It's pretty easy to argue they had a reasonable expectation of privacy for the data held on their phone. Thankfully, since the justice system works so well here, bankruptcy is a fairly common occurrence in order to pay for establishing such grounds.
Actually, you don't have a right to privacy in any of the Public School systems in PA. Minors have no right to Privacy under PA law in general, but the school systems (as stated above by another poster) send home paperwork signed by parents/guardians (and in the case of some of the paperwork) and the students that expressly removes not only the right of privacy (except where one might expect--restroom or shower/changing area) but also grants the right to search property on school grounds--even cars.
Ah yes,the old morass about not eating pork, or shellfish, or the wearing of clothing made from two different materials, etc.
The Bible had two types of Laws contained within its' pages: Moralistic Law, and Ceremonial Law. Moralistic Law is the Law of the 'Ten Commandments'; laws forbidding murder, theft, lying, disrespect to ones' parents, to God, etc. These were covered by Christ in Matthew 22:34-40 in his discussion with the Pharisees. On the other hand, Ceremonial Law is the things by which God set apart the tribe of Israel. Ceremonial Laws included circumcision, eating of pork or shellfish, the wearing of clothing made from a single type of material, etc. When Christ came, he fulfilled the Law--both Mosaic and Ceremonial. Upon His death when the Veil separating God from Man was torn asunder, Ceremonial Law no longer applied. Belief in Christ and His Salvation is now what sets Christians apart from all others. With that belief, then, comes the desire to be more Christ-like in our actions--to obey the Law God has set forth. Naturally, we will fail at times, which is why God has lain His Grace upon us. Just as this father forgave his son, so God forgives his children.
Well thought out and answered; I would only and the following in support of your thoughts:
It is clear from Matthew 5:21-24 that even having bad thoughts about ones' brother (brother being anyone--not just a blood relative) is the same as committing murder.
Admittedly, I sit on the fence with regard to both Afghanistan and Iraq. With the alleged involvement of Bin Laden (who, btw, was the very FIRST person I suspected--based upon the events of 1993) we certainly have an obligation to capture and try him in court. Iraq, as another has already discussed, could be argued that we were defending innocents from a brutal dictator. The Sanctions would never have worked, as long as they were still selling oil under the table. Saddam Hussein would have ruled that country until he died. Of course, one thing we have glossed over is that WE put him in power.
Even moreso is the question---Who reads DDJ? I work in a office of nothing but developers; and one lone DBA/netadmin (me). The older developers (in my age group) have heard of DDJ, but have long since quit reading it. The younger ones googled it, and thought it was essentially a non-useful entity since they get all of their information via blogroll.
Has the print media world itself actually (in many cases) outlived its' usefulness? Don't get me wrong--much like James Kirk I love turning pages and holding a book: eReaders do nothing for me. They would get stolen at lunch, but I can leave a book on my table without fear. I just wonder if magazines like DDJ and others of its' ilk should have gone the way of Byte! long ago.
>>Small amounts, trapped and recyclable. More mercury is produced from generating the extra power required by incandescents.
I have to drive my car 100 miles to find a place that will accept the bulbs for recycling; since there is nothing set up in my township yet. With the current economy, there are no plans for the next two years. The nearest place I can take them with no restrictions (restrictions being, PP&L electric customer or resident of city/township) is in Philadelphia; a 200-mile road trip. I can tell you now not many people will do that--it's hard enough to get them to put cans and bottles in the recycle bin.
I predict a vast majority of these CFL's will end up in landfills; broken and leaching mercury into the water table.
To preface this: I'm a fiscal conservative, somewhat social liberal who believes that the government's job is taking care of National Security and necessary infrastructure to support commerce FIRST and foremost. I believe that charitable organizations--food banks, churches, etc. are the FIRST line of support for the truly needy. The government is the second line. I have no problem supporting those who truly CANNOT work; but I balk at just throwing money/food/whatever to those who are truly able to work for more than a short term. I've seen many, many courageous and inspiring people who the 'system' would call "Disabled" hold down meaningful and well-compensated careers. I know single mothers working multiple jobs and attending school to get a better career moving (and PAYING for childcare) just to keep from taking government money. It grates hard on me to just 'give' money to some (I realize it's a relatively small percentage) who just refuse to work. Now..on to my comment...
