"There was also a recent theory that it was plain old malaria that did them in... any merit to the above?"
No. Malaria is a symptom of bad government, not a cause.
The Romans were wonderful hydraulic engineers, but they knew nothing about microscopic bacteria. They drained marshes throughout their empire in order to gain rich, flat, well watered agricultural land. This caused the breeding grounds of mosquitoes to disappear, and malaria to decline.
When the Empire collapsed, the drainage works went with it. The old swamps became swampy again and malaria returned.
In discussing the collapse of the Roman Empire, it is well to remember that the Eastern Roman Empire established at Constantinople (modern Istanbul) by Constantine continued to exist for another millennium* after the collapse of the Western Empire. *In a diminished state after the establishment of the Caliphate in the 7th Century.
2005 MOHAMED ELBARADEI (Chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency). He done such a good job covering for Iran.
2004 WANGARI MAATHAI. The Kenyan ecologist teaches that the AIDS virus is a biological agent deliberately created by the White Man.
2002 JIMMY CARTER JR., former President of the United States of America. Was given prize for undermining the foreign policy of his own country. Has vouched for the bona fides of tyrants and murderers all over the world, and can be counted on to whitewash fake elections everywhere.
2001 UNITED NATIONS, New York, NY, USA, and KOFI ANNAN, United Nations Secretary General. Among other things, they respectively served as the vehicle for, and presided over, one of the biggest frauds in history -- Saddam's Oil for Palaces scam.
1994 YASSER ARAFAT (joint winner), Chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO, President of the Palestinian National Authority. A cold-blooded murderer before and after receiving the award.
1992 RIGOBERTA MENCHU TUM, Guatemala. "Author" I, Rigoberta Menchu, which fraudulently claimed to be her auto-biography, but was actually communist propaganda fabricated by the wife of a noted French Communist.
1988 THE UNITED NATIONS PEACE-KEEPING FORCES New York, NY, U.S.A. Failed to prevent genocide in Rawanda. Committed rapes and sex abuse in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and the Congo. Has not brought peace anywhere.
"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
"... is this fair? Don't they have a right to a jury trial?"
Amendment 7 to the US constitution (the first 10 Amendments are known as "The Bill of Rights") provides:
"In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved,..."
The key words in this clause are "Suits at common law". This refers to those civil legal matters that could be heard in the courts of the United States at the time of the adoption of the Amendment in 1791 under the Common Law of England, which had been retained by those courts despite the adoption of the Constitution.
The most important limitation on suits at common law is that they are, for the most part, limited to suits to obtain money damages as a redress of the wrong done. Suits to obtain court orders, such as injunctions, were not recognized under the Common Law of England, although they could be brought in the Court of Chancery (in England, the Lord Chancellor's court).
What the article above says is that: "Judge Kimball today issued a ruling striking SCO's demand for a jury trial, ruling that Novell's claims seek equitable, and not legal relief."
This is legal jargon for saying that the SCO claims are requests for a judicial order and, in 1791, would have had to have been brought in the Court of Chancery, and therefore they are not a "Suit at common law, and do not elicit the right to trial by jury.
"Can they get a fair hearing of their appeals in front of the same judge that made the rulings that they are appealing?"
The judge will not review his own rulings on appeal. They will be reviewed first by a panel of 3 judges from the United States Court of Appeals for that area. However, SCO may not appeal any rulings until after the whole trial is completed. That is the normal way things are done. In extraordinary cases that schedule can be altered. This is not one of them. SCO asked for a change in the normal schedule and according to the article above the Judge said:
"If SCO wants to appeal any of his rulings, it can do them all at once after trial."
This is absolutely the usual practice in courts in the United States.
