Actually, what you're suggesting (from a different viewpoint) is that poor people's children should be able to go from Sesame Street to foul language, with no voice from some parents (who are actually concerned about bad language in their household) being heard. At least that would be the liberal viewpoint
Like it or not, the norm in American households, especially those with children in them, is to refrain from using what most people (wether they use it or not) deem to be foul language. I can't speak for all Americans, obviously, but I would wager that most agree they don't want it on public television, especially public television funded with their hard earned tax dollars.
Spend a little less time trying to make the simplest of events a "Republican vs. Democrat" issue and realize this one is more an issue of enforcing what has been enforced in the past, nothing more.
I, for one, appreciate the fact that I can still count on PBS being a channel that my children can watch without hearing language that isn't appropriate for a 10 year old to use daily, or being subject to Dennis Franz' ass.
Tabbed browsing was actually the reason I decided to try Opera. Previously, I wrote my own browser using MDI for a similar effect. What's actually kept me using Opera (besides the tabs.. I really like 'em) are other features like toggling off images with a click or a shortcut key, the notes feature, and the fact that it can save your sessions... very nice.
Could this censorship of PBS have anything to do with the new Bush donor appointees to its board? Or tie in with the addition of rightwing moutpieces to the PBS lineup?
or possibly anything to do with the fact that PBS is both publicly and privately (by the likes of Coca-Cola)funded? As PBS falls into the realm of public television, the FCC has to consider that ALL of the public can view their programs. As far as I know, fuck and shit have never been allowed on public television. If you want to hear those words en masse, pay for HBO and watch the Sopranos.
Otherwise, deal with the idea that some people actually are offended by that kind of language, and since every tax-paying American can claim to be partially responsible for funding these programs, some discression should be considered.
Given, also, that Dreyfuss and Black read from prepared statements, I would suggest that they planned for such an event, and had hoped to use it to gain publicity for a program that, being aired on PBS, was guaranteed a low Nielson rating. Remember, in Hollywood, there's no such thing as bad publicity. Just ask Michael Moore.
It's interesting that you point that out. My great aunt was a civilian contractor for the US Air Force in the 40's and 50's. She worked for a while in the NW group (I'm not sure when or where), and in 1979, she died of lung cancer. She was also a 2 pack a day smoker. Was the military responsible for her death? Doubtfully, although I wouldn't go as far as to say they weren't responsible for anyone else on those teams dying from some form of cancer.
I'm sorry, I missed the point you were trying to make earlier. Check this page out when you get a chance though. MSFT's market cap is 298.37B, and has 10.79B shares outstanding, giving them a relative value of $27.65/share... so they're trading right about in line with the share value. They've got a forward P/E of around 20... still slightly higher than the SP& 500.
All that means is they're not a horrible buy if you're investing on numbers alone. Understanding the technology sector and specifically MSFT a bit, I agree that it would be a horrible buy now and in the near future.
One of the problems with companies with growing/large market caps is they lose the ability to grow fast... the old analogy about a speed boat turning vs. a battleship fits. They're just way to big to make any quick moves in the technology sector, and I think they're only chance is to keep force-feeding people Windows and Office, two of my least favorite products.
after 30 years of doing business, they have only made about $6 per share (which costs $27.89).
Actually, you don't read it right. Microsoft's stock has split 9 times, and 1 share in 1987 would give you 288 today. The value of one share on Sept 18, 1987 was $114.50, and the value of one share on Feb 14, 2003 was $24.96. Given that you would have 288 shares, your beginning value of $114.50 would have ended up at $7,188.48.
A quick trip to CNNMoney's Financial Calculator will tell you that's an annualized rate of return of 44%. The historical average of the DOW Jones is about 10%, the S&P 500 12%, and the NASDAQ about 14%. I'd say MSFT would have been a worthwhile investment until February of 2003.
MSFT's P/E is 40.76, while the S&P 500 is 19.4, definitely a much higher price to earnings. However, Microsoft was traditionally a growth stock, not a dividend payer.