So, you are saying you'd rather have an Obama-Biden presidency? One that believes that RAISING taxes during and economic downturn is a good thing? A President who voted 'present' 130 times out of 134 votes on bills in Illinois; yet 'claims' to have enacted legislation to help the middle class? A candidate who's first response to the Palin choice was to go 'investigate' her (none of his business--not his party to investigate)? A candidate who thinks a small business with an adjusted gross income of 250K is 'rich'? or is that 200k? maybe 150K (Joe Biden)?
Never mind his 'questionable' relationships with the Bill Ayres (if he has no remorse for his actions then his thinking has not changed) or the leadership that destroyed Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac--and Collected MILLIONS while doing so.
We haven't had decent leadership (with notable exception of Ronald Reagan) for most of my lifetime. Clinton's presidency gave us most of the relaxation of the rules enacted after the Depression (Glass-Steagall anyone?) that would have prevented just the kind of financial meltdown we are currently in the throes of. Bush Sr. was lame domestically and abroad...Carter was lame domestically (his work for peace in the Mid East is wonderful--and I respect him for that and his work today with Habitat for Humanity) and gave us double-digit inflation and double-digit REPORTED unemployment..(I was 13 when he was elected) Nixon/Ford--well history shows us there. Johnson was just as much of an idiot as Bush. JFK would have been a great two-term president--too bad he was killed a month after I was born. Sadly, it is a historical fact Good Presidents are rare, and that Great Presidents are more RARE.
Oh yes...there were others too; I just skimmed over the highlights. The biggest highlight of all is the fact that Alan Greenspan favors total deregulation of the financial sector.
The same deregulation failure that has hit the Electric Industry in PA, where we are facing up to 60% cost increases in 2 years after the 'caps' come off. Caps that were put in place for 'deregulation' to occur and save the consumers. Deregulation to 'encourage' competition--that has led to the loss of 22 power companies in PA.
The same deregulation that led to a telecommunication industry that has ultimately become 4 major companies, and a slew of smaller companies. The same industry where my landline costs were double my cell phone costs.
The trouble is that this has NOT been happening as long as mortgages have been around.
Anyone that knows anything about econ knows at the core Economics is about incentives.
In the last 10-15 years inventives in real estate have been flipped backwards.
In the late 90s the secondary market exploded. Somebody figured how to sell just portions of a mortgage by combining it with portions of other mortgages into a MBS (Mortgage Backed Security) and these securities were sold as ROCK SOLID CREDIT opportunites. The reason?
That somebody was Alan Greenspan. When he took over as Fed Chairman, one of his goals was to shrink the financial sector to just a few banks to better compete with Europe. In 1933, the US passed the Glass-Steagall act; which made it illegal for Lenders (Banks) and Underwriters (Brokers) to be under one roof. This law was further tightened in 1956 to exclude ownership of out of state banks.
Fast forward to 1996. The Federal Reserve, under the leadership of Alan Greenspan (a former head of JP Morgan) decides to allow banks to have 25% of their business in Underwriting (brokerage). This decision effectively nullified Glass-Steagall. Then, in 1999, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley act repealed part of Glass-Steagall and opened the door for Banks to compete with Insurance and Security companies. This law was signed by then-president Bill Clinton. While it was created by two Republicans; it had bi-partisan support in an attempt to 'modernize' financial services.
#3 Brokers
Since banks sold mortgages to the secondary market, all of a sudden you didn't NEED $200k for 15 years to lend somebody $200k. All you needed is $200k for 180 days. This led to the rise of mortgage brokers. With far less scrutiny than banks, it was easier to fudge numbers to get deals made.
This led to an array of CRAZY financial instruments designed basically just to make a profit for the lender.
This monster is precisely what the GLBA created. And this monster is precisely why the Tech Bubble and then the Housing Bubble occurred. It will be a decade, at least, before we have completely recovered. The Bush Administration is not at fault for creating the mess, but neither they nor Congress did anything to fix it early on--despite numerous warnings from economists across the country.
Take up an outdoor hobby that involves motion. You say you're an introvert? Take up angling and buy a Kayak. I don't know where you're from, but there is a GREAT guy in Maryland, Jeff 'Yakfish' Little who teaches kayak fishing. He's certified across the board when it comes to kayaking. While I don't recommend kayaking solo in unfamiliar territory that may include dangerous Class II and above waters, if you have relatively calm waters--even a large lake or reservoir paddle the shoreline. You can paddle year-round with proper gear
I worked for a company that provided e-learning environments (small company, not large). Their environment didn't work in Firefox or Opera at all (and they weren't coding for it) partially worked in Safari, and IE7 still doesn't work. Since they support numerous agencies across the country for a particular type of e-learning that is required to keep licensing, at least 200,000 people across the country couldn't upgrade to IE7, or use any other browser.