D-Day: Hey, quit your blubbering. When I get through with this baby you won't even recognize it. Otter: Flounder, you can't spend your whole life worrying about your mistakes! You fucked up - you trusted us! Hey, make the best of it! Maybe we can help. Flounder: [crying] That's easy for you to say! What am I going to tell Fred? Otter: I'll tell you what. We'll tell Fred you were doing a great job taking care of his car, but you parked it out back last night and in the morning, it was gone. We report it to the police, D-Day takes care of the wreck, the insurance company buys your brother a new car. Flounder: Will that work? Otter: Hey, it's gotta work better than the truth. Bluto: [thrusting six-pack into Flounder's hands] My advice to you is to start drinking heavily. Otter: Better listen to him, Flounder, he's in pre-med. D-Day: [firing up blow-torch] There you go now, just leave everything to me.
Argentina is the poster child for why I am correct. It has been plagued by bad government, bad economic policy and declining living standards for two generations.
"I'd rather get the flu than dengue fever, yellow fever, viral encephalitis, malaria, and a whole host of other tropical diseases."
Smile when you say that. Most flus over the past few decades have been fairly mild. But there is always the possibility that a new flu (such as the much bruited avian influenza A (H5N1)) could create a new pandemic as deadly as the 1918 out-break, which killed more than 600,000 here in the US.
Of course, flus are not caused by cold weather, they are caused by viruses, many of which originate in south-east Asia which is tropical or semi-tropical. That in turn is not a result of climate, but of the poverty and which in turn leads to close contact between humans and farm animals that serve as the reservoirs of infectious viruses.
The reason that flus spread in the winter in the northern hemisphere is that winter leads to close human contact in schools, offices, and shopping malls that allow the viruses to be transmitted between infected and uninfected human hosts. Flu pandemics are not caused by weather.
Similarly, the tropical diseases you mention are not truly tropical. They are transmitted by insects (mostly mosquitoes) that thrive in water. The reason that they are largely found in the tropics now is that the tropics are largely poor and dominated by bad governments. In Europe and North America public works of sanitation, drainage and insect extermination have largely eliminated these diseases, and they could in the tropics, if they were used.
It's not laziness. I owed them about a month of your pay. And yes that is deliberate. It's my money and I like to hang on to it as long as I can. And I file on paper. It takes longer to get there.
"I would trust a fact from the New York Times more than a fact from Bob's Bait And Tackle Shop And Technology Blog."
NYTimes, Reuters, AP, the rantings of the Inmates of the Asylum at Charenton, what difference does it make? If you read something in the newspaper, see it on TV or the internet, your reaction must be:
"That is very interesting, I wonder if it is true."
Trusting your fellow man and believing what he says are social virtues, but you never want have someone say to you after the house of cards has collapsed:
OK count me as the most cynical. He is using his money in an apparently successful PR campaign. If it were all about virtue, the only information you could find about it would be the IRS forms.
"I'm actually a MS user and I don't have a rabid irrational hatred of them like many around here."
Au contraire, mon ami. Many, if not most, of us are M$ users and we have developed a thoroughly rational hatred of the company, based on our experiences of bloated, bug ridden, excessively expensive software, their constant undermining of standards, and their elevation of their opportunities to make money above user convenience. (My favorite was the Win98SE installer that asked if you wanted on-line services, and installed them anyway if you checked no.)
"You are always going to have to buy Apple stuff. Forever and ever."
If our experience with iPods and with cellphones is any indication, these puppies won't last quite as long as the 24 month phone contract they will come with. Buy the insurance.
Slashdot Mirror
"There was also a recent theory that it was plain old malaria that did them in ... any merit to the above?"
No. Malaria is a symptom of bad government, not a cause.
The Romans were wonderful hydraulic engineers, but they knew nothing about microscopic bacteria. They drained marshes throughout their empire in order to gain rich, flat, well watered agricultural land. This caused the breeding grounds of mosquitoes to disappear, and malaria to decline.
When the Empire collapsed, the drainage works went with it. The old swamps became swampy again and malaria returned.
In discussing the collapse of the Roman Empire, it is well to remember that the Eastern Roman Empire established at Constantinople (modern Istanbul) by Constantine continued to exist for another millennium* after the collapse of the Western Empire. *In a diminished state after the establishment of the Caliphate in the 7th Century.
