In a word, Bullshit. Email coupled with a scanner and a printer can replace the USPS for many run of the mill mailings. That doesn't mean that the USPS should have the ability to regulate.
Bullshit yourself. Bad analogy. When I call 911 on my Vonage phone (the one advertised to replace my analog line), I should expect the same service. If I'm going to get the same service, I should have to pay for it just as I did with the local telco. In this case it could literally be a life-and-death situation.
They never do. If they don't have a branch office or something located in the state in question, that state has NO RIGHT to regulate them. Period. A state's rights end at its borders.
If their service claims to be able to connect you with emergency services provided on a local level, they should be regulated just like a normal telco. If you don't like that, your argument should be to get rid of 911 service, not to promote a one-sided regulatory system where only traditional telcos have to meet federal/state requirements.
Contrast that to the services provided by the ISP who resells the lines to you: their routers are on backup power (go Focal!), and they fix broken stuff in minutes or hours, not days or weeks.
Uhh...never had Comcast (actually it was AT&T) cable internet service, have you? Our internet problem took 10 days to fix, and they didn't even acknowledge it was fixed. It just started working. Oh, and Comcast has to fix your digital phone service very quickly if you have a problem, just like the telco.
Maybe you ought to impose some rules on Vonage, to ensure proper 911-related operation--after all, we have health inspectors for supermarkets.
I think that's the point. If Vonage is going to advertise a service that replaces your traditional analog telco's, they should have to meet the same requirements (a la 911).
No one wants to pay more taxes, self included. But if you don't want to pay the same taxes as with a traditional telco, traditional telcos shouldn't have to meet all the federal and state requirements that necessitate those taxes.
Are you willing to go without 911 and other services those taxes provide (without picking and choosing to suit only your desires)?
Just the opposite. It's about data, and it's none of the state's business what my data is or what protocol I wrap it in.
Just as with traditional telcos, the state should have a right to ensure that your VoIP provider has a reliable network for connecting you to 911. Either that, or the service should not be allowed to be advertised as a direct competitor to your traditional local telco. Actually, it should have to advertise in big bold letters "911 service not guaranteed. Use at your own risk."
If not regulated, local VoIP service will invariably try to sell themselves as a direct replacement for analog phone service, without having to meet the same requirements as the Bells.
While no one looks forward to more taxes and 911 fees, the parent has it right. If a company offers local phone service, regardless of medium, they should have to meet the same regulations as traditional telcos.
Grandparent uses the ol' slippery slope argument w/ regards to AIM and other chat services, but they shouldn't be affected, nor should long distance.
Everyone needs to take a deep breath and think before ranting about "Your Rights Online."
Granted, if she didn't know that by running Kazaa she was serving files, the judge could be lenient. This could also get thrown back at Kazaa for users "not knowing" that the program was sharing their files.
What does seem to be happening though is that Isreal *is* commiting genocide and ethnic cleansing. Brutally repressing an entire population, torturing, murdering, raping, forcibly evicting people and destroying homes with the justification that it is their 'God Given Right (tm)".
When people run out of sensible justifications for things they make God responsible.
The only parties referencing a deity are the Palestinians and other Arabs in the region. You know...Allah? The one that supposedly told the Arabs to kill the Jews and Christians?
Since you are Palestinian, tell us - what would it take for the Palestinian people to live in peace next door to the acknowledged state of Israel? Do you insist, as do many other Palestinians, that the Jews and Israel must be driven into the sea?
Do you want real progress? Kill Arafat, destroy Palestinian terror groups, and stop allowing other Arab nations to use the Palestinian people (a la Osama bin Laden) for their own agendas. The worldwide community will join together and push for a Palestinian state. And Israel will be the least of your problems.
They were upset because the Americans didn't fight by "the rules"--they didn't wear military uniforms, they hid in trees rather than facing each other on a battle ground. The Americans weren't blowing up busses, but they were violating the internationally (or at least Europe-wide) accepted norms of warfare for the time. In today's world we consider acts that are outside the accepted norms of warfare as acts of terrorism.
