No, actually the OSCE were asked by Secretary of State Colin Powell to monitor the election. Furthermore, this isn't the first election in the U.S. they have monitored.
One of the main reasons Mr. Powell made the request is to show public faith in the OSCE. Primarily because DoS wants the OSCE to become more involved in fledgling democracies such as Iraq.
If the U.S. doesn't trust the OSCE enough to provide tertiary monitoring for our own elections, how can we expect anyone to accept OSCE monitoring at our recommendation?
As an American citizen, I truly hope that the OSCE is able to make recommendations to the FEC in order to reduce voter fraud. Such will serve all citizens of this country well.
whoever mod'd the parent as flamebait needs to beaten with a cluestick. It was the grandparent that was the flamebait. The parent actually has a well stated argument.
If Google is willing to provide regional censorship at the request of operating governments, how do I know that they aren't censoring my search results here in the US?
Historically I've been a big Google supporter, but I'm starting to have second thoughts here.
If this is going to be their MO, I think there is going to be a lot of room for a more open search engine that promises not to censor material.
It's just a lame excuse underacheivers make trying to pull down those who are out there making stuff happen.
Just because you don't know any single father/monthers who work two jobs and actually DON'T have time to conduct cooling experiments with no immediate application doesn't mean they don't exist.
Enough of the social commentary. Enjoy his comment as it was intended. As explaination I'll spell it out for you...H...U...M...O...R. Humor.
But the reconnection feature could be so handy without being irritating. Every other IM client will try and silently reconnect, not pop up 3 Windows every 4 seconds just to say it still can't get a connection. It really is poorly done.
If any of you would have bothered to check the preferences, you would notice that you can suppress the disconnect/reconnect dialog popups in Gaim. Thus allowing silent reconnection should you expereience any connection hicups.
I have used ICQ since around 97, and to be honest I've had just as many disconnect issues with all of their clients as I have with Gaim.
I'm not totally convinced these disconnects you are talking about are exlusive to Gaim.
You probably didn't have the newest version of GAIM installed, or you were using it right after MSN changed their protocol.
Since the various IM's keep changing their protocols, GAIM is constently needed to patch those changes. They have a rather quick release cycle though, which is one of the main reason I continue to use it.
I just want to echo a little bit of what you said. We as citizens have in part a vested interesting in both public access to governmental GIS data AND public censorship of governmental GIS data.
As most people pointed out, detailed maps and aerial photography are widely available right now. Getting access to the governments aerial photographs isn't, or shouldn't, be the issue.
The issue is the release of the actual data that is overlaid onto these maps. Because this data is what creates the spatial relationships, both physical and temporal, that makes GIS actually useful. Mainly in identifying systemic instances of disorder in a community and ultimately in producing efficient government policy to deal with it.
A part of this data is and should be made available to the public. Many governments, such as my hometown of Wichita, do indeed make a subset of this data available to the public through an interactive website.
However, there is also quite a bit of data that you don't want out in the public for privacy and other legal reasons.
Right now, a police officer investigating a sexual assault case can use a GIS system to instantly identify, which if any, registered sexual offenders are living or working near the scene of the crime. This is because their GIS system is linked to the states sexual offender database (and also assuming that database is updated continuously and correctly). We would probably all agree that this is for the good of the community.
Now imagine that this same GIS system is linked to your local DMV. Now imagine that all of this DMV information is now available to the public through a GIS website. Now imagine a sexual predator using the same search of the neighborhood to identify all addresses that include a female with a learner's permit (i.e. likely young girls ages 16-18 yrs old). We would probably all agree that this would be bad for a community.
The example is fallacious, but as an example of what is possible, hopefully it will get your imagination working. The capacity for abuse is virtually unlimited if the wrong individuals have access to the wrong types of information.
The government already has a lot of information about you and me. I personally don't want all the personal data they have about me published for the public to see. To be honest, I want as little of that information as possible known to anyone.
All of the scenes in TRON inside the computer were shot on a bare black set with the computer imagery filled in later. This was done in 1982. The actors talk about how hard that was in the making-of video in the collector's edition box set.
Thats alot like saying to someone living in NYC, "You don't need to go to Rome, its just a big city, you've seen those before."