If you live in a city, such as Ottawa, Toronto, New York, Buffalo, etc... - take a bus, take a subway, take a taxi-like system.
If you live near a city, such as a suburb - have park-and-rides to get into the city, make it cost money to get into the city, or have the taxi-like system come out to get you.
If you live in a rural area - keep your car.
My point is not to get rid of cars, I understand that. My point is to give people better alternatives for urban transportation.
Well, they'd have to do a darn sight better than around me. There are 4 runs in the AM and 4 runs in the PM. . Here's what you get for your money:
Heaven Help you if you miss the last run because you're working late. You can take a taxi home and they'll reimburse you, but that takes anywhere from 4-6 weeks, and you have to PREPLAN the ride.
Oh..you can take the Trailways---no, that leaves 15 minutes after the last park and ride run and follows the same plan ahead rule.
Couple that with the fact that by the time it got to my stop (the third one from departure point) it was standing room only. I was paying $80/month to have my face smashed in someone's armpit for the bumpy stop and go ride for 50 minutes into the city. OH yeah..and in snowy conditions, it doesn't run. Not it takes 50 minutes to to make the drive when I can be all the way HOME in 35 minutes (25 from downtown) with normal rush hour traffic, and (when I worked downtown) only pay $50/month for parking, and $15 week (current prices) for gas. The last time I rode it, the bus broke down 20 minutes from downtown, and we waited two hours in 25 degree weather OUTSIDE the bus standing in slush/snow/ice.(there was a fire danger). Two people in tennis shoes had to get treated for frostbite on their feet.
Now that I work outside of downtown, parking is free, but there is no way I could get from here to there on public tranport; it doesn't exist there. Nope, Public Transport is a huge failure in the USA, partially blamed on the Teamsters Union when they started putting the Trains out of business for long haul of goods. This in turn cut the funding for track overhaul and maintenance. Train travel became unbearable and cars with cheap gas became the norm. Add to that Cheap Airfare and Viola! No mass Transit.
That's cool to know. I went to BE&E school in 1981, the modules are a little different (there used to be 33 of them back then, IIRC). I was an IC Electrician aboard a Submarine back when. I'm an Implementations Engineer now for a Credit Union Software company, but my background is network GUY.
I totally disagree. What you have are two people who already had some serious problems. Did the video game cause them to act out, or were they acting it out IN the video game?...you don't have normal people playing violent games and becoming violent.. you have violent individuals playing violent games, who more than likely would act out REGARDLESS of the video game.. or music... or books.. or movies.. or WHATEVER. The video games exacerbate an already existing problem--which is EXACTLY why they should not be sold. The studies show that the probability of the individuals to act out actually INCREASE because of the games. Why poke a stick at a tiger?
I have zero desire to hurt an individual, so stop telling me, along with media, that I'm a threat to society. If you knew me you'd know what a freakin joke that is. YOU might not be, but what about the person in line behind you?
As for drunk driving.. I'm wondering if you found out that GTA4 supports drunk driving because of what the media told you, or because that is what you found to be true on your own? Try playing the game.. a game that tells you drunk driving is bad, sets you up to take a cab so you can learn how that works, and SEVERELY punishes you for drinking and driving.. yes your right, they are SOOOOO supporting drunk driving *rolls eyes* The point is that it *appears* to make it FUN; and it *could* encourage someone to do the unthinkable.
By the way, concerned parent? I hope you monitor what your children watch etc, and support stores that support ESRB rating. A game like GTA4 is not targeted to children, NOR SHOULD IT BE. I do monitor what they watch--they have the v-chip in their TV's and are allowed 30 minutes a day. The internet connection sits right across from me, is locked down to prevent unauthorized websites as tightly as I can, and I can see everything they do. I don't give one whit about the rating; the games are dangerous. BTW--I've seen stores sell the game to 10 year olds. Game Stop here where I live doesn't care.
I applaud your courage, I don't know if I'd have the same guts if I was you, but I totally 100% disagree. We'll agree to disagree.