Conclusion - MSFT may not be a great stock to own now, but it was a great stock to own for 16 years or more.
In every state, the local municipalities have no control over the speed limits imposed on highways. It's completely up to the state.
And what makes you so confident that your driving ability is above average? That's what determines the maximum speed limit (up to a point.. I think the highest now is 75). Is there nowhere near the road that a car could pull out? Is it two lane? Could there be any kids nearby?
An officer's job is not to consider all of those factors, it's to enforce the law when they see it being broken. Don't cry because you broke the law and got caught. There are these big white signs telling you what the limit is. If you don't feel like observing that limit, don't be surprised if you get a ticket.
Knowing many police officers and being engaged to one, I have a little insight into this one. In Texas specifically, it is illegal for municipalities to derive more than 10% of their income from traffic citations. If they do, the state fines them, and the municipality does not get to keep the overage.
Most police officers hate writing fines. Of course the people get upset with them, it takes too much time to do the paperwork, and they have to go to court.
Police generally set up "speed traps" in response to public complaints, or high accident rates in a particular area.
When police do monitor high crime areas of town, people that live in that area complain that there is too much presence and they don't feel comfortable.
So don't get mad at the officers, they're only doing what their CO's tell them to do. Get mad at the chief, the mayor, or the city council.
Strange.. I was a witness in a criminal case against a woman who lost control of her car and killed two people, injuring another 4. What was she doing that was so bad? Nothing other than speeding. Lost control of her car in a turn that was clearly marked with signs that suggested a speed 10 MPH less than the current one on the road. Of course, she was already doing about 20 higher.
So tell the family that lost their parents speeding didn't harm anyone else. Moron.
That's pretty nice.. My Kawasaki Vulcan 750 only gets around 50 MPG, no matter wether it's on the streets or highway.
I have to move lots of equipment, so we also have an Astro minivan, and it gets around 20MPG. Then we have a full sized pickup for hauling the horses and their crap, and it only gets around 14MPG. Needless to say, I'm on the Vulcan whenever possible.
Although you can typically get the MSDN Unversal for as low as ~$400 if your company already has a bulk licensing agreement with MS, meaning you've overpaid for lots of other stuff, and can reclaim a portion of that overpayment on your MSDN Universal. At least, that's what we did when I was at CPChem.
I'd have to agree that NPR is probably the least biased news I listen to (can't get BBC in my truck until I get the XM tuner installed).
That being said, it's almost impossible to report news without any slant whatsoever. The reason seems to be that people become disinterested with a report that flip-flops between views, and they're left with the question "what in the world are they trying to tell us?" The average (US) citizen wants to be spoon fed, wether it be by liberal or conservative media.
The wise listener will not focus on only one station for reports, but will listen to both liberal and conservative media, and make their own decisions.
I've learned that if you tell it like it is, the shady ones will run screaming, and the shops where they want quality work will line up and wait for you... seriously. I've got more work in the Houston area than I know what to do with, and am contemplating starting my own business to handle it all.
Being a coder, I'll own up to having written bad code in the past. I even tried justifying it at times with "but I had a deadline" or "I tried to plead my case but management wouldn't listen" or other drabble.
These days, I simply won't take work from people who demand I write code their way, or impose unreasonable deadlines. Even in the programming decline since 2001 (it's bounced back well this year) I refuse to compromise my work because of someone elses ideas/deadlines/etc... because the end result is a reflection on me.
I like to think most programmers, early on at least, went through the same thing, but I could be wrong. It had nothing at all to do with having to build experience before I knew anything about the necessity of writing apps with security in mind. Rather, it had to do with needing work and compromising my own principles to gain employment.
Read the law, or at least read a few websites. Legally, copyright is theft.
