Depends what you are selling, here in Oz we maintain our first world status mainly by digging up and selling the shinny rocks needed to make lil-Jamie's heavy metal jewlery and almost everything else you find on a market stall. China overtook the US as our biggest customer quite a while ago. Mind you bulk carriers full of special rocks practically sell themselves and there is no point in advertising them to the impoverished masses.
1. Almost all glaciers are receding precipitously due to AGW, the slashdot article you point to is about the fact that Himalayan glaciers are retrtreating at a faster rate due to soot. The effect of soot on ice has been well documented over the last 50yrs.
2. Your magic eight ball is more informative than Anthony Watts. Watts is either a popogandist or a crank.
However I agree with your conclusion, the IPCC has been pointing out for over a decade now that the delta's in southern China, India and Bangladesh which currently support well over a billion people are "toast". I doubt the rest of the world will suddenly forget nationalisim and allow those people to simply "get out of Dodge".
Pollution isn't an amorpous blob, it's a specific resource "out of place". As long as the amount out of place is not causing problems then yes it ok to pollute to a small enough degree. No pollution at all "just in case" simply means we would rather die than piss on a tree. This does not mean small levels can't have a significant impact (re: GHG concentrations) it just means you have to look at the facts before declaring which byproducts of life are a serious health hazard.
No. As a "greenie" since the 70's I can assure you greenpeace were blinded by ideology a long time ago.
I think this became pretty obvious when they started campaigning against chlorinated water a couple of decades ago. Despite the fact it has been repeatedly pointed out to them, it seems to have escaped their attention that chlorination was probably the single largest improvement in public health in the 20th century.
It happens to all political movements, they start off with a real issue and end up handling associated facts with the same respect fox news does. Often the founders end up either quitting in disgust (as is the case with GP) or being pushed out by the spin doctors. Organisations such as GP are also susceptable to having people form "tea parties" and go off doing their own thing under the organisations banner.
None of this means leaky reactors are not "news for nerds", that's just you sticking your fingers in your ears and singing "la, la, la, la" because you saw the word greenpeace. If TFA that I haven't read is a bullshit press release from GP then by the time it reaches the bottom of the front page there will be a dozen or more highly rated post that debunk it with sound logic, reputable references and a bit of humour.
BTW: You almost got it right, "Luddite" accurately describes some parts of GP policy but it's doubtfull the editor who posted TFA subscribes to it.
Perhaps you are thinking of surface temprature rather than air temprature. All official air temprature recordings (the ones you hear on the news) are taken in the shade, surface temp can be 10-15deg warmer than air temp. I've lived in Oz for half a century and have never heard* of it going above 50degC in the shade, 47.3degC is the record for Melbourne. But yeah, it's hot and humid at the moment, last night was Melbourne's (equal) hottest night on record, can't wait for the cold front to get here.
* - A quick google turned up the following => "The highest temperature ever recorded anywhere in Australia was 53.1C (127.6F) in Cloncurry, Queensland on 16th January 1889. In recent years, the validity of this record has been challenged, since it was a while ago and the equipment used would not satisfy today’s standards. However, most people still regard this as the record. The Meteorological Office, however, is prepared to vouch only for the 50.7C (123.3F) recorded in Oodnadatta, South Australia on 2nd January 1960."
"Are you saying that it isn't just to formally revenge the victim?"
The answer depends on how you defineJustice, I would define the implementation of justice as an act that restores, or adequately compensates for, what the victim has lost. Some deeds simply can't be undone or justly compensated for. Other than the poetic kind (and using my #def) there is no possible justice for the murder victim, although blood money may compensate the relatives for the loss of the victims material input, it does nothing for the victim.
The overused Gahndi quote sums it up best "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". The victim and the murderer are both dead and (unless you believe in hell), are no longer suffering. The outcome for those still alive after the execution is a doubling of the number of families that are suffering a loss.
Since murder can't be undone the question then becomes one of can we do anything to the murderer to deter other would-be murderers, such as publicly hang, draw and quater him followed by prominently displaying the butchered corpse at various public places? It's a logical idea that appeals to our base emotions but real world experience says it doesn't work as a deterent even for less passionate crimes such as drug smuggling.