Sure they are both big cities, but both also are quite unique. Likewise, Tron might have made the technique famous, but it definitely didn't take the techique to the extreme that Sky Captain did.
Tron had multiple sets, and was only about 2/3 CGI. Sky Captain on the other hand used the same CGI set for the entire GD movie. Give them a little credit at least.
No, I phrased that as I ment it. Family AND community structures. Either can serve the purpose of providing a nuturing environment for a child.
I'm not sure what social judgements are so unnerving to you since you didn't give me any examples, but I will say this.
Historically, through present day the family structure has been the primary social institution tasked with raising our children. Not all family structures are organized the same, but strong family structures all offer several critical benefits. Stability and support being the chief benefits. When children are raised in an environment in which these are lacking, they often find it easy to live outside of social norms and moras.
Criminal law is actually nothing more than an exercise in governemental (democractic in our case) enforcement of social norms and moras, int he hope of protectin social order. Thus criminality is the subjective abandenment of social norms.
I really believe we need to strengthen our family codes not our criminal codes. There should be more effective sanctions directed at bad parents and caretakers.
If the unnerved about "promoting strong families" was directed at the whole homosexual marriage debate, let me also say this. If it was up to me, I wouldn't classify a heterosexual couple as a family for social policy concerns unless they also served as a primary caretaker of children (that includes tax breaks and everything). Mainly because I see child-rearing as the only true purpose of family structures in society.
If you want to see some very interesting research on criminal causation and social policy look at some of the work done by Doctors Hirschi and Gottfredson over at the University of Arizona. They've come to some very interresting and logical conclusions.
I don't believe any of their journal publications are open source. As such you'd need access to a university research library, but you might be able to find reviews of their material if you google them.
I do believe that social policies do have a direct impact on social behaviour and expectations. There is a very fuzzy "line" that otherwise law-abiding people can be pushed over by circumstances. I'm saying that if there is a investment through social policy that pushes few people over than line then it can result in a net savings for society and fewer individual incidents.
Not all poor people are criminals, and not all criminals are poor.
There might be a corrilation between being poor and committing a crime. But that isn't proof that it is "the" or even "a" cause of crime.
It can and has been argued that people who are poor and criminal might actually be poor because they are criminal, not criminal because they are poor.
Its one of the things stressed in self-control theory research. Only two elements are universal for criminality. The opportunity to commit a crime, and an individual who is unable to restrain himself from committing a crime. This a fairly basic tenant of the theory.
The innate nature of criminality seems at least in part to be validated by the total lack of corrilation between "treatment" of criminals and "reform" of criminals. So far the only thing that seems to decrease criminality (impirically speaking) is the age of the individual.
But then this is what criminologists and social science researchers have been trying to determine for centuries.
The only proven social policy for reducing criminality in citizen populations is to educate and maintain children. Particularly through strong family and community structures. So stop throwing money away trying to reform repeat offenders. Spend it on promoting strong families and well educated children.
The only accusation that hasn't been disputed was Kerry's earlier claim to have been in Cambodia on Christmas, but after the Swift Boat ads his campain managers have been backing away from this claim.
The other claims all involved combat, or more accurately, after action reports filed by various people. Many people right now believe that the differences of objective opinion are more largely due to the "fog of war" effect that occurs in a stressful environment like this. Primarily because outside of the sworn affedavit's that the Swift Boat group made, there hasn't been alot of concrete proof.
It should be pointed out that this swings both ways however since Kerry has no concrete proof that his version of events is true either. If he did, he would take the Swift Boats group to court over the accusations in those sworn affedavit's and sue them for liable and slander thus ending this debate.
There has also been huge amounts of evidence that the sift boat vets for thruth have direct ties to the Bush campaign (a violation of campaign finance law if true). The web off connections has been document in the New Your Times as well as various web sites.
Yep, legal counsel for the Bush campaign and Swift Boats for Justice shared the same lawyer.
Of course it later came out that the Kerry Campaign and MoveOn.org shared the same lawyer too when this same Kerry/MoveOn.org lawyer publically defended the Bush/Swift Boat lawyer's ability to act independently while handling both accounts.
Though probably this was to cover his own ass as well.
