous generations E. coli was no longer present.
Yes, a mutation. Which resulted in a new species of bacteria, with new characteristics. There are many examples of this, such as Nylonase. But I guess you are saying that they carried the ability to digest nylon in their genes since they were magically created by God! Geez.
No, the "information" was not already there. A mutation enabled it to use citrate in conditions which it would otherwise not be able to do it.