Your arrogant attitude and dismissive comments do nothing to advance your points. I have not revealed my religions beliefs, I am taking an anthropological approach to this problem. Unless you have a problem with science there is no reason to be such a dick.
In fact, if you take a moment to examine your own desire to berate me, you will see it is a direct result of your own evolutionary instinct to be an alpha in this herd (Slashdot). Like it or not, you are a herd animal with a strong desire for hierarchy. Most primates are. So are all domesticated animals above 100 lbs, a direct reflection our ability to hack the herd instinct for our benefit. A link to Chapter 9 from Jarrod Diamond's Gun's Germs and Steel so you can read more about this: http://www.udel.edu/anthro/roe/diamond9.pdf
As a herd animal with a strong need for hierarchy, human societies go through 4 stages of religion: animism, polytheism, monotheism, then atheism. We start worshiping the elements, then assign gods to those elements, then a certain god becomes primary, then we discard god. The Greeks did it. The Romans did it. The Hebrews are still at stage 3 though some could argue that after WWII they may have transitioned to stage 4. Europe is at stage 4, America at stage 3.
In polytheistic societies each city tends to focus around a single god. Here is a good link that shows both the animism and patron gods of Greek cities: http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?120692-Ancient-Greek-City-States-Standards You can see from the photos how an animal or element is used to symbolize a god and each city in ancient Greece had a patron god. Athens was Athena, Sparta was Lacedaemon. As each city state became part of the larger Greek world their patron gods were added to the mix in a hierarchy that reflected the city states' relative power.
Polytheism was a brilliant religious invention that allowed these cities to coexist with different patron gods (different alphas) by imagining a herd of gods in the sky. As different cultures achieved prominence the primary god changed. As Greece fell so did Zeus, as a Rome rose so did Jupiter. In other words, the polytheism of Greece and Rome was key to their success. The same things still exists in India today where each family has its own patron god. The Catholic church has patron saints (mini-gods) and the triumverate (3 gods in one).
The point I am trying to make here is that we are herd animals and we use the concept of gods to hack our evolution. It provides stability for the herd because deep down we are all animals.
To the second point about atheists. What happens if you apply a selective pressure to an evolving system? The system will respond in way that those most adapted to that pressure out compete those who do not. For the last 7000 years there has been a selective pressure on humans: religion. Those who were most able to adapt to the selective pressure of religion had access to more mates and out breed those who did not. Your genes are shaped by that evolutionary pressure. If your ancestors had a genetic pre-disposition towards blind violence or raping they were more likely to be removed from the herd.
What happens when you remove a selective pressure from an evolving system? If there is no advantage to those traits, they quickly degrade from the population. Societies that remove themselves from religion remove the selective pressures of religion. Religion is a brilliant technique to get the individual to willingly submit their own needs to the needs of society. It provides an immense benefit for society and without it societies quickly degrade.
"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.” Seneca quotes (Roman philosopher, mid-1st century AD)
Honestly I used the word rape because I like the sound of "rapey". The idea is that humans have natural impulses that are not good for societies. These impulses include rape, but also the desire to steal, exact revenge, and impose one's will upon another. These impulses have to be dulled to form good societies. It is the ongoing struggle we see today between individualism and conformity.
From another post of mine:
It seems vastly more probable to me that people settled down first, then discovered agriculture.
Nomads tend to visit a certain area for a week or two and move on. The discovery of agriculture requires noticing a pattern: seed is planted, seed sprouts a plant, plant produces a new seed. This requires at least one growing season in the same spot.
There are certain areas that can support a population without nomad-ism. Coasts in tropical areas are good examples. It seems most likely to me (Occams Razor) that people settled in these areas. Those who developed religion were able to form small stable settlements that protected the old. The old both accumulated and passed down knowledge giving a greater advantage to those settlements. Over time the most religious settlements became the most prosperous. Those who were religious had an evolutionary advantage.
As an aside, my grandfather is 84 years old and spends his whole day tending to the garden and plants around his house. If old people were anything like they are today (they were) then someone's grandfather made the discovery of agriculture.
It seems vastly more probable to me that people settled down first, then discovered agriculture.