I'm not talking about "gentlemanly" battle here. I'm talking about the intent to maim and murder innocent civilians; no military target in mind. This is called terrorism, and demonstrates a total disregard for the life of Israelis, military or not. This is not a gray area as you would like to believe. This is wrong.
What we see on television is a distortion, a view presented by the vocal minority. Palestinians are outraged at the behavior of the Israeli government. But the Palestinian militants that blow up busses of innocent people, many of them children--that is not the will of the Palestinian people.
Bullshit. If the people disagree with with the militants why do the militant groups thrive? Why do families take such pride in seeing their son (or daughter) committ a suicide bombing in Israel? Why doesn't Abbas lead a systematic destruction of these terror groups? If the Palestinian people disagree with suicide bombings as you say, they need to get their heads out of their asses and realize the terror groups will only bring them more misery.
Based upon what I see in the US media, I am led to believe that the Arab people hate Americans without exception, too. This is not so. By and large, the Arab people love Americans.
At my last job I worked with many Arabs. None were Palestinian, but all were vehemently anti-Israel. They were very nice to me, and we got along just fine. In fact, I had much fun working with them (I just avoided the mideast subject). So don't insult my intelligence by trying to imply that I group all Arabs together, and think they all hate America - this is not what I think. Neither is this the impression I get from the US media, as you say.
As for the Saudis, Iraqis, and Iranians supporting the Palestinians, I believe you are commenting about the support for the Palestinian militants. These governments, like the US government, have their own agendas.
Yes, I am speaking of these countries supporting terror groups - and not supporting the actual interests of the Palestinian people! These countries are not so much pro-Palestinian as they are anti-Israel. If they were truly interested in the well-being of the Palestinian people they would use funds to build infrastructure (roads, schools, utilities, police force) instead of supporting terror groups. And yes, these countries would rather have the Palestinians to use as a crutch in international debate than to have the state of Palestine exist and have to acknowledge the existence of Israel.
I respect your exposure to different cultures, but I think the result has been to bias your opinions and not allow you to step back and take a look at the big picture. Many in Israel would love nothing more than to see the Palestinians have their own country, but Israel can't stand back and wait for the next suicide bomber, supported by all of Israel's neighbors, to come across the border and murder its citizens. If Palestinians would organize and work to disband terror groups, the entire world community would assist them in contributing to a more stable mid-East. Instead, Palestinians support Arafat, a do-nothing "leader" that only brings them more grief.
The DMZ was slightly tongue-in-cheek. Although there would need to be some kind of buffer zone...and it would most likely need to be maintained by a third party, at least for the foreseeable future.
Perahps, along with the members of Islamic Jihad, Hammas, and Arafat, we ought to drag out members of the Knesset, the Mossad, and Sharon. They are no less guilty in perpetuating the conflict.
Israel's leaders are elected, and are leaders of an official country. Arafat may be called the president (or whatever term is being used today) of the PLO, but it's not an accountable position. Arafat's the stated leader of a legitimate group, but in reality is just figure head for groups of Islamic terrorists.
As for the world stepping in and settling it for good, it seems that this whole mess started as a result of the checkerboard-like pattern of Palestinian and Israeli territory outlined in 1947 by the United Nations. Six fairly distinct areas (3 Palestinian, 3 Israeli), literally laid out in a checkerboard fashion. The world doesn't have a good record at settling this issue.
It seemed to everyone except Arafat that the proposed agreement brought forth by then president Clinton was very reasonable, and very workable. Arafat's rejection clearly demonstrates he isn't interested in living peacefully next to the acknowledged country of Israel. If I was a betting man, I would say that Arafat will never agree to anything that doesn't include the total destruction of the state of Israel.
The answer here isn't more aggression, a bigger wall, and massive forced ethnic evacuation.