"Of course given that the real murderer is executed, that he got a fair trial, that the murder wasn't an accident etc"
In the same manner that you can defeat terrorists without using their methods, you can punish murderers without killing them. Personally I think the state should set the example of - we only kill in self defence or defence of the innocent in mortal danger, but it's "you're country - you're rules".
None of the above means I think that murders don't deserve a bullet to the head but what we are given is the track record of the state/church/lynch-mob, It says that there is a very significant risk of inadvertently commiting the irreversible act you're trying to deter. IMHO and the opinion of the clear majority of nation states, it's an unacceptable risk.
I don't see the US joining the rest of the world in this "enlightened" view of capital punishment any time soon. A poll of SCOTUS a few years ago found that a majority of the SC Judges thought that shooting an unarmed fleeing thief was justifyable.
I would imagine the inside of those suits are pretty grubby on a day like today and as it so happens the last time I was interested in anything offered at my door was a grubby guy in overalls who spotted my driveway numbers were worn out and offered to repaint them for $20. However on a day like today wearing a suit (or overalls) is going past the point of social norms into "mad dogs, englishmen and mormons go out in the midday sun" territory.
Individual principles are guidelines for behaviour they are not immutable laws of nature, past a certain point of application they contradict each other.;)
"The whole concept of Planck length dictates minimum distances, angles and such, and objects have granularity"
You have been misinformed but it's a common misconception. The Plank length is the base unit for a system of units derived from physical constants, geometries smaller than the PL are where GR theory stops working and QM takes over. That the dividing line between our two best models of the universe should be expressable using nothing but physical constants is quite remarkable and it's probably telling us something we don't yet comprehend. Or as Heisenberg is alleged to have put it; "more fascinating than watching a monkey shit a grandfather clock."
>i>"Some states probably spend millions of dollars keeping staff, equipment, materials, procedures, etc. on hand and updated and still they end up in court because lethal injection doesn't always work right."
Gaffa tape a hand grenade to their face an the won't feel a thing. Since such soultions are obvious I think the underlying argument is about the death penalty itself rather than the form of execution. It's a political argument and as such if you move the legal boundries even in very small ways then it's a "win".
I grew up in Australia, I was 8 when they hung Ronald Ryan but still recall that adults were making a big deal about it. Sure some people deserve stringing up but it leaves no room for error and we all know the legal system is anything but error free. I agree with Albert Pierrepoint who after hanging around 400 people (including a friend) came to the conclusion that capital punishment is not justice, it's formalised revenge. The only "just" way for the death penalty to actually be "just" is on the spot during the act, eg: the Somali pirates that were taken out by snipers.
Yes, Australia. In Oz if you want your record cleaned up earlier than everyone else then you have to appeal against the judges original decision to record the conviction. I don't think the example is fruitfull, either you can't/won't see what I'm trying to say or I'm not explaining it as clearly as the monkeysphere article does.
Out of curiosity - what's with the formal wear? It's 38degC (~100F) in the shade at the moment and two of your brethren knocked on my door about an hour ago dressed in suits.
"I'll ask you again: are you opposed to the idea of expunging juvenile records in general?"
No but your description is not how those laws usually work. Normally a conviction like that stays on the books for X number of years and then is automatically discarded.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah it's a lot of money but $300 Million out of a total of $22 Billion is barely more than 1%. Also revenue alone tells you nothing about earnings.
Depends what you are selling, here in Oz we maintain our first world status mainly by digging up and selling the shinny rocks needed to make lil-Jamie's heavy metal jewlery and almost everything else you find on a market stall. China overtook the US as our biggest customer quite a while ago. Mind you bulk carriers full of special rocks practically sell themselves and there is no point in advertising them to the impoverished masses.
Just a few points...
1. Almost all glaciers are receding precipitously due to AGW, the slashdot article you point to is about the fact that Himalayan glaciers are retrtreating at a faster rate due to soot. The effect of soot on ice has been well documented over the last 50yrs.