Argh, I fail to see how GWB is making the US a safer place. The US has now gone 3 years without a terrorist attack. Gee, I think there wasn't an attack between 11 Sept 1998 and 10 Sept 2001, was there?
There were a bunch of attacks against the U.S. between 11 Sept 1998 and 10 Sept 2001. The Kenya Embassy bombing, the Kobar Tower bombing and the USS Cole bombing all come to mind. And lets not forget that the World Trade Center was a frequent terrorist bombing target (with some success) around and prior to this time frame.
To play devil's advocate, U.S. troops have been targetted targetted post 9/11, so I think its difficult to show that we haven't experienced terrorism as you seem to say President Bush says we haven't (assuming you haven't mischaracterized his statement).
But it is does seem to hold true that we haven't experienced attacks against civilian structures like those similar to the World Trade Center and the U.S. Embassy in Kenya since 9/11.
Though I think having our men and women fighting these same terrorists outside military compounds in foriegn countries is probably insulating us here in the civilian world. What will be telling is whether or not terrorism incidents resume against civilian targets after we decrease our presence in Iraq/Afganistan.
If they were smarter, they wouldn't vote for Bush. But dumb people need representation too, right?
Aside from the parent being an obvious Troll, this is a perfect example of what is wrong with most politicians. The parent is likely a Democrat, but in truth you can probably find it in each and every party.
These type of politicians automatically assume that their personal experience and knowledge was arrived at through flawless logic and insight. Subsequently their view points are the only correct view point possible.
Then they go on to extrapolate that anyone who has a different opinion obviously is less intelligent and thus unable to achieve their own level of flawless logic and insight. And in short, patently wrong-headed (because they don't agree with "me").
I'll grant that your view point may be logical arrived at considering your limited experience. But to claim insight requires one to consider diverse view points in a fair and critical manner of some lenghty temporal span. And from your use of language I am unable to identify any such insight.
A bicycle isn't obstructing traffic. It IS traffic. A bicycle has the smae legal rights to be on the street as an automobile. Automobiles obstruct traffic every single day.
So let me get this straight, because maybe his technology is advanced enough to overcome this and simply noone has mentioned it...
He is able to peddle his bike through traffic AND utilize this chalk drawing mechanism without distrupting traffic at all? I remain dubious.
Just remember, the only place you could legally protest during the DNC was inside the "free-speech" area which was deliniated with chain-link fence and barbed wire.
The only real difference between the DNC Fenced Area and the NYPD Pier Jail is that the NYPD at least drive you there and feed you.
For good or ill, the DNC and RNC seem to have taken extremely different measures, but both limited the ability of ciitizens to protest in a public venue.
My point was that the parent to my original reply was using a very poor argument.
Geeks/Hackers as well as many other socially classified groups have chosen to accept negative social and legal consiquences at times.
But this doesn't prove that being a Geek/Hacker is a characteristic you are born with. Rather it seems to prove that some people get their self-worth from things other than main-stream social opinion.
In other words, the parent to my original reply is full of shit.
Well, if war fighting was the only way the USA helped Britain during WWI and WWII you might have a point.
But the truth is, the USA provided MASSIVE material and industrial support prior to the mobilization of a US expeditionary force to Europe.
National Defense and Military Might are not all about war fighting. They also have alot to do with material and industrial support ensure the completion of an expedition.
Also, I thought it was the Americans who fought on the Western front, not the Russians.
For a good example of how well this idea works, try asking the opinion of someone who has been hit by an uninsured motorist.
The truth is, there are already people out there using this idea to run their life. And when these same people destroy property or injure people with their vehicles they leave the damaged/injured party to foot the bill.
Your idea would only work if all automobile operators were responsible and fiscally-fit individuals. Sadly this has never been the case in any society.
Slashdot Mirror
No, actually the OSCE were asked by Secretary of State Colin Powell to monitor the election. Furthermore, this isn't the first election in the U.S. they have monitored.
One of the main reasons Mr. Powell made the request is to show public faith in the OSCE. Primarily because DoS wants the OSCE to become more involved in fledgling democracies such as Iraq.
If the U.S. doesn't trust the OSCE enough to provide tertiary monitoring for our own elections, how can we expect anyone to accept OSCE monitoring at our recommendation?