The authors note that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold enjoyed playing violent video games, and they speculate that these games played a role in their violent acts at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado in April of 1999. Eric Harris had actually modified a version of the game Doom and placed it on his Website. In his version there were two shooters, extra weapons, and the other people in the game couldn't shoot back. He and Klebold essentially acted-out their version of Doom on innocent classmates.
Other research (http://culturalpolicy.uchicago.edu/conf2001/papers/funk1.html) shows that those drawn to violent video games may already be socially maladjusted. Since we have no real way to target those individuals, it's far better not to allow these games to exist. This is like throwing gasoline on a grass fire.
I've supported Jack Thompson's efforts vocally since he began almost a decade ago. He (and others like him) are saints among a society of sinners.
On the subject of driving drunk, if you have ever lost anyone to that madness, you would feel like I do--To glorify that disgusting behaviour, even in a game or in joke is disgusting.
I'd love to see Jack Thompson and MADD win this one. Something needs to be done.
I applaud MADD and Jack Thompson for taking a stand. These types of games are dangerous and must not be allowed to exist. There are proven links between violent video games and the massacres that occur in our schools, yet our lawmakers refuse to listen. We, as good citizens and good parents MUST make a stand.
This is precisely why the SCADA (Control Systems) networks and the Business networks must be physically segregated. A utility I worked for until downsized early in 2003 opted for this route. Up until 9/11, there were compelling business reasons to interconnect the two networks for access to data for the GIS and other systems that could use the data. After 9/11, no reason existed that trumped the 'what if' security question.
Personally, I feel it is not only incompetent but also pridefully arrogant to think that you can secure interconnected control networks that ultimately have access to the outside world. The guidelines that were set down by Homeland Security are not exactly the strictest you would find, they're pretty lax IMHO; which is why this proof of concept could be successful.
The only solution is to physically segregate the two networks. If you need data, I would even venture to say that even Sneaker Net would be a hazard (think malicious software); but one that could be managed far easier than interconnected Control and Business networks.
What's next? Banning SCA http://www.sca.org/ Weapons on campus? Those can do Wayyyyyyyy more damage.
Of course, in my day, we played Highlander (There can be only one) Ever have a sword fight in the service corridor of a mall, or in the center of town..nothing was off limits...we were a bit 'nutz' back then; but we were also LARP players.
You'll say this until a car load of (pick your terrorist group domestic or foreign) gets pulled over and lo and behold they detonate the dirty bomb. Of course, after reading this article, if they are smart, they won't be transporting the devices using major highways now.
Mine too - we get to use the technology others create; or manage the contract. Still, there are a lot of neat jobs in crypto, network warfare, etc. The downside is that in most cases, you're not a warfighter so if you decde you like it and stay in your ability to reach the top is limited unless you change fields.
The other thing about going down the ROTC path is that you can easily slide into a civilian position when your obligation to the government is up, and earn a more than adequate wage. And, if you actually decide to work for the government, they still have a pension program (unlike most civilian employees. My 401K is still worth less than it was before the dot com bubble burst; by about 18%). Grit your teeth and use the ROTC program; I wish I had.
For me, it's XFCE. My system is beefy enough (dual core, 2GB Ram, nvidia 8-series video w/256MB) to run GNOME or KDE..I just prefer XFCE. I've got libraries installed and do run programs from both GNOME and KDE, but the Window Manager of choice is XFCE.
Open Source is all about Freedom of Choice, and freedom from Monopoly.
FOX: I didn't take it deliberately as some kind of theatrical thing... You know..how about using the entire quote:
FOX: I didn't take it deliberately as some kind of theatrical thing but it seemed right for me to be -- to be uncomfortable in that situation.
Please give Rush Limbaugh the benefit of actually reading what Michael J. Fox said--he's admitting to 'tinkering' with his meds--but he did it not to be 'theatrical', but rather to be 'uncomfortable' during his presentation. I actually recall seeing the entire interview with Diane Sawyer, and I'm left with the impression that Fox *did* (at one time) deliberately 'tinker' with his medications so as to make himself 'uncomfortable' and to show the worst case scenario (or close to it) of the disease. I don't disagree that this makes a good selling point--and I'm certainly not saying NOT to develop a cure for Parkinsons Disease; but rather I'm saying that Michael J. Fox or Muhammad Ali should not have to resort to this level of trickery to make their point. That they do have to do this shows the shortcomings of humanity.