Nomads tend to visit a certain area for a week or two and move on. The discovery of agriculture requires noticing a pattern: seed is planted, seed sprouts a plant, plant produces a new seed. This requires at least one growing season in the same spot.
There are certain areas that can support a population without nomad-ism. Coasts in tropical areas are good examples. It seems most likely to me (Occams Razor) that people settled in these areas. Those who developed religion were able to form small stable settlements that protected the old. The old both accumulated and passed down knowledge giving a greater advantage to those settlements. Over time the most religious settlements became the most prosperous. Those who were religious had an evolutionary advantage.
The hunter-gatherers of Tierra del Fuego did not have enough stable natural food sources to produce the effect.
Each city had its own god. Athens worshiped Athena. Rome worshiped Jupiter. The concept of "gods" is a result of cities banding together into larger herds with the primary city's god usually designated the top god.
Buddhists have an alpha, it is one of the many incarnations of Buddha.
Modern day atheists are the result of 7000 years of evolution where those who were "animals" were weeded out of the population. Without religion, or technology, modern day atheists will descend back to an animal state -- the movie Idiocracy springs to mind.
The Christian creation story is an allegory for the evolution of free will.
Humans evolved in their present form hundreds of thousands of years ago. But for some reason civilization didn't take off until about 7,000 years ago, give or take. The reason civilization could not take hold everything to do with man's ability to live in a herd.
We already know that humans can't deal well with herds of more than 150 people. For settlements to grow past 150 people meant that individuals would regularly come in contact with other humans that they did not directly know. For any stable settlement to occur, past 150 people, there had to be some new advancement in herd management, or as we call it: religion.
At some point, or possibly in multiple places, humans developed this idea of god. God was the invention that allowed humans to live in a herd of more than 150 because it created an immortal, infinitely powerful alpha that could not be toppled via violent means. We hacked our own evolution. By trusting in a god, instead of a human leader, herds could grow past the 150 person limit. By trusting in a god rules could be handed down in his name and people would follow them (for the most part) without having to be beaten into submission. These rules, like don't sleep with your neighbors wife and don't kill each other, laid the foundation for larger and larger settlements.
This advancement did not happen everywhere at once. It was a gradual transition. "Civilized" settlements would often come across humans who had not made this leap. To to the civilized, these rogue wanderers would seem like animals. They would be controlled by the desire to eat and rape and probably had no qualms about violence. Look at herds of baboons to see how aggressively they handle their herds.
Free will, as we know it, is the idea that we are not controlled by our basic animal impulses. Those who lived in religious settlements could control their desire to rape and make decisions for the good of the herd. Those who lived outside those societies were still animals with no free will -- they lived only to eat and rape.
The creation story is an allegory for this development. We used to live as animals (Garden of Eden) and were happy (though full of rape). Ignorance is bliss. Then, at some point we discovered free will (Tree of Knowledge). Forever after we would be cursed with the knowledge of our own death, but able to live with one another.
I am never amazed at the sense of helplessness I get from Europeans. They expect the government to do everything for and when it doesn't, for some reason petty theft is "justified". Pathetic.
Gandhi said "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." These current groups of thieves and thugs aren't noble citizens rising up against their oppressors. They are violent, thieving thugs with no concept of passive resistance -- no concept of the better good.
They are very well dressed. They are very well fed. These are not helpless Somalis trying to get their food aid. These people would be upper middle class in 75% of the countries on Earth but are so consumed by jealousy and helplessness that they have turned to selfish destruction.
Many of you, who are paralyzed by the thought of another citizen owning a gun, try to draw comparisons to the LA riots in 1992. Do you not remember Korea Town? Lack of gun control works. The LA riots were not brought under control by the police. It was private individuals, with their private guns, that laid down the law and stopped the anarchy.
The British people are helpless and dependent. From yesterday's Guardian:
"Scotland Yard’s 6,000 street officers were hopelessly outmanoeuvred" by " boys and girls, most no older than 15, and some apparently as young as eight". One resident: “Where are the police? Why are they not here? People are frightened.”
Americans in the 1992 riots were in no such mood:
"We are glad the National Guard is here. They're good backup."