As an American citizen, I truly hope that the OSCE is able to make recommendations to the FEC in order to reduce voter fraud. Such will serve all citizens of this country well.
whoever mod'd the parent as flamebait needs to beaten with a cluestick. It was the grandparent that was the flamebait. The parent actually has a well stated argument.
So India has found a more cost effective way of educating the population.
Nice prediction, and honestly I hope its true.
But I think we would need some objective measurement before we can determine whether or not this is a more effective way of educating the public.
If there isn't effective cirriculum to be broadcast, it could end up being a massive waste of money.
If Google is willing to provide regional censorship at the request of operating governments, how do I know that they aren't censoring my search results here in the US?
Historically I've been a big Google supporter, but I'm starting to have second thoughts here.
If this is going to be their MO, I think there is going to be a lot of room for a more open search engine that promises not to censor material.
It's just a lame excuse underacheivers make trying to pull down those who are out there making stuff happen.
Just because you don't know any single father/monthers who work two jobs and actually DON'T have time to conduct cooling experiments with no immediate application doesn't mean they don't exist.
Enough of the social commentary. Enjoy his comment as it was intended. As explaination I'll spell it out for you...H...U...M...O...R. Humor.
But the reconnection feature could be so handy without being irritating. Every other IM client will try and silently reconnect, not pop up 3 Windows every 4 seconds just to say it still can't get a connection. It really is poorly done.
If any of you would have bothered to check the preferences, you would notice that you can suppress the disconnect/reconnect dialog popups in Gaim. Thus allowing silent reconnection should you expereience any connection hicups.
I have used ICQ since around 97, and to be honest I've had just as many disconnect issues with all of their clients as I have with Gaim.
I'm not totally convinced these disconnects you are talking about are exlusive to Gaim.
You probably didn't have the newest version of GAIM installed, or you were using it right after MSN changed their protocol.
Since the various IM's keep changing their protocols, GAIM is constently needed to patch those changes. They have a rather quick release cycle though, which is one of the main reason I continue to use it.
Viva la Gaim!
I just want to echo a little bit of what you said. We as citizens have in part a vested interesting in both public access to governmental GIS data AND public censorship of governmental GIS data.
As most people pointed out, detailed maps and aerial photography are widely available right now. Getting access to the governments aerial photographs isn't, or shouldn't, be the issue.
The issue is the release of the actual data that is overlaid onto these maps. Because this data is what creates the spatial relationships, both physical and temporal, that makes GIS actually useful. Mainly in identifying systemic instances of disorder in a community and ultimately in producing efficient government policy to deal with it.
A part of this data is and should be made available to the public. Many governments, such as my hometown of Wichita, do indeed make a subset of this data available to the public through an interactive website.
However, there is also quite a bit of data that you don't want out in the public for privacy and other legal reasons.
Right now, a police officer investigating a sexual assault case can use a GIS system to instantly identify, which if any, registered sexual offenders are living or working near the scene of the crime. This is because their GIS system is linked to the states sexual offender database (and also assuming that database is updated continuously and correctly). We would probably all agree that this is for the good of the community.
Now imagine that this same GIS system is linked to your local DMV. Now imagine that all of this DMV information is now available to the public through a GIS website. Now imagine a sexual predator using the same search of the neighborhood to identify all addresses that include a female with a learner's permit (i.e. likely young girls ages 16-18 yrs old). We would probably all agree that this would be bad for a community.
The example is fallacious, but as an example of what is possible, hopefully it will get your imagination working. The capacity for abuse is virtually unlimited if the wrong individuals have access to the wrong types of information.
The government already has a lot of information about you and me. I personally don't want all the personal data they have about me published for the public to see. To be honest, I want as little of that information as possible known to anyone.
All of the scenes in TRON inside the computer were shot on a bare black set with the computer imagery filled in later. This was done in 1982. The actors talk about how hard that was in the making-of video in the collector's edition box set.
Thats alot like saying to someone living in NYC, "You don't need to go to Rome, its just a big city, you've seen those before."
Sure they are both big cities, but both also are quite unique. Likewise, Tron might have made the technique famous, but it definitely didn't take the techique to the extreme that Sky Captain did.
