Here's an idea: have universal healthcare for children/teenagers 0-18 years old, and for nobody else. This would ensure that the health of children is not dependent on their parents' economic situation.
People are expected to pay for their own housing and food, and this ensures a competitive market with good prices. Why should health care be different?
I love these arguments. "We can't let smart people in, Americans will have to compete with them!"
Guess what: there is no fixed pool of jobs that these foreigners are taking jobs from. More people in your country means more jobs, whether the extra people are immigrants or native-born. Your argument is especially invalid when you consider that these grad students are the cream of the crop. How fucking stupid can you be to think that having more smart people in your country will affect the economy in a bad way?
You know what, I give up. Maybe you're right - let's just all avoid having children, since they'll obviously take jobs from this imaginary pool of jobs that are only for middle-class white Americans who can't bear the thought of having to compete with someone for a job. You're as bad as the people who deride Asian-American immigrants for "stealing our jobs" by actually trying hard in school, and yet complain about "them lazy niggers".
Not really. It seems like Slashdot's summaries are getting worse and worse lately; it seems like half the editors can't put a basic sentence together, let alone proofread what the submitters write.
(mod parent up insightful, by the way)
*sigh* Yeah, I didn't quote that part because I can't say I agree with it. However, it does state that most usage with apostrophes is wrong.
Maybe I should just become French, I'd like it if there was something like the Academie Francaise to keep English in line.
Also, yes, languages are defined by their users, but I'd prefer that it wasn't the users who can't write properly. I see errors like "photo's" and "book's" all the time now, and I don't doubt that those will become accepted English sooner or later.
The major proponent of this
incorrect method is 'The New York Times,' even though all publishing
houses and computer magazines agree that it is wrong.
I don't see why this is such an issue. Using apostrophes complicates things and goes against some pretty fundamental rules of English; just because people use it doesn't mean it's right.
I know this isn't new, but it shouldn't stop raising eyebrows. Security is now Homeland Security. Prisoners are now labelled detainees or enemy combatants (to circumvent their legal rights). Newspeak anyone?
Building free software doesn't contribute to all the public things we take advantage of (roads, transit, public schools, government). Nor do donations (unless you're planning on donating to all those things, in which case taxes are no different).
I think I understand where you're coming from, but I'm quite happy paying for all these essential services. My tax dollars help others, and myself.
Still.... "I don't give a damn about social questions, only money counts" is a pretty irresponsible way of thinking IMHO. Or did you word that wrongly?
I live in Hiroshima, and I think it's safe to say that you can only say that because you haven't been here. It's easy to say that it was justified when you've only seen it on paper; more difficult when you've been here and seen the effect it's left, still remaining even 60 years later.
I'm not saying your reasons are entirely invalid, but I think most people find it extremely difficult to understand exactly what it means for an entire city to almost entirely be destroyed. What everyone seems to be forgetting is that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a living hell for countless innocents. The Japanese military's actions overseas have nothing to do with it.
Right on. I find Japanese very easy to read at a glance, unless it's all in kana. It's a weird situation because it makes childrens' books a bit difficult to read. Also, if you've played Katamari Damacy in Japanese, you'll agree with me that reading the king's dialogue (all in katakana) is painful as hell.
Compared to some yes, but not really, which is why I'm sick of most of the Slashdot memes. They're funny the first few times, then you start to realize that maybe there's a reason funny moderations don't give karma...
Yeah, you're just lucky.... either that or the iBooks have absolutely massive battery life compared to the Powerbooks. I get about 2.5 hours on my Powerbook, and that's with processor speed at minimum, Airport/Bluetooth turned off, and brightness down way low. To be honest, I've never used an iBook for a long time, but I can attest that anyone claiming 5+ hours on a Powerbook G4 is full of it.
I'd be surprised if you got that much battery life on an Apple laptop. I've never had better than 3 hours on my Powerbook 15 inch, whether or not I turn off Airport/etc., and dim the backlight.
On the topic of romanization: Well, you can either try to get it right, or just fuck it up like the translators of Katamari Damashii did. It's pronounced with a "sh" sound, and the i on the end is lengthened (that doesn't happen much in English though, so I can see why they'd drop that. Same thing happens with a lot of place names like Tokyo/Toukyou, Osaka/Oosaka)
I'm 99% sure that the reason is a bad Japanese tendency to romanize "shi" as "si". The Japanese alphabet is a bit weird in what sounds it contains; it goes "sa, shi, su, se, so" for the "Sa line" of sounds. Same with T and H. So, often, you'll see "si" when the sound is actually "shi".
To be fair, I've gone back and watched the original trilogy recently (unedited version btw), and they're simply not as good as I remember. I remember being awed by them as a kid, but I'm not so sure anymore. I agree with you about Phantom Menace, but I actually enjoyed AotC. Ignore most of what Anakin says, and it's pretty good. The special effects are also finally being put to good use; to name one thing, the cloner aliens looked fantastic and fit into the Star Wars universe very well.
I've basically come to this conclusion: George Lucas may be a hack of a director, but he's created a universe for his characters that's interesting enough to sustain all the mediocre parts.
Slashdot Mirror
Here's an idea: have universal healthcare for children/teenagers 0-18 years old, and for nobody else. This would ensure that the health of children is not dependent on their parents' economic situation. People are expected to pay for their own housing and food, and this ensures a competitive market with good prices. Why should health care be different?
Maybe if we had taxes and duties comparable to the USA's, we'd get similar prices for consumer goods. Can't see that happening anytime soon though.
Look, I know you want to start a discussion but... RTFA. Really.
I love these arguments. "We can't let smart people in, Americans will have to compete with them!"