Rush Limbaugh is as much an actor as Michael J. Fox is--he's crass and obnoxious and is always far over the top; but he makes an occasional valid point. Just as Hillary or Barak or Al Franken make occasional valid points. But, those valid points are in the mind of the listener. Remember--most of what Limbaugh (and others of his ilk) is doing is merely providing their opinion. They opine and we listen. It's up to us to decide whether or not we agree with that opinion.
I also agree that Rush's mocking of the quivering experienced by Parkinson's patients was way out of line.
Personally, I prefer Glen Beck, but that's just me.
>If there's not enough power to go around, build up the infrastructure.
The power generation infrastructure suffers from too much 'NIMBY'. I lived in Indiana for years, and during the 90's; Duke power wanted to build several 'Peak Power' generation plants fired by Natural Gas. Every time they tried to get permits, the 'NIMBY' (Not In My Back Yard) crowd showed up and whined to the elected officials. Naturally, fearing a loss of votes elected officials caved.
California is in much the same state; They haven't been able to build a power plant (thanks to the NIMBY's) for at least 2 decades. Now, they are suffering for it. Back in 2001, the DOE estimated that the US would need around 1900 power plants built by the year 2021. Yes, they've built wind farms, but now they're finding that the Wind Farms are killing Raptors and causing infestations of rats. http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=18447
There is no easy answer--Conservation by us will help some, but ultimately we need clean, cheap power. On NUMB3RS last night, they were looking at putting up Solar Panels on Charlies house; which on a nice bright sunny day would generate more than what they used. IIRC, they were looking at some really cutting edge technology stuff. Currently, the break even point is about 12-18 years, but this company looks really promising. http://www.news.com/greentech/8301-11128_3-9835241-54.html?tag=nefd.top At their cost of $1/watt it cuts the break even by as much as 66%.
Slashdot Mirror
It's pretty easy to argue they had a reasonable expectation of privacy for the data held on their phone. Thankfully, since the justice system works so well here, bankruptcy is a fairly common occurrence in order to pay for establishing such grounds.
Actually, you don't have a right to privacy in any of the Public School systems in PA. Minors have no right to Privacy under PA law in general, but the school systems (as stated above by another poster) send home paperwork signed by parents/guardians (and in the case of some of the paperwork) and the students that expressly removes not only the right of privacy (except where one might expect--restroom or shower/changing area) but also grants the right to search property on school grounds--even cars.
Ah yes,the old morass about not eating pork, or shellfish, or the wearing of clothing made from two different materials, etc.
The Bible had two types of Laws contained within its' pages: Moralistic Law, and Ceremonial Law. Moralistic Law is the Law of the 'Ten Commandments'; laws forbidding murder, theft, lying, disrespect to ones' parents, to God, etc. These were covered by Christ in Matthew 22:34-40 in his discussion with the Pharisees. On the other hand, Ceremonial Law is the things by which God set apart the tribe of Israel. Ceremonial Laws included circumcision, eating of pork or shellfish, the wearing of clothing made from a single type of material, etc. When Christ came, he fulfilled the Law--both Mosaic and Ceremonial. Upon His death when the Veil separating God from Man was torn asunder, Ceremonial Law no longer applied. Belief in Christ and His Salvation is now what sets Christians apart from all others. With that belief, then, comes the desire to be more Christ-like in our actions--to obey the Law God has set forth. Naturally, we will fail at times, which is why God has lain His Grace upon us. Just as this father forgave his son, so God forgives his children.
Well thought out and answered; I would only and the following in support of your thoughts:
It is clear from Matthew 5:21-24 that even having bad thoughts about ones' brother (brother being anyone--not just a blood relative) is the same as committing murder.
Admittedly, I sit on the fence with regard to both Afghanistan and Iraq. With the alleged involvement of Bin Laden (who, btw, was the very FIRST person I suspected--based upon the events of 1993) we certainly have an obligation to capture and try him in court. Iraq, as another has already discussed, could be argued that we were defending innocents from a brutal dictator. The Sanctions would never have worked, as long as they were still selling oil under the table. Saddam Hussein would have ruled that country until he died. Of course, one thing we have glossed over is that WE put him in power.