I think you're being very naive about this. Look at what just happened - a cease fire was in effect, and seemed to be working well, until Palestinian extremist groups killed more Israelis with suicide bombers. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, al-Aqsa (sp?), and Hezbullah do not recognize peaceful means. Why? Because they refuse to recognize the existence of Israel. And Palestinians, like the dumb sheep they seem to be, will keep backing these groups, regardless of the fact that they hurt the cause of the Palestinian people.
To put this in a more America-centric perspective, realize that the American Revolution was seen at the time by many in the world as a group of renegades committing unspeakable acts that, if they occurred today, would be seen as terrorism. I suspect that should the anti-Israeli forces succeed in eliminating the state of Israel, several hundred years later the terrorists will be viewed as revolutionary heroes.
How can you logically compare the American Revolution, which was fought against another military force, to sending people into another country with the intent to maim and murder innocent civilians (please note the word intent)?
I wonder if, instead of the conflict ending by the elimination of one or the other, if both sides were able to settle their differences without resorting to violence, the entire region would enter into a long period of prosperity for both the Israelis and the Palestinians.
It seems Israel has already learned how to be prosperous by having an open, capitalistic economy, and by having an elected government. Israel thrives, even during periods of suicide bombing.
The Palestinians, on the other hand, live in inferior economic conditions, not at the hand of the Israelis, but due to their own choices. Palestinians could advance their own society and make things better, but everyone (up to the "leadership") would rather concentrate on building bombs and protesting in the streets. In addition, supposed supporters of the Palestinians include oil-rich nations like Saudi Arabia, Iraq (historically), Iran, etc. But these nations would rather see the Palestinians live in squalor and use them for political reasons than assist them in improving their existing living conditions.
Go back and read my post again. Israel has no problems, per se, with Palestinians living or working in any town. The problem comes when you have regular suicide bombings taking place, and the bombers are coming from a particular location.
To say Israel is wrong for having extremely tight border security is ridiculous; they're trying to prevent the death of innocent civilians on busses, or pizza shops, or discos. Your argument is the equivalent of saying it's not fair it takes so long to get through customs when flying from a foreign country into the US.
And you wanna complain about unemployment among Palestinians? How about complaining first to Arafat and the PLO. Arafat has been in power for several generations, and has done absolutely nothing for the Palestinian people. Nothing. Years ago he could have lead a crackdown on Islamic Jihad, Hezbullah, and Himas, which would have done wonders for the Palestinian people. Instead, he tells the world one thing while encouraging violence from terrorist groups.
Another contributor to the Palestinian economic situation is its neighbors. Jordan, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia etc., all decry the abuses of Palestinians by the Jews. What do they do? Nothing. In fact, some of those countries harbor or pay terrorist groups. Others pay families of those who commit suicide bombings in Israel. Imagine if some of these countries instead would committ such efforts to improving the economic conditions of the Palestinian people by providing schools, hospitals, a clean police force, etc.
And the last group to be taking some of the blame? The Palestinian people. For years they've been used and abused by Arab groups all over the world in order to support the Islamic cause-of-the-day. Arafat is a sorry excuse for a leader, yet they don't remove him. Terrorist groups continue to recruit young Palestinians to kill themselves in suicide bombings, which only brings reprisals from Israel, and gets the Palestinian people absolutely nothing. Yet they still hold on to these groups as if they've been helping all along. Geez...open your eyes, Palestinians!
Palestinian terrorists aren't fighting a war for their own well-being. If it was their well-being they were concerned with, they would negotiate a peace settlement with Israel (like the one Arafat turned down).
Instead, Palestinian terrorist groups are only interested in the complete and total destruction of the state of Israel and Jewish people as a whole. This is very different than fighting for ones freedom.
I can accept that attrocities happen. They happen in every war, and it has to do with sick individuals committing the act. Individuals like that should be pushished.