2. Your magic eight ball is more informative than Anthony Watts. Watts is either a popogandist or a crank.
3. The world is not heading into 30 years of mini-ice age.
4. There will always be cold spells.
However I agree with your conclusion, the IPCC has been pointing out for over a decade now that the delta's in southern China, India and Bangladesh which currently support well over a billion people are "toast". I doubt the rest of the world will suddenly forget nationalisim and allow those people to simply "get out of Dodge".
"Just that one should look at yourself before looking down at others."
Good advise, let me help. Your stereotype of people who drive a Prius seems to be that they stereotype people who drive an SUV.
You have a different opinion to the GP and have had some success in voicing it, therefore you must be corrupt. ;)
Troll? - It was clearly flamebait, I can only assume I upset an extremist mod by using the words "greenpeace" and "tea parties" in the same sentence.
Some of it will but it's also chemically reactive, it's the hydro part of hydrocarbons.
Pollution isn't an amorpous blob, it's a specific resource "out of place". As long as the amount out of place is not causing problems then yes it ok to pollute to a small enough degree. No pollution at all "just in case" simply means we would rather die than piss on a tree. This does not mean small levels can't have a significant impact (re: GHG concentrations) it just means you have to look at the facts before declaring which byproducts of life are a serious health hazard.
No, with homeopathy water conviently has amnesia when it comes to shit molecules and other nasties.
"Is this the fucking Greenpeace sight?"
No. As a "greenie" since the 70's I can assure you greenpeace were blinded by ideology a long time ago.
I think this became pretty obvious when they started campaigning against chlorinated water a couple of decades ago. Despite the fact it has been repeatedly pointed out to them, it seems to have escaped their attention that chlorination was probably the single largest improvement in public health in the 20th century.
It happens to all political movements, they start off with a real issue and end up handling associated facts with the same respect fox news does. Often the founders end up either quitting in disgust (as is the case with GP) or being pushed out by the spin doctors. Organisations such as GP are also susceptable to having people form "tea parties" and go off doing their own thing under the organisations banner.
None of this means leaky reactors are not "news for nerds", that's just you sticking your fingers in your ears and singing "la, la, la, la" because you saw the word greenpeace. If TFA that I haven't read is a bullshit press release from GP then by the time it reaches the bottom of the front page there will be a dozen or more highly rated post that debunk it with sound logic, reputable references and a bit of humour.
BTW: You almost got it right, "Luddite" accurately describes some parts of GP policy but it's doubtfull the editor who posted TFA subscribes to it.
Perhaps you are thinking of surface temprature rather than air temprature. All official air temprature recordings (the ones you hear on the news) are taken in the shade, surface temp can be 10-15deg warmer than air temp. I've lived in Oz for half a century and have never heard* of it going above 50degC in the shade, 47.3degC is the record for Melbourne. But yeah, it's hot and humid at the moment, last night was Melbourne's (equal) hottest night on record, can't wait for the cold front to get here.
* - A quick google turned up the following => "The highest temperature ever recorded anywhere in Australia was 53.1C (127.6F) in Cloncurry, Queensland on 16th January 1889. In recent years, the validity of this record has been challenged, since it was a while ago and the equipment used would not satisfy today’s standards. However, most people still regard this as the record. The Meteorological Office, however, is prepared to vouch only for the 50.7C (123.3F) recorded in Oodnadatta, South Australia on 2nd January 1960."
Most reputable charities will provide information on what percentage of the funds are chewed up by admin. 20-30% is typical and not unreasonable.
Yes, similar labelling laws operate here in Oz and I made a similar point in a serious comment elsewhere.
"Are you saying that it isn't just to formally revenge the victim?"
The answer depends on how you define Justice, I would define the implementation of justice as an act that restores, or adequately compensates for, what the victim has lost. Some deeds simply can't be undone or justly compensated for. Other than the poetic kind (and using my #def) there is no possible justice for the murder victim, although blood money may compensate the relatives for the loss of the victims material input, it does nothing for the victim.
The overused Gahndi quote sums it up best "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". The victim and the murderer are both dead and (unless you believe in hell), are no longer suffering. The outcome for those still alive after the execution is a doubling of the number of families that are suffering a loss.