Even moreso is the question---Who reads DDJ? I work in a office of nothing but developers; and one lone DBA/netadmin (me). The older developers (in my age group) have heard of DDJ, but have long since quit reading it. The younger ones googled it, and thought it was essentially a non-useful entity since they get all of their information via blogroll.
Has the print media world itself actually (in many cases) outlived its' usefulness? Don't get me wrong--much like James Kirk I love turning pages and holding a book: eReaders do nothing for me. They would get stolen at lunch, but I can leave a book on my table without fear. I just wonder if magazines like DDJ and others of its' ilk should have gone the way of Byte! long ago.
>>Small amounts, trapped and recyclable. More mercury is produced from generating the extra power required by incandescents.
I have to drive my car 100 miles to find a place that will accept the bulbs for recycling; since there is nothing set up in my township yet. With the current economy, there are no plans for the next two years. The nearest place I can take them with no restrictions (restrictions being, PP&L electric customer or resident of city/township) is in Philadelphia; a 200-mile road trip. I can tell you now not many people will do that--it's hard enough to get them to put cans and bottles in the recycle bin.
I predict a vast majority of these CFL's will end up in landfills; broken and leaching mercury into the water table.
'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have." --Thomas Jefferson.
So, you are saying you'd rather have an Obama-Biden presidency? One that believes that RAISING taxes during and economic downturn is a good thing? A President who voted 'present' 130 times out of 134 votes on bills in Illinois; yet 'claims' to have enacted legislation to help the middle class? A candidate who's first response to the Palin choice was to go 'investigate' her (none of his business--not his party to investigate)? A candidate who thinks a small business with an adjusted gross income of 250K is 'rich'? or is that 200k? maybe 150K (Joe Biden)?
Never mind his 'questionable' relationships with the Bill Ayres (if he has no remorse for his actions then his thinking has not changed) or the leadership that destroyed Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac--and Collected MILLIONS while doing so.
We haven't had decent leadership (with notable exception of Ronald Reagan) for most of my lifetime. Clinton's presidency gave us most of the relaxation of the rules enacted after the Depression (Glass-Steagall anyone?) that would have prevented just the kind of financial meltdown we are currently in the throes of. Bush Sr. was lame domestically and abroad...Carter was lame domestically (his work for peace in the Mid East is wonderful--and I respect him for that and his work today with Habitat for Humanity) and gave us double-digit inflation and double-digit REPORTED unemployment..(I was 13 when he was elected) Nixon/Ford--well history shows us there. Johnson was just as much of an idiot as Bush. JFK would have been a great two-term president--too bad he was killed a month after I was born. Sadly, it is a historical fact Good Presidents are rare, and that Great Presidents are more RARE.
The solution: Lever Voting Machines...the technology in use when I first started voting in 1981.
Oh yes...there were others too; I just skimmed over the highlights. The biggest highlight of all is the fact that Alan Greenspan favors total deregulation of the financial sector.
The same deregulation failure that has hit the Electric Industry in PA, where we are facing up to 60% cost increases in 2 years after the 'caps' come off. Caps that were put in place for 'deregulation' to occur and save the consumers. Deregulation to 'encourage' competition--that has led to the loss of 22 power companies in PA.
The same deregulation that led to a telecommunication industry that has ultimately become 4 major companies, and a slew of smaller companies. The same industry where my landline costs were double my cell phone costs.
The trouble is that this has NOT been happening as long as mortgages have been around.
Anyone that knows anything about econ knows at the core Economics is about incentives.
In the last 10-15 years inventives in real estate have been flipped backwards.
In the late 90s the secondary market exploded. Somebody figured how to sell just portions of a mortgage by combining it with portions of other mortgages into a MBS (Mortgage Backed Security) and these securities were sold as ROCK SOLID CREDIT opportunites. The reason?
That somebody was Alan Greenspan. When he took over as Fed Chairman, one of his goals was to shrink the financial sector to just a few banks to better compete with Europe. In 1933, the US passed the Glass-Steagall act; which made it illegal for Lenders (Banks) and Underwriters (Brokers) to be under one roof. This law was further tightened in 1956 to exclude ownership of out of state banks.
Fast forward to 1996. The Federal Reserve, under the leadership of Alan Greenspan (a former head of JP Morgan) decides to allow banks to have 25% of their business in Underwriting (brokerage). This decision effectively nullified Glass-Steagall. Then, in 1999, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley act repealed part of Glass-Steagall and opened the door for Banks to compete with Insurance and Security companies. This law was signed by then-president Bill Clinton. While it was created by two Republicans; it had bi-partisan support in an attempt to 'modernize' financial services.