But I do not accept that all of these things happen as a matter of planning and premeditation. Besides, Palestinians have earned a reputation for inflating casualties and outright lying about attrocities (remember the Jenin "Massacre?")
The Israelis are practicing segregation and discrimination based on race and religion, targetting people without due process, antagonizing people for political reasons and, I dare say, violating human rights.
The Israelis are practicing segregation and discrimination based on reality. If you know that all of the suicide bombers are coming from Jenin in the West Bank, what do you do? You set up roadblocks and harass any Palestinian that wants to come into Israel proper from Jenin.
Contrary to what you say, there are Palestinians that live/work in Israel. There were actually many more before the suicide bombings intensified several years ago. Israelis have no problem living/working with Palestinians. They do have a problem with terrorist groups forming suicide bombing clubs at the building down on the corner.
Quite frankly I'm outraged that a group of people thinks so highly of themselves that they would so quickly forget the attrocities committed against them only half a century ago (the holocaust) and commit the very same kinds of crimes against another people group.
You can't even be serious. Are you actually trying to compare the plight of the Palestinians with the plight of the Jews in Nazi Germany? Have you ever opened a history book?
There was no formal country called "Palestine." Jews moved to the land and ended up declaring it a country called Israel in 1948. No Palestinians were "pushed out" until they became violent.
I'm not Jewish and I have no ties to Israel or any Jewish friends/relatives, but...
Why does the world continue to put up with the terrorist groups among the Palestinian people? Why do the Palestinian people put up with it?
I think every country in the world should send a small army to Israel and join them in dragging members of Islamic Jihad and Hamas out in the street to be shot (along with Arafat). We've put up with the shit for waaaay too long, and I'm sick and fucking tired of it (and I don't even live there).
After the systematic execution of these terrorists, the international forces should establish a hard border between Israel and the newly formed Palestinian state (consisting of a DMZ made up of hog farms), and assist Palestine in building schools, hospitals, and vital infrastructure. Israel should be assurred that if they attempt to build settlements beyond their border they will be blown to next week.
They obviously are not able to handle this issue themselves (either side). The world should step in and settle it for good.
As successful as the US form of government and the US Constitution have been, it's not entirely unreasonable to look at history and realize it won't be like this forever.
There will come a time - maybe not today or tomorrow - when the US will self-destruct (or be invaded). When that time comes, I would feel much more comfortable if ordinary citizens were able to own arms and understand how to use them.
Should nut-cases, or hardened criminals be allowed to own guns? No. But your short-sided view could end up costing you and your family your lives someday. I'm not apocolyptic, just realistic.
I have a question for you. What if your independent artist, Ben Verdery, signs with a major (RIAA) label?
I hear many people decry RIAA music as being inferior as a reason not to purchase it. But what if your independent artist decides they want to make a little more money and sign with a major? Does the quality of music all of a sudden take a downturn? Will you still buy their music?
I worked at a small mom-and-pop systems integrator. We used M$ (server/desktops/Office) and AutoCAD, along with some lesser-known PLC/HMI programming software. There was no IT person, per se, just one engineer that usually "handled" such things as server setup, etc. Individual workers took care of their own machines, for the most part.
The company had purchased licenses for AutoCAD and M$ software, just not enough for everyone. This was pretty well-known, but like many companies, overlooked. Employees commonly burned copies of licensed software for personal use, and the license management system was...well...nonexistent.
One day the owner got a form letter from the BSA...one of the infamous "we'll give you 3 months to come into compliance, otherwise you could face an audit." This sent the owner into a flurry of making sure all software was properly licensed.
The BSA never came knocking on the door, and the owner probably spent thousands on licenses. This was probably a good thing overall, but I question the "flurry" of activity that took place at the receipt of a form letter.
I know the original article here said federal marshalls came knocking on the door, but is this common? Should one take this to mean there was a warrant? Can a warrant only be obtained when the BSA has firsthand info, such as from a disgruntled employee?