Many years ago a historian (please enlighten me to the name if you can remember) did a study on the rise and fall of civilizations. He identified a phase immediately before collapse: Dependence
Each and every one of you that is blaming the Republicans or the Democrats for this are being fooled and you should, as critical thinking engineers / scientists, cut through the noise and find the signal.
The Banks are in charge. This is the Banks punishing us for not piling on debt as quickly as they would like. Remember how the Republican Bush gave the Banks $750 billion then the Democrat Obama gave them $800 billion?
The end goal is 100% of GDP being paid as interest to the Banks each year.
Looking through your posts clearly shows you are a pro-Chinese anti-American poster with comments such as:
"No, it's because the US is a democracy, and many Americans are fucking stupid" "Maybe we can get the Chinese to put this thing up" "So, uh, murder is okay now because the US government exists"
Then again, perhaps you are not a penny blogger and are simply a racist.
Read through the document. China is at war with the US because the Chinese Politburo knows that the only way they can hold on to power in the long run is to crush all viable alternative economic systems. The accumulation of US debt, the hacking of US and Western systems, and the ongoing Charm Offensive are all designed to put the US and the West in a position where we are forced into the Chinese model.
Most likely, politicians don't say anything because they are simply too scared. I'm sure China has dirt on many of our leaders. This is why we have not pressed China on WTO issues such as undervaluing the Chinese currency and the rare earth mineral export ban -- both of which are illegal under the treaties China signed in 2001.
If politicians are all about "corporate security" and a large number of "corporations" got attacked then wouldn't the politicians be making a big stink?
Never assign to malice what can be attributed to stupidity.
If you think there is any significant difference between Democrats and Republicans then you are as dumb as they hope you are.
Both parties work for the banks. The same banks that finance their campaigns and finance the businesses that put them in power. The Republican Bush gave $750 billion dollars to his masters, then the Democrat Obama gave them another $800 billion. Why can't you see who benefits?
The debt ceiling will be raised because the banks want it raised. An ever increasing share of tax money will flow directly into the banks in the form of interest payments. Both Republicans and Democrats will make sure it happens -- this little charade is just for show. To make you think the populace has some say. We don't.
There is no reason to be a jerk, ever. But a lot of really smart people get put into positions that are downright miserable simply because they are the smartest person in the room, get frustrated, and then turn into jerks.
A lot of smart people don't understand how the world works, how much humans are dictated by a herd mentality and it comes back to bite them in the ass. For example, an extremely bright recent graduate gets a job at a company staffed mainly engineers who are 5 to 10 years older than them. The young, smart fellow may think "if I work hard and showcase my talents I will soon get ahead". Sadly, the world does not work that way. People who have been working for 5 - 10 years in a job don't like to see people younger than them master it in 1 or 2. What they hate even more is having to work for a somebody younger than themselves. If you think we live in a meritocracy you've never worked in an organization with more than 2 levels of management.
I've seen many young, brilliant engineers apply themselves, get chewed up by the political machine, and become abrasive assholes simply because they don't understand "its not what you know, its who you know". My advice to them is to quit the job and start their own company. Never work for someone dumber than yourself. If you think you know everything, prove it.
For years I heard the MySQL is released under the GPL and is free. Its open source, so long as I don't modify MySQL I won't have to pay for it if I want to use it as the database for any applications I write. Not true.
A few years back I contacted MySQL with some questions about using it as a DB backend for a small invoicing program I wanted to sell for 300 per install. MySQL's representatives informed me that even if I don't include MySQL in the installer, I am liable for $650 per license. I asked, "Isn't MySQL free under the GPL". "No", they informed me, "not if you want to make a profit"
Now that Oracle owns MySQL, and Oracle has a habit of suing companies for (TomorrowNow / SAP) using their products, every piece of code I have the uses MySQL is quickly being ported away.
Before this degenerates into another self hating, "America is just as bad" thread lets take a step back. China is at war with the United States as they outlined in the document "Unrestricted Warfare" (http://cryptome.org/cuw01.htm). Lets not forget that fact. The Chinese Politburo wants to destroy Western values, such as representative democracy and freedom of the press. The US is not a perfect example. But it is far and away a better example than China.