Tron had multiple sets, and was only about 2/3 CGI. Sky Captain on the other hand used the same CGI set for the entire GD movie. Give them a little credit at least.
No, I phrased that as I ment it. Family AND community structures. Either can serve the purpose of providing a nuturing environment for a child.
I'm not sure what social judgements are so unnerving to you since you didn't give me any examples, but I will say this.
Historically, through present day the family structure has been the primary social institution tasked with raising our children. Not all family structures are organized the same, but strong family structures all offer several critical benefits. Stability and support being the chief benefits. When children are raised in an environment in which these are lacking, they often find it easy to live outside of social norms and moras.
Criminal law is actually nothing more than an exercise in governemental (democractic in our case) enforcement of social norms and moras, int he hope of protectin social order. Thus criminality is the subjective abandenment of social norms.
I really believe we need to strengthen our family codes not our criminal codes. There should be more effective sanctions directed at bad parents and caretakers.
If the unnerved about "promoting strong families" was directed at the whole homosexual marriage debate, let me also say this. If it was up to me, I wouldn't classify a heterosexual couple as a family for social policy concerns unless they also served as a primary caretaker of children (that includes tax breaks and everything). Mainly because I see child-rearing as the only true purpose of family structures in society.
If you want to see some very interesting research on criminal causation and social policy look at some of the work done by Doctors Hirschi and Gottfredson over at the University of Arizona. They've come to some very interresting and logical conclusions.
I don't believe any of their journal publications are open source. As such you'd need access to a university research library, but you might be able to find reviews of their material if you google them.
I do believe that social policies do have a direct impact on social behaviour and expectations. There is a very fuzzy "line" that otherwise law-abiding people can be pushed over by circumstances. I'm saying that if there is a investment through social policy that pushes few people over than line then it can result in a net savings for society and fewer individual incidents.
Not all poor people are criminals, and not all criminals are poor.
There might be a corrilation between being poor and committing a crime. But that isn't proof that it is "the" or even "a" cause of crime.
It can and has been argued that people who are poor and criminal might actually be poor because they are criminal, not criminal because they are poor.
Its one of the things stressed in self-control theory research. Only two elements are universal for criminality. The opportunity to commit a crime, and an individual who is unable to restrain himself from committing a crime. This a fairly basic tenant of the theory.
The innate nature of criminality seems at least in part to be validated by the total lack of corrilation between "treatment" of criminals and "reform" of criminals. So far the only thing that seems to decrease criminality (impirically speaking) is the age of the individual.
But then this is what criminologists and social science researchers have been trying to determine for centuries.
The only proven social policy for reducing criminality in citizen populations is to educate and maintain children. Particularly through strong family and community structures. So stop throwing money away trying to reform repeat offenders. Spend it on promoting strong families and well educated children.
The only accusation that hasn't been disputed was Kerry's earlier claim to have been in Cambodia on Christmas, but after the Swift Boat ads his campain managers have been backing away from this claim.
The other claims all involved combat, or more accurately, after action reports filed by various people. Many people right now believe that the differences of objective opinion are more largely due to the "fog of war" effect that occurs in a stressful environment like this. Primarily because outside of the sworn affedavit's that the Swift Boat group made, there hasn't been alot of concrete proof.
It should be pointed out that this swings both ways however since Kerry has no concrete proof that his version of events is true either. If he did, he would take the Swift Boats group to court over the accusations in those sworn affedavit's and sue them for liable and slander thus ending this debate.
There has also been huge amounts of evidence that the sift boat vets for thruth have direct ties to the Bush campaign (a violation of campaign finance law if true). The web off connections has been document in the New Your Times as well as various web sites.
Yep, legal counsel for the Bush campaign and Swift Boats for Justice shared the same lawyer.
Of course it later came out that the Kerry Campaign and MoveOn.org shared the same lawyer too when this same Kerry/MoveOn.org lawyer publically defended the Bush/Swift Boat lawyer's ability to act independently while handling both accounts.
Though probably this was to cover his own ass as well.
Someone should tell every major news outlet that...
Which is why so many people get their news from "The Daily Show".