I would not have been nearly as quick to jump at the BSA letter as was the owner of the company I worked for...at least not without having consulted an attorney first.
I worked at a well-organized call center. For the first 90 days of your employment, you were not allowed net access. You were expected to use the time between calls to learn the equipment you were supporting, and reading documentation. You could also read a magazine (or study college coursework in my case), it was just expected that you spent some time training.
It actually worked pretty well. By the time you were granted net access, you had a good understanding of the equipment/software being supported, and had a good feel for how much time you needed to be devoting to documenting calls, etc.
Regardless, supervisors would closely monitor your work performance, and any excessive "play" would be noticed very quickly, especially with the kind of statistics logged at this particular call center.
First of all, as Jayr points out, I'm a moron (everyone needs to be able to say that occasionally ) and the Japan story has nothing to do with space exploration. I had read the Japanese robotics story and then read some other things elsewhere about space exploration and totally and utterly mixed the two in my reply.
Second, I know that the ISS isn't a floating bank. I understand that the money spent goes to scientists and engineers here on earth to develop the needed technology and equipment to handle a long-term space mission. It just seems to me that we tend to get much more of a tangible benefit (in a shorter "development cycle") from oceanic exploration than space exploration.
I'm not saying there is no inherent benefit from either space exploration or AI development in robotics. I just think the bucks would go much further in oceanic research.
Slashdot Mirror
Dating would just allow you to be seen with Natalie Portman in public, making your fellow geek friends quite envious.
Bullshit yourself. Bad analogy. When I call 911 on my Vonage phone (the one advertised to replace my analog line), I should expect the same service. If I'm going to get the same service, I should have to pay for it just as I did with the local telco. In this case it could literally be a life-and-death situation.
They never do. If they don't have a branch office or something located in the state in question, that state has NO RIGHT to regulate them. Period. A state's rights end at its borders.
If their service claims to be able to connect you with emergency services provided on a local level, they should be regulated just like a normal telco. If you don't like that, your argument should be to get rid of 911 service, not to promote a one-sided regulatory system where only traditional telcos have to meet federal/state requirements.
Uhh...never had Comcast (actually it was AT&T) cable internet service, have you? Our internet problem took 10 days to fix, and they didn't even acknowledge it was fixed. It just started working. Oh, and Comcast has to fix your digital phone service very quickly if you have a problem, just like the telco.
Maybe you ought to impose some rules on Vonage, to ensure proper 911-related operation--after all, we have health inspectors for supermarkets.
I think that's the point. If Vonage is going to advertise a service that replaces your traditional analog telco's, they should have to meet the same requirements (a la 911).
Are you willing to go without 911 and other services those taxes provide (without picking and choosing to suit only your desires)?
Just as with traditional telcos, the state should have a right to ensure that your VoIP provider has a reliable network for connecting you to 911. Either that, or the service should not be allowed to be advertised as a direct competitor to your traditional local telco. Actually, it should have to advertise in big bold letters "911 service not guaranteed. Use at your own risk."
If not regulated, local VoIP service will invariably try to sell themselves as a direct replacement for analog phone service, without having to meet the same requirements as the Bells.
Grandparent uses the ol' slippery slope argument w/ regards to AIM and other chat services, but they shouldn't be affected, nor should long distance.
Everyone needs to take a deep breath and think before ranting about "Your Rights Online."
#2 - Rank by GPA
#3 - Secondary rank by relevent work experience
After these three, you should have a pretty good idea of who is worth hiring. Then you can thrown in factors like recommendations and maybe school.
Granted, if she didn't know that by running Kazaa she was serving files, the judge could be lenient. This could also get thrown back at Kazaa for users "not knowing" that the program was sharing their files.
The only parties referencing a deity are the Palestinians and other Arabs in the region. You know...Allah? The one that supposedly told the Arabs to kill the Jews and Christians?
Since you are Palestinian, tell us - what would it take for the Palestinian people to live in peace next door to the acknowledged state of Israel? Do you insist, as do many other Palestinians, that the Jews and Israel must be driven into the sea?