The way the Chinese leaderships sees it, there are two options. Option 1: Western ideals spread to China and one party rule comes to an end. Option 2: Chinese authoritarianism spreads to the West and the party lives on. This is a fight to the death of one system against another. If we don't hold our system up as a shining example of how things "should be", while trying to make it better, then there is but one alternative. An untenable one.
To the posters who will lambaste me, I ask only one thing: When you point out the flaws in Western governance please include a proposed solution. Mindless complaining should not be confused with intelligence.
Anti-Americanism has existed as long as I can remember. Before 9/11 I remember a lengthy post on kuro5hin.org about why people hate America. Back then, it was in this order: 1. Because Americans are too religious. 2. Because Americans call themselves "Americans" instead of USians. 3. Because Americans don't care about the rest of the world (are too isolationist). 4. Because we didn't help the Kurds overthrow Saddam after Gulf War I. (Bruce Willis did a movie about this one).
I also point out that the housing bubble both started and popped in Europe before it played its course in America. I would say correlation is not causation, but there isn't even correlation in this case.
Some of my experiences using Google to run my business:
1. We use Google Docs for all documents. Recently, after an employee left the company we deleted his account. Every document that he shared with the company is still visible in the Docs list, but there is no way to open them. It returns an error. Posts on Google Docs help site have gotten 0 useful responses other than "documents shared with others should still be accessible". They are not. There is no tech support.
2. We use Google Voice. I had business cards printed and the web site changed to use our Google Voice number. After a few customers complained about my disconnected number, I started looking into it. Apparently certain numbers cannot call Google Voice. The entire 941 area code gets "This number is disconnected" when they try to call. Posts on Google Voice help site have gotten 0 helpful responses. There is no tech support.
3. We use Google Adwords to run ads. Recently an employee who was new to the system created a test campaign with up to $10,000 a day limit pointing to www.test.com. Little did he know that campaigns are created in a "Running" state. And, even if you don't authorize Google to extend you credit, they will. Luckily I noticed the problem after only 3000 damage. Google tech support was non-existent. Luckily their collections department was a little more accessible and gave us a 10% discount on our mistake, and closed the account. They also delisted an unrelated website from Google results.
4. We hosted an old web site in Google Page Creator. For months, when we logged into Google Page Creator a message appeared that said something like "Your pages will soon be automatically migrated to Google Sites". When Page Creator was shut down Google nicely migrated the site to garbage and deleted all record of it ever existing.
Yeah, with that personality good luck ever making much at all. I take my original offer back, even with SharePoint skills I wouldn't hire you. When you get a decade into your career and wonder why you haven't advanced take a look at this sharp edge right you're displaying here.
By the way, I put myself through college, no help. But I wasn't whining about how little money I had. I was out there making money and being awesome. Maybe you should stop whining and start being awesome.
Yeah, with that personality good luck ever making much at all. I take my original offer back, even with SharePoint skills I wouldn't hire you. When you get a decade into your career and wonder why you haven't advanced take a look at this sharp edge right you're displaying here.
Debt slavery my ass. Learn SharePoint and I'll give you a job tomorrow any normal human could live on comfortably. No time? Get a book and read it on the shitter during your bathroom break. No money? Get the book from a library.
Or do you think you're entitled to a decent living without having to work for it?
The ten commandments, and similar passages in the koran, specifically prohibit the worship of material things via the "Thou Shall Not Make False Idols" commandment. Worshiping the bible, or the crucifix or the koran is not only stupid, its hypocritical by its own standards.
Its so simple. 'You' were wrong in 1970 - "haha" - therefore any prediction of oil running out, including the fact that oil is running out right now and has ran out any many places already, will be automatically dismissed and ridiculed by us no matter what. No analysis, no fact checking, onward christian straw men..
Exactly. We were told that we would be out of oil by 1997. That natural gas would be gone by 2012. That the hole in the ozone layer would extend to the whole of Europe and then to the whole of North America. Acid rain would would continue to get worse and worse. Landfills would cover the entirety of our free land if we did act FAST. I bought into the whole think hook line and sinker. I even insulted my grandfather as an idiot and "hating the earth" for disagreeing. I was wrong.