I use Win2K and Office 97. I was at my bank this morning (a big multi-state operation), I noticed they still used W2K. WFM and my bank too.
Remember the old computer industry maxim: "Pioneers get arrows in their backs; Settlers reap the harvests."
"Of course, that doesn't help you if you want to pre-order."
Never pre-order.
Don't buy a pig in a poke.
Remember the old computer industry maxim: "Pioneers get arrows in their backs; Settlers reap the harvests."
2005
MOHAMED ELBARADEI (Chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency). He done such a good job covering for Iran.
2004
WANGARI MAATHAI. The Kenyan ecologist teaches that the AIDS virus is a biological agent deliberately created by the White Man.
2002
JIMMY CARTER JR., former President of the United States of America.
Was given prize for undermining the foreign policy of his own country. Has vouched for the bona fides of tyrants and murderers all over the world, and can be counted on to whitewash fake elections everywhere.
2001
UNITED NATIONS, New York, NY, USA, and KOFI ANNAN, United Nations Secretary General.
Among other things, they respectively served as the vehicle for, and presided over, one of the biggest frauds in history -- Saddam's Oil for Palaces scam.
1994
YASSER ARAFAT (joint winner), Chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO, President of the Palestinian National Authority.
A cold-blooded murderer before and after receiving the award.
1992
RIGOBERTA MENCHU TUM, Guatemala. "Author" I, Rigoberta Menchu, which fraudulently claimed to be her auto-biography, but was actually communist propaganda fabricated by the wife of a noted French Communist.
1988
THE UNITED NATIONS PEACE-KEEPING FORCES New York, NY, U.S.A.
Failed to prevent genocide in Rawanda. Committed rapes and sex abuse in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and the Congo. Has not brought peace anywhere.
"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
-- James Nicoll
"where is our right to a jury trial in criminal cases secured?"
Constitution of the United States of America -- Article. III. Section. 2. * * *
The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment; shall be by Jury;
"... is this fair? Don't they have a right to a jury trial?"
..."
Amendment 7 to the US constitution (the first 10 Amendments are known as "The Bill of Rights") provides:
"In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved,
The key words in this clause are "Suits at common law". This refers to those civil legal matters that could be heard in the courts of the United States at the time of the adoption of the Amendment in 1791 under the Common Law of England, which had been retained by those courts despite the adoption of the Constitution.
The most important limitation on suits at common law is that they are, for the most part, limited to suits to obtain money damages as a redress of the wrong done. Suits to obtain court orders, such as injunctions, were not recognized under the Common Law of England, although they could be brought in the Court of Chancery (in England, the Lord Chancellor's court).
What the article above says is that: "Judge Kimball today issued a ruling striking SCO's demand for a jury trial, ruling that Novell's claims seek equitable, and not legal relief."
This is legal jargon for saying that the SCO claims are requests for a judicial order and, in 1791, would have had to have been brought in the Court of Chancery, and therefore they are not a "Suit at common law, and do not elicit the right to trial by jury.
"Can they get a fair hearing of their appeals in front of the same judge that made the rulings that they are appealing?"
The judge will not review his own rulings on appeal. They will be reviewed first by a panel of 3 judges from the United States Court of Appeals for that area. However, SCO may not appeal any rulings until after the whole trial is completed. That is the normal way things are done. In extraordinary cases that schedule can be altered. This is not one of them. SCO asked for a change in the normal schedule and according to the article above the Judge said:
"If SCO wants to appeal any of his rulings, it can do them all at once after trial."
This is absolutely the usual practice in courts in the United States.
SCO is being crushed fairly.
I am staying with W2K, and Office 97.
It just works!
D-Day: Hey, quit your blubbering. When I get through with this baby you won't even recognize it.
Otter: Flounder, you can't spend your whole life worrying about your mistakes! You fucked up - you trusted us! Hey, make the best of it! Maybe we can help.
Flounder: [crying] That's easy for you to say! What am I going to tell Fred?
Otter: I'll tell you what. We'll tell Fred you were doing a great job taking care of his car, but you parked it out back last night and in the morning, it was gone. We report it to the police, D-Day takes care of the wreck, the insurance company buys your brother a new car.