Do you want real progress? Kill Arafat, destroy Palestinian terror groups, and stop allowing other Arab nations to use the Palestinian people (a la Osama bin Laden) for their own agendas. The worldwide community will join together and push for a Palestinian state. And Israel will be the least of your problems.
I'm not talking about "gentlemanly" battle here. I'm talking about the intent to maim and murder innocent civilians; no military target in mind. This is called terrorism, and demonstrates a total disregard for the life of Israelis, military or not. This is not a gray area as you would like to believe. This is wrong.
What we see on television is a distortion, a view presented by the vocal minority. Palestinians are outraged at the behavior of the Israeli government. But the Palestinian militants that blow up busses of innocent people, many of them children--that is not the will of the Palestinian people.
Bullshit. If the people disagree with with the militants why do the militant groups thrive? Why do families take such pride in seeing their son (or daughter) committ a suicide bombing in Israel? Why doesn't Abbas lead a systematic destruction of these terror groups? If the Palestinian people disagree with suicide bombings as you say, they need to get their heads out of their asses and realize the terror groups will only bring them more misery.
Based upon what I see in the US media, I am led to believe that the Arab people hate Americans without exception, too. This is not so. By and large, the Arab people love Americans.
At my last job I worked with many Arabs. None were Palestinian, but all were vehemently anti-Israel. They were very nice to me, and we got along just fine. In fact, I had much fun working with them (I just avoided the mideast subject). So don't insult my intelligence by trying to imply that I group all Arabs together, and think they all hate America - this is not what I think. Neither is this the impression I get from the US media, as you say.
As for the Saudis, Iraqis, and Iranians supporting the Palestinians, I believe you are commenting about the support for the Palestinian militants. These governments, like the US government, have their own agendas.
Yes, I am speaking of these countries supporting terror groups - and not supporting the actual interests of the Palestinian people! These countries are not so much pro-Palestinian as they are anti-Israel. If they were truly interested in the well-being of the Palestinian people they would use funds to build infrastructure (roads, schools, utilities, police force) instead of supporting terror groups. And yes, these countries would rather have the Palestinians to use as a crutch in international debate than to have the state of Palestine exist and have to acknowledge the existence of Israel.
I respect your exposure to different cultures, but I think the result has been to bias your opinions and not allow you to step back and take a look at the big picture. Many in Israel would love nothing more than to see the Palestinians have their own country, but Israel can't stand back and wait for the next suicide bomber, supported by all of Israel's neighbors, to come across the border and murder its citizens. If Palestinians would organize and work to disband terror groups, the entire world community would assist them in contributing to a more stable mid-East. Instead, Palestinians support Arafat, a do-nothing "leader" that only brings them more grief.
Perahps, along with the members of Islamic Jihad, Hammas, and Arafat, we ought to drag out members of the Knesset, the Mossad, and Sharon. They are no less guilty in perpetuating the conflict.
Israel's leaders are elected, and are leaders of an official country. Arafat may be called the president (or whatever term is being used today) of the PLO, but it's not an accountable position. Arafat's the stated leader of a legitimate group, but in reality is just figure head for groups of Islamic terrorists.
As for the world stepping in and settling it for good, it seems that this whole mess started as a result of the checkerboard-like pattern of Palestinian and Israeli territory outlined in 1947 by the United Nations. Six fairly distinct areas (3 Palestinian, 3 Israeli), literally laid out in a checkerboard fashion. The world doesn't have a good record at settling this issue.
It seemed to everyone except Arafat that the proposed agreement brought forth by then president Clinton was very reasonable, and very workable. Arafat's rejection clearly demonstrates he isn't interested in living peacefully next to the acknowledged country of Israel. If I was a betting man, I would say that Arafat will never agree to anything that doesn't include the total destruction of the state of Israel.