I agree it's not the kind of theft that leaves the original owner without use of it. But if you take money from someone, it's theft. When you copy a song illegally, you've taken money from someone. Argue all you want that you wouldn't have purchased it anyway, but the end result is you have a copy of it. Having that copy without paying the artist/label/writer/whatever, according to the law, means you stole it.
Funny... my main accounts are with Bank of America, and they, right at the front door, have a greeter to show you where to go. At the little island counter where you fill out deposit slips is a fresh pot of coffee. And between the tellers and the desk folk, there is a waiting area and a children's play center. Prior art?
Not really, just a stupid patent issue.
My deepest hope is this is the proverbial straw, and an overhaul of the USPTO becomes necessary.
Re:I may screw this up...
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Interesting, honestly. So do you think if the MPAA started the lawsuit bandwagon that you'd still download, just be more careful and not share anything?
So many artists that I've either worked with or just know are going/gone independant for that reason. I was never a known name myself other than in the studios on 16th, so I never had to deal with any of that myself. But I get more work now that I've left Nashville because I'm "indy friendly."
But yeah, I can write on my own terms, record on my own terms, and the fun has come back into recording/peforming, not beholden to anyone.
Certainly. As a matter of fact, to avoid paying $65/hr for studio time and $65/hr for an engineer, I'm building an all digital studio here at the house on a pc. Other than instruments which I already own, my largest equipment expense is the Lynx2 sound cards.... 3 of them at $800 a piece. Right now it's in the gameroom, but I'm having a contractor build above our 2.5 car garage at a cost of $7000. I figure another $5000 in materials (windows, hardwoods, walls for isolation booths). I'll have this studio done in under $15,000 I think.
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I actually laughed out loud when I read this. Very nice indeed.
Actually, what you're suggesting (from a different viewpoint) is that poor people's children should be able to go from Sesame Street to foul language, with no voice from some parents (who are actually concerned about bad language in their household) being heard. At least that would be the liberal viewpoint
Like it or not, the norm in American households, especially those with children in them, is to refrain from using what most people (wether they use it or not) deem to be foul language. I can't speak for all Americans, obviously, but I would wager that most agree they don't want it on public television, especially public television funded with their hard earned tax dollars.
Spend a little less time trying to make the simplest of events a "Republican vs. Democrat" issue and realize this one is more an issue of enforcing what has been enforced in the past, nothing more.
I, for one, appreciate the fact that I can still count on PBS being a channel that my children can watch without hearing language that isn't appropriate for a 10 year old to use daily, or being subject to Dennis Franz' ass.
Tabbed browsing was actually the reason I decided to try Opera. Previously, I wrote my own browser using MDI for a similar effect. What's actually kept me using Opera (besides the tabs.. I really like 'em) are other features like toggling off images with a click or a shortcut key, the notes feature, and the fact that it can save your sessions... very nice.
I don't miss Mozilla or IE at all.
Could this censorship of PBS have anything to do with the new Bush donor appointees to its board? Or tie in with the addition of rightwing moutpieces to the PBS lineup?
or possibly anything to do with the fact that PBS is both publicly and privately (by the likes of Coca-Cola)funded? As PBS falls into the realm of public television, the FCC has to consider that ALL of the public can view their programs. As far as I know, fuck and shit have never been allowed on public television. If you want to hear those words en masse, pay for HBO and watch the Sopranos.
Otherwise, deal with the idea that some people actually are offended by that kind of language, and since every tax-paying American can claim to be partially responsible for funding these programs, some discression should be considered.
Given, also, that Dreyfuss and Black read from prepared statements, I would suggest that they planned for such an event, and had hoped to use it to gain publicity for a program that, being aired on PBS, was guaranteed a low Nielson rating. Remember, in Hollywood, there's no such thing as bad publicity. Just ask Michael Moore.
Had I any mod points, you'd get most of them (the parent would warrant one or two). You hit a bullseye on that one.