#3 Brokers Since banks sold mortgages to the secondary market, all of a sudden you didn't NEED $200k for 15 years to lend somebody $200k. All you needed is $200k for 180 days. This led to the rise of mortgage brokers. With far less scrutiny than banks, it was easier to fudge numbers to get deals made.
This led to an array of CRAZY financial instruments designed basically just to make a profit for the lender.
This monster is precisely what the GLBA created. And this monster is precisely why the Tech Bubble and then the Housing Bubble occurred. It will be a decade, at least, before we have completely recovered. The Bush Administration is not at fault for creating the mess, but neither they nor Congress did anything to fix it early on--despite numerous warnings from economists across the country.
Take up an outdoor hobby that involves motion. You say you're an introvert? Take up angling and buy a Kayak. I don't know where you're from, but there is a GREAT guy in Maryland, Jeff 'Yakfish' Little who teaches kayak fishing. He's certified across the board when it comes to kayaking. While I don't recommend kayaking solo in unfamiliar territory that may include dangerous Class II and above waters, if you have relatively calm waters--even a large lake or reservoir paddle the shoreline. You can paddle year-round with proper gear
Shameless plug for Yakfish.
I worked for a company that provided e-learning environments (small company, not large). Their environment didn't work in Firefox or Opera at all (and they weren't coding for it) partially worked in Safari, and IE7 still doesn't work. Since they support numerous agencies across the country for a particular type of e-learning that is required to keep licensing, at least 200,000 people across the country couldn't upgrade to IE7, or use any other browser.
Where was Bodhi for THAT wave?
To summarize:
My point is not to get rid of cars, I understand that. My point is to give people better alternatives for urban transportation.
Well, they'd have to do a darn sight better than around me. There are 4 runs in the AM and 4 runs in the PM. . Here's what you get for your money:
Couple that with the fact that by the time it got to my stop (the third one from departure point) it was standing room only. I was paying $80/month to have my face smashed in someone's armpit for the bumpy stop and go ride for 50 minutes into the city. OH yeah..and in snowy conditions, it doesn't run. Not it takes 50 minutes to to make the drive when I can be all the way HOME in 35 minutes (25 from downtown) with normal rush hour traffic, and (when I worked downtown) only pay $50/month for parking, and $15 week (current prices) for gas. The last time I rode it, the bus broke down 20 minutes from downtown, and we waited two hours in 25 degree weather OUTSIDE the bus standing in slush/snow/ice.(there was a fire danger). Two people in tennis shoes had to get treated for frostbite on their feet.
Now that I work outside of downtown, parking is free, but there is no way I could get from here to there on public tranport; it doesn't exist there. Nope, Public Transport is a huge failure in the USA, partially blamed on the Teamsters Union when they started putting the Trains out of business for long haul of goods. This in turn cut the funding for track overhaul and maintenance. Train travel became unbearable and cars with cheap gas became the norm. Add to that Cheap Airfare and Viola! No mass Transit.
Aero,
That's cool to know. I went to BE&E school in 1981, the modules are a little different (there used to be 33 of them back then, IIRC). I was an IC Electrician aboard a Submarine back when. I'm an Implementations Engineer now for a Credit Union Software company, but my background is network GUY.
I concur with Aero--These are good books.
First off, I'm not a troll; I'm a conservative Christian and a concerned parent who firmly believes that these games are inherently bad.
Second, you want stats?
http://www.apa.org/journals/features/psp784772.pdf
A quote from the article:
The authors note that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold enjoyed playing violent video games, and they speculate that these games played a role in their violent acts at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado in April of 1999. Eric Harris had actually modified a version of the game Doom and placed it on his Website. In his version there were two shooters, extra weapons, and the other people in the game couldn't shoot back. He and Klebold essentially acted-out their version of Doom on innocent classmates.Other research (http://culturalpolicy.uchicago.edu/conf2001/papers/funk1.html) shows that those drawn to violent video games may already be socially maladjusted. Since we have no real way to target those individuals, it's far better not to allow these games to exist. This is like throwing gasoline on a grass fire.
I've supported Jack Thompson's efforts vocally since he began almost a decade ago. He (and others like him) are saints among a society of sinners.