Since murder can't be undone the question then becomes one of can we do anything to the murderer to deter other would-be murderers, such as publicly hang, draw and quater him followed by prominently displaying the butchered corpse at various public places? It's a logical idea that appeals to our base emotions but real world experience says it doesn't work as a deterent even for less passionate crimes such as drug smuggling.
"Of course given that the real murderer is executed, that he got a fair trial, that the murder wasn't an accident etc"
In the same manner that you can defeat terrorists without using their methods, you can punish murderers without killing them. Personally I think the state should set the example of - we only kill in self defence or defence of the innocent in mortal danger, but it's "you're country - you're rules".
None of the above means I think that murders don't deserve a bullet to the head but what we are given is the track record of the state/church/lynch-mob, It says that there is a very significant risk of inadvertently commiting the irreversible act you're trying to deter. IMHO and the opinion of the clear majority of nation states, it's an unacceptable risk.
I don't see the US joining the rest of the world in this "enlightened" view of capital punishment any time soon. A poll of SCOTUS a few years ago found that a majority of the SC Judges thought that shooting an unarmed fleeing thief was justifyable.
I would imagine the inside of those suits are pretty grubby on a day like today and as it so happens the last time I was interested in anything offered at my door was a grubby guy in overalls who spotted my driveway numbers were worn out and offered to repaint them for $20. However on a day like today wearing a suit (or overalls) is going past the point of social norms into "mad dogs, englishmen and mormons go out in the midday sun" territory.
;)
Individual principles are guidelines for behaviour they are not immutable laws of nature, past a certain point of application they contradict each other.
"To believe in a random universe requires a lot more mental gymnastics to reconcile the observed universe with that world view."
Yes, the universe is far stranger than fiction, it's also more usefull.
Offtopic??? - I have points but have already commented elsewhere.
"The whole concept of Planck length dictates minimum distances, angles and such, and objects have granularity"
You have been misinformed but it's a common misconception. The Plank length is the base unit for a system of units derived from physical constants, geometries smaller than the PL are where GR theory stops working and QM takes over. That the dividing line between our two best models of the universe should be expressable using nothing but physical constants is quite remarkable and it's probably telling us something we don't yet comprehend. Or as Heisenberg is alleged to have put it; "more fascinating than watching a monkey shit a grandfather clock."
>i>"Some states probably spend millions of dollars keeping staff, equipment, materials, procedures, etc. on hand and updated and still they end up in court because lethal injection doesn't always work right."
Gaffa tape a hand grenade to their face an the won't feel a thing. Since such soultions are obvious I think the underlying argument is about the death penalty itself rather than the form of execution. It's a political argument and as such if you move the legal boundries even in very small ways then it's a "win".
I grew up in Australia, I was 8 when they hung Ronald Ryan but still recall that adults were making a big deal about it. Sure some people deserve stringing up but it leaves no room for error and we all know the legal system is anything but error free. I agree with Albert Pierrepoint who after hanging around 400 people (including a friend) came to the conclusion that capital punishment is not justice, it's formalised revenge. The only "just" way for the death penalty to actually be "just" is on the spot during the act, eg: the Somali pirates that were taken out by snipers.
They used to sell cigarettes on airliners, if someone else is getting a nut free zone I want my smoking zone back.
"Conversely, my uncle can eat nuts, but peanuts may require him to take a trip to the hospital."
The problem with most nuts you buy are that they contain traces of peanuts because of the way they are processed and packed.
"and an elephant-free zone, and so on"
If they stopped serving peanuts on planes they wouldn't have problems with elephants.
"Perhaps you live somewhere besides the US?
Yes, Australia. In Oz if you want your record cleaned up earlier than everyone else then you have to appeal against the judges original decision to record the conviction. I don't think the example is fruitfull, either you can't/won't see what I'm trying to say or I'm not explaining it as clearly as the monkeysphere article does.
Out of curiosity - what's with the formal wear? It's 38degC (~100F) in the shade at the moment and two of your brethren knocked on my door about an hour ago dressed in suits.
You can also see through a windmill.
"I'll ask you again: are you opposed to the idea of expunging juvenile records in general?"
No but your description is not how those laws usually work. Normally a conviction like that stays on the books for X number of years and then is automatically discarded.