It's interesting that you point that out. My great aunt was a civilian contractor for the US Air Force in the 40's and 50's. She worked for a while in the NW group (I'm not sure when or where), and in 1979, she died of lung cancer. She was also a 2 pack a day smoker. Was the military responsible for her death? Doubtfully, although I wouldn't go as far as to say they weren't responsible for anyone else on those teams dying from some form of cancer.
I'm sorry, I missed the point you were trying to make earlier. Check this page out when you get a chance though. MSFT's market cap is 298.37B, and has 10.79B shares outstanding, giving them a relative value of $27.65/share... so they're trading right about in line with the share value. They've got a forward P/E of around 20... still slightly higher than the SP& 500.
All that means is they're not a horrible buy if you're investing on numbers alone. Understanding the technology sector and specifically MSFT a bit, I agree that it would be a horrible buy now and in the near future.
One of the problems with companies with growing/large market caps is they lose the ability to grow fast... the old analogy about a speed boat turning vs. a battleship fits. They're just way to big to make any quick moves in the technology sector, and I think they're only chance is to keep force-feeding people Windows and Office, two of my least favorite products.
after 30 years of doing business, they have only made about $6 per share (which costs $27.89).
Actually, you don't read it right. Microsoft's stock has split 9 times, and 1 share in 1987 would give you 288 today. The value of one share on Sept 18, 1987 was $114.50, and the value of one share on Feb 14, 2003 was $24.96. Given that you would have 288 shares, your beginning value of $114.50 would have ended up at $7,188.48.
A quick trip to CNNMoney's Financial Calculator will tell you that's an annualized rate of return of 44%. The historical average of the DOW Jones is about 10%, the S&P 500 12%, and the NASDAQ about 14%. I'd say MSFT would have been a worthwhile investment until February of 2003.
MSFT's P/E is 40.76, while the S&P 500 is 19.4, definitely a much higher price to earnings. However, Microsoft was traditionally a growth stock, not a dividend payer.
Conclusion - MSFT may not be a great stock to own now, but it was a great stock to own for 16 years or more.
In every state, the local municipalities have no control over the speed limits imposed on highways. It's completely up to the state.
And what makes you so confident that your driving ability is above average? That's what determines the maximum speed limit (up to a point.. I think the highest now is 75). Is there nowhere near the road that a car could pull out? Is it two lane? Could there be any kids nearby?
An officer's job is not to consider all of those factors, it's to enforce the law when they see it being broken. Don't cry because you broke the law and got caught. There are these big white signs telling you what the limit is. If you don't feel like observing that limit, don't be surprised if you get a ticket.
Knowing many police officers and being engaged to one, I have a little insight into this one. In Texas specifically, it is illegal for municipalities to derive more than 10% of their income from traffic citations. If they do, the state fines them, and the municipality does not get to keep the overage.
Most police officers hate writing fines. Of course the people get upset with them, it takes too much time to do the paperwork, and they have to go to court.
Police generally set up "speed traps" in response to public complaints, or high accident rates in a particular area.
When police do monitor high crime areas of town, people that live in that area complain that there is too much presence and they don't feel comfortable.
So don't get mad at the officers, they're only doing what their CO's tell them to do. Get mad at the chief, the mayor, or the city council.
who aren't doing anything to harm anyone else
Strange.. I was a witness in a criminal case against a woman who lost control of her car and killed two people, injuring another 4. What was she doing that was so bad? Nothing other than speeding. Lost control of her car in a turn that was clearly marked with signs that suggested a speed 10 MPH less than the current one on the road. Of course, she was already doing about 20 higher.
So tell the family that lost their parents speeding didn't harm anyone else. Moron.
That's pretty nice.. My Kawasaki Vulcan 750 only gets around 50 MPG, no matter wether it's on the streets or highway.
I have to move lots of equipment, so we also have an Astro minivan, and it gets around 20MPG. Then we have a full sized pickup for hauling the horses and their crap, and it only gets around 14MPG. Needless to say, I'm on the Vulcan whenever possible.