On the subject of driving drunk, if you have ever lost anyone to that madness, you would feel like I do--To glorify that disgusting behaviour, even in a game or in joke is disgusting.
I'd love to see Jack Thompson and MADD win this one. Something needs to be done.
I applaud MADD and Jack Thompson for taking a stand. These types of games are dangerous and must not be allowed to exist. There are proven links between violent video games and the massacres that occur in our schools, yet our lawmakers refuse to listen. We, as good citizens and good parents MUST make a stand.
This is precisely why the SCADA (Control Systems) networks and the Business networks must be physically segregated. A utility I worked for until downsized early in 2003 opted for this route. Up until 9/11, there were compelling business reasons to interconnect the two networks for access to data for the GIS and other systems that could use the data. After 9/11, no reason existed that trumped the 'what if' security question.
Personally, I feel it is not only incompetent but also pridefully arrogant to think that you can secure interconnected control networks that ultimately have access to the outside world. The guidelines that were set down by Homeland Security are not exactly the strictest you would find, they're pretty lax IMHO; which is why this proof of concept could be successful.
The only solution is to physically segregate the two networks. If you need data, I would even venture to say that even Sneaker Net would be a hazard (think malicious software); but one that could be managed far easier than interconnected Control and Business networks.
What's next? Banning SCA http://www.sca.org/ Weapons on campus? Those can do Wayyyyyyyy more damage.
Of course, in my day, we played Highlander (There can be only one) Ever have a sword fight in the service corridor of a mall, or in the center of town..nothing was off limits...we were a bit 'nutz' back then; but we were also LARP players.
You'll say this until a car load of (pick your terrorist group domestic or foreign) gets pulled over and lo and behold they detonate the dirty bomb. Of course, after reading this article, if they are smart, they won't be transporting the devices using major highways now.
Open Source is all about Freedom of Choice, and freedom from Monopoly.
Please give Rush Limbaugh the benefit of actually reading what Michael J. Fox said--he's admitting to 'tinkering' with his meds--but he did it not to be 'theatrical', but rather to be 'uncomfortable' during his presentation. I actually recall seeing the entire interview with Diane Sawyer, and I'm left with the impression that Fox *did* (at one time) deliberately 'tinker' with his medications so as to make himself 'uncomfortable' and to show the worst case scenario (or close to it) of the disease. I don't disagree that this makes a good selling point--and I'm certainly not saying NOT to develop a cure for Parkinsons Disease; but rather I'm saying that Michael J. Fox or Muhammad Ali should not have to resort to this level of trickery to make their point. That they do have to do this shows the shortcomings of humanity.
Rush Limbaugh is as much an actor as Michael J. Fox is--he's crass and obnoxious and is always far over the top; but he makes an occasional valid point. Just as Hillary or Barak or Al Franken make occasional valid points. But, those valid points are in the mind of the listener. Remember--most of what Limbaugh (and others of his ilk) is doing is merely providing their opinion. They opine and we listen. It's up to us to decide whether or not we agree with that opinion.
I also agree that Rush's mocking of the quivering experienced by Parkinson's patients was way out of line.
Personally, I prefer Glen Beck, but that's just me.
The power generation infrastructure suffers from too much 'NIMBY'. I lived in Indiana for years, and during the 90's; Duke power wanted to build several 'Peak Power' generation plants fired by Natural Gas. Every time they tried to get permits, the 'NIMBY' (Not In My Back Yard) crowd showed up and whined to the elected officials. Naturally, fearing a loss of votes elected officials caved.
California is in much the same state; They haven't been able to build a power plant (thanks to the NIMBY's) for at least 2 decades. Now, they are suffering for it. Back in 2001, the DOE estimated that the US would need around 1900 power plants built by the year 2021. Yes, they've built wind farms, but now they're finding that the Wind Farms are killing Raptors and causing infestations of rats. http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=18447
There is no easy answer--Conservation by us will help some, but ultimately we need clean, cheap power. On NUMB3RS last night, they were looking at putting up Solar Panels on Charlies house; which on a nice bright sunny day would generate more than what they used. IIRC, they were looking at some really cutting edge technology stuff. Currently, the break even point is about 12-18 years, but this company looks really promising. http://www.news.com/greentech/8301-11128_3-9835241-54.html?tag=nefd.top At their cost of $1/watt it cuts the break even by as much as 66%.