The answer here isn't more aggression, a bigger wall, and massive forced ethnic evacuation.
I think you're being very naive about this. Look at what just happened - a cease fire was in effect, and seemed to be working well, until Palestinian extremist groups killed more Israelis with suicide bombers. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, al-Aqsa (sp?), and Hezbullah do not recognize peaceful means. Why? Because they refuse to recognize the existence of Israel. And Palestinians, like the dumb sheep they seem to be, will keep backing these groups, regardless of the fact that they hurt the cause of the Palestinian people.
To put this in a more America-centric perspective, realize that the American Revolution was seen at the time by many in the world as a group of renegades committing unspeakable acts that, if they occurred today, would be seen as terrorism. I suspect that should the anti-Israeli forces succeed in eliminating the state of Israel, several hundred years later the terrorists will be viewed as revolutionary heroes.
How can you logically compare the American Revolution, which was fought against another military force, to sending people into another country with the intent to maim and murder innocent civilians (please note the word intent)?
I wonder if, instead of the conflict ending by the elimination of one or the other, if both sides were able to settle their differences without resorting to violence, the entire region would enter into a long period of prosperity for both the Israelis and the Palestinians.
It seems Israel has already learned how to be prosperous by having an open, capitalistic economy, and by having an elected government. Israel thrives, even during periods of suicide bombing.
The Palestinians, on the other hand, live in inferior economic conditions, not at the hand of the Israelis, but due to their own choices. Palestinians could advance their own society and make things better, but everyone (up to the "leadership") would rather concentrate on building bombs and protesting in the streets. In addition, supposed supporters of the Palestinians include oil-rich nations like Saudi Arabia, Iraq (historically), Iran, etc. But these nations would rather see the Palestinians live in squalor and use them for political reasons than assist them in improving their existing living conditions.
To say Israel is wrong for having extremely tight border security is ridiculous; they're trying to prevent the death of innocent civilians on busses, or pizza shops, or discos. Your argument is the equivalent of saying it's not fair it takes so long to get through customs when flying from a foreign country into the US.
And you wanna complain about unemployment among Palestinians? How about complaining first to Arafat and the PLO. Arafat has been in power for several generations, and has done absolutely nothing for the Palestinian people. Nothing. Years ago he could have lead a crackdown on Islamic Jihad, Hezbullah, and Himas, which would have done wonders for the Palestinian people. Instead, he tells the world one thing while encouraging violence from terrorist groups.
Another contributor to the Palestinian economic situation is its neighbors. Jordan, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia etc., all decry the abuses of Palestinians by the Jews. What do they do? Nothing. In fact, some of those countries harbor or pay terrorist groups. Others pay families of those who commit suicide bombings in Israel. Imagine if some of these countries instead would committ such efforts to improving the economic conditions of the Palestinian people by providing schools, hospitals, a clean police force, etc.
And the last group to be taking some of the blame? The Palestinian people. For years they've been used and abused by Arab groups all over the world in order to support the Islamic cause-of-the-day. Arafat is a sorry excuse for a leader, yet they don't remove him. Terrorist groups continue to recruit young Palestinians to kill themselves in suicide bombings, which only brings reprisals from Israel, and gets the Palestinian people absolutely nothing. Yet they still hold on to these groups as if they've been helping all along. Geez...open your eyes, Palestinians!
Instead, Palestinian terrorist groups are only interested in the complete and total destruction of the state of Israel and Jewish people as a whole. This is very different than fighting for ones freedom.
I can accept that attrocities happen. They happen in every war, and it has to do with sick individuals committing the act. Individuals like that should be pushished.
But I do not accept that all of these things happen as a matter of planning and premeditation. Besides, Palestinians have earned a reputation for inflating casualties and outright lying about attrocities (remember the Jenin "Massacre?")
The Israelis are practicing segregation and discrimination based on reality. If you know that all of the suicide bombers are coming from Jenin in the West Bank, what do you do? You set up roadblocks and harass any Palestinian that wants to come into Israel proper from Jenin.