Argh, I fail to see how GWB is making the US a safer place. The US has now gone 3 years without a terrorist attack. Gee, I think there wasn't an attack between 11 Sept 1998 and 10 Sept 2001, was there?
There were a bunch of attacks against the U.S. between 11 Sept 1998 and 10 Sept 2001. The Kenya Embassy bombing, the Kobar Tower bombing and the USS Cole bombing all come to mind. And lets not forget that the World Trade Center was a frequent terrorist bombing target (with some success) around and prior to this time frame.
To play devil's advocate, U.S. troops have been targetted targetted post 9/11, so I think its difficult to show that we haven't experienced terrorism as you seem to say President Bush says we haven't (assuming you haven't mischaracterized his statement).
But it is does seem to hold true that we haven't experienced attacks against civilian structures like those similar to the World Trade Center and the U.S. Embassy in Kenya since 9/11.
Though I think having our men and women fighting these same terrorists outside military compounds in foriegn countries is probably insulating us here in the civilian world. What will be telling is whether or not terrorism incidents resume against civilian targets after we decrease our presence in Iraq/Afganistan.
If they were smarter, they wouldn't vote for Bush. But dumb people need representation too, right?
Aside from the parent being an obvious Troll, this is a perfect example of what is wrong with most politicians. The parent is likely a Democrat, but in truth you can probably find it in each and every party.
These type of politicians automatically assume that their personal experience and knowledge was arrived at through flawless logic and insight. Subsequently their view points are the only correct view point possible.
Then they go on to extrapolate that anyone who has a different opinion obviously is less intelligent and thus unable to achieve their own level of flawless logic and insight. And in short, patently wrong-headed (because they don't agree with "me").
I'll grant that your view point may be logical arrived at considering your limited experience. But to claim insight requires one to consider diverse view points in a fair and critical manner of some lenghty temporal span. And from your use of language I am unable to identify any such insight.
Moderators really need to learn how to read the timestamp on these posts.
Although since our editors can't figure out simple math, I suppose it should be expected around here.
The real news is that this is actually the year 1994!
A bicycle isn't obstructing traffic. It IS traffic. A bicycle has the smae legal rights to be on the street as an automobile. Automobiles obstruct traffic every single day.
So let me get this straight, because maybe his technology is advanced enough to overcome this and simply noone has mentioned it...
He is able to peddle his bike through traffic AND utilize this chalk drawing mechanism without distrupting traffic at all? I remain dubious.
Just remember, the only place you could legally protest during the DNC was inside the "free-speech" area which was deliniated with chain-link fence and barbed wire.
The only real difference between the DNC Fenced Area and the NYPD Pier Jail is that the NYPD at least drive you there and feed you.
For good or ill, the DNC and RNC seem to have taken extremely different measures, but both limited the ability of ciitizens to protest in a public venue.
Granted I haven't been on EVERY street in NYC, but how do you put messages on blacktop in NYC without obstructing traffic to some degree?
My point was that the parent to my original reply was using a very poor argument.
Geeks/Hackers as well as many other socially classified groups have chosen to accept negative social and legal consiquences at times.
But this doesn't prove that being a Geek/Hacker is a characteristic you are born with. Rather it seems to prove that some people get their self-worth from things other than main-stream social opinion.
In other words, the parent to my original reply is full of shit.
Let me ask you this: Why would someone choose to be vilified, outlawed, and unable to find a date?
Who the hell knows? But hackers and geeks have been living this way since the dawn of time... "vilified, outlawed and unable to find dates!"
Well, if war fighting was the only way the USA helped Britain during WWI and WWII you might have a point.
But the truth is, the USA provided MASSIVE material and industrial support prior to the mobilization of a US expeditionary force to Europe.
National Defense and Military Might are not all about war fighting. They also have alot to do with material and industrial support ensure the completion of an expedition.
Also, I thought it was the Americans who fought on the Western front, not the Russians.
For a good example of how well this idea works, try asking the opinion of someone who has been hit by an uninsured motorist.
The truth is, there are already people out there using this idea to run their life. And when these same people destroy property or injure people with their vehicles they leave the damaged/injured party to foot the bill.
Your idea would only work if all automobile operators were responsible and fiscally-fit individuals. Sadly this has never been the case in any society.