Flounder: Will that work?
Otter: Hey, it's gotta work better than the truth.
Bluto: [thrusting six-pack into Flounder's hands] My advice to you is to start drinking heavily.
Otter: Better listen to him, Flounder, he's in pre-med.
D-Day: [firing up blow-torch] There you go now, just leave everything to me.
In my experience if you sign up for a plan with more messages/minutes Verizon will usually apply it retroactively to the previous month.
The real question here is: did that child do anything but text? Where were her parents? the school?
/. again.
Yesterday /. asked: "Why Doesn't Microsoft Have A Cult Religion?"
Today's item answers that question. Nobody is going to make a cult of people whose sole desire is to get you.
Argentina is the poster child for why I am correct. It has been plagued by bad government, bad economic policy and declining living standards for two generations.
"I'd rather get the flu than dengue fever, yellow fever, viral encephalitis, malaria, and a whole host of other tropical diseases."
Smile when you say that. Most flus over the past few decades have been fairly mild. But there is always the possibility that a new flu (such as the much bruited avian influenza A (H5N1)) could create a new pandemic as deadly as the 1918 out-break, which killed more than 600,000 here in the US.
Of course, flus are not caused by cold weather, they are caused by viruses, many of which originate in south-east Asia which is tropical or semi-tropical. That in turn is not a result of climate, but of the poverty and which in turn leads to close contact between humans and farm animals that serve as the reservoirs of infectious viruses.
The reason that flus spread in the winter in the northern hemisphere is that winter leads to close human contact in schools, offices, and shopping malls that allow the viruses to be transmitted between infected and uninfected human hosts. Flu pandemics are not caused by weather.
Similarly, the tropical diseases you mention are not truly tropical. They are transmitted by insects (mostly mosquitoes) that thrive in water. The reason that they are largely found in the tropics now is that the tropics are largely poor and dominated by bad governments. In Europe and North America public works of sanitation, drainage and insect extermination have largely eliminated these diseases, and they could in the tropics, if they were used.
These are not really climate issues.
Preferably ones who have been married 25+ years and raised at least 3 kids. They can get along without sex for years at a time.
Go make your own damn sandwich, and while you are in the kitchen, take out the garbage. Lazy, good for nothing ... I should have listened to my mother.
It's not laziness. I owed them about a month of your pay. And yes that is deliberate. It's my money and I like to hang on to it as long as I can. And I file on paper. It takes longer to get there.
"I would trust a fact from the New York Times more than a fact from Bob's Bait And Tackle Shop And Technology Blog."
NYTimes, Reuters, AP, the rantings of the Inmates of the Asylum at Charenton, what difference does it make? If you read something in the newspaper, see it on TV or the internet, your reaction must be:
"That is very interesting, I wonder if it is true."
Trusting your fellow man and believing what he says are social virtues, but you never want have someone say to you after the house of cards has collapsed:
"And you believed them?"
OK count me as the most cynical. He is using his money in an apparently successful PR campaign. If it were all about virtue, the only information you could find about it would be the IRS forms.
"I'm actually a MS user and I don't have a rabid irrational hatred of them like many around here."
Au contraire, mon ami. Many, if not most, of us are M$ users and we have developed a thoroughly rational hatred of the company, based on our experiences of bloated, bug ridden, excessively expensive software, their constant undermining of standards, and their elevation of their opportunities to make money above user convenience. (My favorite was the Win98SE installer that asked if you wanted on-line services, and installed them anyway if you checked no.)
Standard Micro$oft policy is that support ends after 5 years.
I am planning on putting a swimming pool in the back yard and replacing the plane trees with palms. Pina Colada, Anyone?
DOS. Lord how I miss it.
"You are always going to have to buy Apple stuff. Forever and ever."
If our experience with iPods and with cellphones is any indication, these puppies won't last quite as long as the 24 month phone contract they will come with. Buy the insurance.
"1080p is enough for me" Just wait until your brother-in-law has 2160.