Belief in the face of constant failure is called faith. Enjoy your religion, please don't berate me for not believing -- anymore.
Slashdot Mirror
Your arrogant attitude and dismissive comments do nothing to advance your points. I have not revealed my religions beliefs, I am taking an anthropological approach to this problem. Unless you have a problem with science there is no reason to be such a dick.
In fact, if you take a moment to examine your own desire to berate me, you will see it is a direct result of your own evolutionary instinct to be an alpha in this herd (Slashdot). Like it or not, you are a herd animal with a strong desire for hierarchy. Most primates are. So are all domesticated animals above 100 lbs, a direct reflection our ability to hack the herd instinct for our benefit. A link to Chapter 9 from Jarrod Diamond's Gun's Germs and Steel so you can read more about this: http://www.udel.edu/anthro/roe/diamond9.pdf
As a herd animal with a strong need for hierarchy, human societies go through 4 stages of religion: animism, polytheism, monotheism, then atheism. We start worshiping the elements, then assign gods to those elements, then a certain god becomes primary, then we discard god. The Greeks did it. The Romans did it. The Hebrews are still at stage 3 though some could argue that after WWII they may have transitioned to stage 4. Europe is at stage 4, America at stage 3.
In polytheistic societies each city tends to focus around a single god. Here is a good link that shows both the animism and patron gods of Greek cities: http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?120692-Ancient-Greek-City-States-Standards
You can see from the photos how an animal or element is used to symbolize a god and each city in ancient Greece had a patron god. Athens was Athena, Sparta was Lacedaemon. As each city state became part of the larger Greek world their patron gods were added to the mix in a hierarchy that reflected the city states' relative power.
Polytheism was a brilliant religious invention that allowed these cities to coexist with different patron gods (different alphas) by imagining a herd of gods in the sky. As different cultures achieved prominence the primary god changed. As Greece fell so did Zeus, as a Rome rose so did Jupiter. In other words, the polytheism of Greece and Rome was key to their success. The same things still exists in India today where each family has its own patron god. The Catholic church has patron saints (mini-gods) and the triumverate (3 gods in one).
The point I am trying to make here is that we are herd animals and we use the concept of gods to hack our evolution. It provides stability for the herd because deep down we are all animals.
To the second point about atheists. What happens if you apply a selective pressure to an evolving system? The system will respond in way that those most adapted to that pressure out compete those who do not. For the last 7000 years there has been a selective pressure on humans: religion. Those who were most able to adapt to the selective pressure of religion had access to more mates and out breed those who did not. Your genes are shaped by that evolutionary pressure. If your ancestors had a genetic pre-disposition towards blind violence or raping they were more likely to be removed from the herd.
What happens when you remove a selective pressure from an evolving system? If there is no advantage to those traits, they quickly degrade from the population. Societies that remove themselves from religion remove the selective pressures of religion. Religion is a brilliant technique to get the individual to willingly submit their own needs to the needs of society. It provides an immense benefit for society and without it societies quickly degrade.
"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.” Seneca quotes (Roman philosopher, mid-1st century AD)
Honestly I used the word rape because I like the sound of "rapey". The idea is that humans have natural impulses that are not good for societies. These impulses include rape, but also the desire to steal, exact revenge, and impose one's will upon another. These impulses have to be dulled to form good societies. It is the ongoing struggle we see today between individualism and conformity.
From another post of mine:
It seems vastly more probable to me that people settled down first, then discovered agriculture.
Nomads tend to visit a certain area for a week or two and move on. The discovery of agriculture requires noticing a pattern: seed is planted, seed sprouts a plant, plant produces a new seed. This requires at least one growing season in the same spot.
There are certain areas that can support a population without nomad-ism. Coasts in tropical areas are good examples. It seems most likely to me (Occams Razor) that people settled in these areas. Those who developed religion were able to form small stable settlements that protected the old. The old both accumulated and passed down knowledge giving a greater advantage to those settlements. Over time the most religious settlements became the most prosperous. Those who were religious had an evolutionary advantage.