Guess what: there is no fixed pool of jobs that these foreigners are taking jobs from. More people in your country means more jobs, whether the extra people are immigrants or native-born. Your argument is especially invalid when you consider that these grad students are the cream of the crop. How fucking stupid can you be to think that having more smart people in your country will affect the economy in a bad way?
You know what, I give up. Maybe you're right - let's just all avoid having children, since they'll obviously take jobs from this imaginary pool of jobs that are only for middle-class white Americans who can't bear the thought of having to compete with someone for a job. You're as bad as the people who deride Asian-American immigrants for "stealing our jobs" by actually trying hard in school, and yet complain about "them lazy niggers".
...Shouldn't this be "Tech Jobs for a Non-student"?
Not really. It seems like Slashdot's summaries are getting worse and worse lately; it seems like half the editors can't put a basic sentence together, let alone proofread what the submitters write. (mod parent up insightful, by the way)
You have my support. Fuck everyone who contributes to the downfall of my language.
*sigh* Yeah, I didn't quote that part because I can't say I agree with it. However, it does state that most usage with apostrophes is wrong.
Maybe I should just become French, I'd like it if there was something like the Academie Francaise to keep English in line.
Also, yes, languages are defined by their users, but I'd prefer that it wasn't the users who can't write properly. I see errors like "photo's" and "book's" all the time now, and I don't doubt that those will become accepted English sooner or later.
From the first link on that Google search:
The major proponent of this incorrect method is 'The New York Times,' even though all publishing houses and computer magazines agree that it is wrong. I don't see why this is such an issue. Using apostrophes complicates things and goes against some pretty fundamental rules of English; just because people use it doesn't mean it's right.
it isn't completely clear whether plural forms can have apostrophes
No, it is. Using an apostrophe to pluralize nouns is incorrect and I have no idea why people do it. Yes, this means that things like "CD's" are wrong.
I know this isn't new, but it shouldn't stop raising eyebrows. Security is now Homeland Security. Prisoners are now labelled detainees or enemy combatants (to circumvent their legal rights). Newspeak anyone?
Building free software doesn't contribute to all the public things we take advantage of (roads, transit, public schools, government). Nor do donations (unless you're planning on donating to all those things, in which case taxes are no different).
I think I understand where you're coming from, but I'm quite happy paying for all these essential services. My tax dollars help others, and myself.
Still.... "I don't give a damn about social questions, only money counts" is a pretty irresponsible way of thinking IMHO. Or did you word that wrongly?
So what? Respect the people who will read your post enough to write it properly.
Could I interest you in the NDP instead, good sir? Let's try to distance ourselves a little further from our neighbour to the south.
I live in Hiroshima, and I think it's safe to say that you can only say that because you haven't been here. It's easy to say that it was justified when you've only seen it on paper; more difficult when you've been here and seen the effect it's left, still remaining even 60 years later.
I'm not saying your reasons are entirely invalid, but I think most people find it extremely difficult to understand exactly what it means for an entire city to almost entirely be destroyed. What everyone seems to be forgetting is that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a living hell for countless innocents. The Japanese military's actions overseas have nothing to do with it.
Right on. I find Japanese very easy to read at a glance, unless it's all in kana. It's a weird situation because it makes childrens' books a bit difficult to read. Also, if you've played Katamari Damacy in Japanese, you'll agree with me that reading the king's dialogue (all in katakana) is painful as hell.
You can understand 90% of a Japanese newspaper after 3 years, but can't get through the first page of a novel? I call bull.
Anyways, you're forgetting the obvious link: Slashdot Japan
Compared to some yes, but not really, which is why I'm sick of most of the Slashdot memes. They're funny the first few times, then you start to realize that maybe there's a reason funny moderations don't give karma...
I'd welcome somebody with an original joke.
Maybe it's just the larger Powerbooks... I have the 15 inch model, and I've heard similar complaints from people with the 17 inch model.
Yeah, you're just lucky.... either that or the iBooks have absolutely massive battery life compared to the Powerbooks. I get about 2.5 hours on my Powerbook, and that's with processor speed at minimum, Airport/Bluetooth turned off, and brightness down way low. To be honest, I've never used an iBook for a long time, but I can attest that anyone claiming 5+ hours on a Powerbook G4 is full of it.
I'd be surprised if you got that much battery life on an Apple laptop. I've never had better than 3 hours on my Powerbook 15 inch, whether or not I turn off Airport/etc., and dim the backlight.
On the topic of romanization: Well, you can either try to get it right, or just fuck it up like the translators of Katamari Damashii did. It's pronounced with a "sh" sound, and the i on the end is lengthened (that doesn't happen much in English though, so I can see why they'd drop that. Same thing happens with a lot of place names like Tokyo/Toukyou, Osaka/Oosaka)
I'm 99% sure that the reason is a bad Japanese tendency to romanize "shi" as "si". The Japanese alphabet is a bit weird in what sounds it contains; it goes "sa, shi, su, se, so" for the "Sa line" of sounds. Same with T and H. So, often, you'll see "si" when the sound is actually "shi".
To be fair, I've gone back and watched the original trilogy recently (unedited version btw), and they're simply not as good as I remember. I remember being awed by them as a kid, but I'm not so sure anymore. I agree with you about Phantom Menace, but I actually enjoyed AotC. Ignore most of what Anakin says, and it's pretty good. The special effects are also finally being put to good use; to name one thing, the cloner aliens looked fantastic and fit into the Star Wars universe very well.
I've basically come to this conclusion: George Lucas may be a hack of a director, but he's created a universe for his characters that's interesting enough to sustain all the mediocre parts.