Contrary to what you say, there are Palestinians that live/work in Israel. There were actually many more before the suicide bombings intensified several years ago. Israelis have no problem living/working with Palestinians. They do have a problem with terrorist groups forming suicide bombing clubs at the building down on the corner.
Quite frankly I'm outraged that a group of people thinks so highly of themselves that they would so quickly forget the attrocities committed against them only half a century ago (the holocaust) and commit the very same kinds of crimes against another people group.
You can't even be serious. Are you actually trying to compare the plight of the Palestinians with the plight of the Jews in Nazi Germany? Have you ever opened a history book?
Why does the world continue to put up with the terrorist groups among the Palestinian people? Why do the Palestinian people put up with it?
I think every country in the world should send a small army to Israel and join them in dragging members of Islamic Jihad and Hamas out in the street to be shot (along with Arafat). We've put up with the shit for waaaay too long, and I'm sick and fucking tired of it (and I don't even live there).
After the systematic execution of these terrorists, the international forces should establish a hard border between Israel and the newly formed Palestinian state (consisting of a DMZ made up of hog farms), and assist Palestine in building schools, hospitals, and vital infrastructure. Israel should be assurred that if they attempt to build settlements beyond their border they will be blown to next week.
They obviously are not able to handle this issue themselves (either side). The world should step in and settle it for good.
There will come a time - maybe not today or tomorrow - when the US will self-destruct (or be invaded). When that time comes, I would feel much more comfortable if ordinary citizens were able to own arms and understand how to use them.
Should nut-cases, or hardened criminals be allowed to own guns? No. But your short-sided view could end up costing you and your family your lives someday. I'm not apocolyptic, just realistic.
I hear many people decry RIAA music as being inferior as a reason not to purchase it. But what if your independent artist decides they want to make a little more money and sign with a major? Does the quality of music all of a sudden take a downturn? Will you still buy their music?
You fucking hypocritical slashdot moderators.
The company had purchased licenses for AutoCAD and M$ software, just not enough for everyone. This was pretty well-known, but like many companies, overlooked. Employees commonly burned copies of licensed software for personal use, and the license management system was...well...nonexistent.
One day the owner got a form letter from the BSA...one of the infamous "we'll give you 3 months to come into compliance, otherwise you could face an audit." This sent the owner into a flurry of making sure all software was properly licensed.
The BSA never came knocking on the door, and the owner probably spent thousands on licenses. This was probably a good thing overall, but I question the "flurry" of activity that took place at the receipt of a form letter.
I know the original article here said federal marshalls came knocking on the door, but is this common? Should one take this to mean there was a warrant? Can a warrant only be obtained when the BSA has firsthand info, such as from a disgruntled employee?
I would not have been nearly as quick to jump at the BSA letter as was the owner of the company I worked for...at least not without having consulted an attorney first.
While I don't agree with BSA tactics, the reason for fining someone more than the "offense" is to discourage more offenses.
If the fine were just the cost of the license, everyone would pirate everything and wait for the BSA to come knocking on their door before paying up.
If, however, a company knows they'll get their ass reamed for unlicensed software, they're more likely to just buy the licenses.
It actually worked pretty well. By the time you were granted net access, you had a good understanding of the equipment/software being supported, and had a good feel for how much time you needed to be devoting to documenting calls, etc.
Regardless, supervisors would closely monitor your work performance, and any excessive "play" would be noticed very quickly, especially with the kind of statistics logged at this particular call center.
Second, I know that the ISS isn't a floating bank. I understand that the money spent goes to scientists and engineers here on earth to develop the needed technology and equipment to handle a long-term space mission. It just seems to me that we tend to get much more of a tangible benefit (in a shorter "development cycle") from oceanic exploration than space exploration.
I'm not saying there is no inherent benefit from either space exploration or AI development in robotics. I just think the bucks would go much further in oceanic research.