Although you can typically get the MSDN Unversal for as low as ~$400 if your company already has a bulk licensing agreement with MS, meaning you've overpaid for lots of other stuff, and can reclaim a portion of that overpayment on your MSDN Universal. At least, that's what we did when I was at CPChem.
I'd have to agree that NPR is probably the least biased news I listen to (can't get BBC in my truck until I get the XM tuner installed).
That being said, it's almost impossible to report news without any slant whatsoever. The reason seems to be that people become disinterested with a report that flip-flops between views, and they're left with the question "what in the world are they trying to tell us?" The average (US) citizen wants to be spoon fed, wether it be by liberal or conservative media.
The wise listener will not focus on only one station for reports, but will listen to both liberal and conservative media, and make their own decisions.
The irony actually rests in people who seem to make generalizations without having any knowledge of what's actually written in the bible.
I've learned that if you tell it like it is, the shady ones will run screaming, and the shops where they want quality work will line up and wait for you... seriously. I've got more work in the Houston area than I know what to do with, and am contemplating starting my own business to handle it all.
Being a coder, I'll own up to having written bad code in the past. I even tried justifying it at times with "but I had a deadline" or "I tried to plead my case but management wouldn't listen" or other drabble.
These days, I simply won't take work from people who demand I write code their way, or impose unreasonable deadlines. Even in the programming decline since 2001 (it's bounced back well this year) I refuse to compromise my work because of someone elses ideas/deadlines/etc... because the end result is a reflection on me.
I like to think most programmers, early on at least, went through the same thing, but I could be wrong. It had nothing at all to do with having to build experience before I knew anything about the necessity of writing apps with security in mind. Rather, it had to do with needing work and compromising my own principles to gain employment.
Is he "fixin to" play hockey in North Dakota? Oh... wait... now I'm making fun of the way I talk...
Read the law, or at least read a few websites. Legally, copyright is theft.
I agree it's not the kind of theft that leaves the original owner without use of it. But if you take money from someone, it's theft. When you copy a song illegally, you've taken money from someone. Argue all you want that you wouldn't have purchased it anyway, but the end result is you have a copy of it. Having that copy without paying the artist/label/writer/whatever, according to the law, means you stole it.
So Joe Shmoe robs 6 liquer stores, makes off with $6000, and gets a several years in prison.
Jeff Skilling bankrupts a large company while netting several million dollars for himself, and several thousand people have lost their life savings.
Yeah, I'm sure the guy that affected six store owners for a few bucks is more of a criminal than Skilling.
Actually, having spent a good deal of time in Austin, the majority of the folks there are liberals. Now Dallas on the other hand...
Funny... my main accounts are with Bank of America, and they, right at the front door, have a greeter to show you where to go. At the little island counter where you fill out deposit slips is a fresh pot of coffee. And between the tellers and the desk folk, there is a waiting area and a children's play center. Prior art?
Not really, just a stupid patent issue.
My deepest hope is this is the proverbial straw, and an overhaul of the USPTO becomes necessary.
Interesting, honestly. So do you think if the MPAA started the lawsuit bandwagon that you'd still download, just be more careful and not share anything?
So many artists that I've either worked with or just know are going/gone independant for that reason. I was never a known name myself other than in the studios on 16th, so I never had to deal with any of that myself. But I get more work now that I've left Nashville because I'm "indy friendly."
But yeah, I can write on my own terms, record on my own terms, and the fun has come back into recording/peforming, not beholden to anyone.
Certainly. As a matter of fact, to avoid paying $65/hr for studio time and $65/hr for an engineer, I'm building an all digital studio here at the house on a pc. Other than instruments which I already own, my largest equipment expense is the Lynx2 sound cards.... 3 of them at $800 a piece. Right now it's in the gameroom, but I'm having a contractor build above our 2.5 car garage at a cost of $7000. I figure another $5000 in materials (windows, hardwoods, walls for isolation booths). I'll have this studio done in under $15,000 I think.