As an aside, my grandfather is 84 years old and spends his whole day tending to the garden and plants around his house. If old people were anything like they are today (they were) then someone's grandfather made the discovery of agriculture.
It seems vastly more probable to me that people settled down first, then discovered agriculture.
Nomads tend to visit a certain area for a week or two and move on. The discovery of agriculture requires noticing a pattern: seed is planted, seed sprouts a plant, plant produces a new seed. This requires at least one growing season in the same spot.
There are certain areas that can support a population without nomad-ism. Coasts in tropical areas are good examples. It seems most likely to me (Occams Razor) that people settled in these areas. Those who developed religion were able to form small stable settlements that protected the old. The old both accumulated and passed down knowledge giving a greater advantage to those settlements. Over time the most religious settlements became the most prosperous. Those who were religious had an evolutionary advantage.
The hunter-gatherers of Tierra del Fuego did not have enough stable natural food sources to produce the effect.
Each city had its own god. Athens worshiped Athena. Rome worshiped Jupiter. The concept of "gods" is a result of cities banding together into larger herds with the primary city's god usually designated the top god.
Buddhists have an alpha, it is one of the many incarnations of Buddha.
Modern day atheists are the result of 7000 years of evolution where those who were "animals" were weeded out of the population. Without religion, or technology, modern day atheists will descend back to an animal state -- the movie Idiocracy springs to mind.
The Christian creation story is an allegory for the evolution of free will.
Humans evolved in their present form hundreds of thousands of years ago. But for some reason civilization didn't take off until about 7,000 years ago, give or take. The reason civilization could not take hold everything to do with man's ability to live in a herd.
We already know that humans can't deal well with herds of more than 150 people. For settlements to grow past 150 people meant that individuals would regularly come in contact with other humans that they did not directly know. For any stable settlement to occur, past 150 people, there had to be some new advancement in herd management, or as we call it: religion.
At some point, or possibly in multiple places, humans developed this idea of god. God was the invention that allowed humans to live in a herd of more than 150 because it created an immortal, infinitely powerful alpha that could not be toppled via violent means. We hacked our own evolution. By trusting in a god, instead of a human leader, herds could grow past the 150 person limit. By trusting in a god rules could be handed down in his name and people would follow them (for the most part) without having to be beaten into submission. These rules, like don't sleep with your neighbors wife and don't kill each other, laid the foundation for larger and larger settlements.
This advancement did not happen everywhere at once. It was a gradual transition. "Civilized" settlements would often come across humans who had not made this leap. To to the civilized, these rogue wanderers would seem like animals. They would be controlled by the desire to eat and rape and probably had no qualms about violence. Look at herds of baboons to see how aggressively they handle their herds.
Free will, as we know it, is the idea that we are not controlled by our basic animal impulses. Those who lived in religious settlements could control their desire to rape and make decisions for the good of the herd. Those who lived outside those societies were still animals with no free will -- they lived only to eat and rape.
The creation story is an allegory for this development. We used to live as animals (Garden of Eden) and were happy (though full of rape). Ignorance is bliss. Then, at some point we discovered free will (Tree of Knowledge). Forever after we would be cursed with the knowledge of our own death, but able to live with one another.
I am never amazed at the sense of helplessness I get from Europeans. They expect the government to do everything for and when it doesn't, for some reason petty theft is "justified". Pathetic.
Gandhi said "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." These current groups of thieves and thugs aren't noble citizens rising up against their oppressors. They are violent, thieving thugs with no concept of passive resistance -- no concept of the better good.
Poor you say? Look at these people
http://catchalooter.tumblr.com/
They are very well dressed. They are very well fed. These are not helpless Somalis trying to get their food aid. These people would be upper middle class in 75% of the countries on Earth but are so consumed by jealousy and helplessness that they have turned to selfish destruction.
Many of you, who are paralyzed by the thought of another citizen owning a gun, try to draw comparisons to the LA riots in 1992. Do you not remember Korea Town? Lack of gun control works. The LA riots were not brought under control by the police. It was private individuals, with their private guns, that laid down the law and stopped the anarchy.
The British people are helpless and dependent. From yesterday's Guardian:
"Scotland Yard’s 6,000 street officers were hopelessly outmanoeuvred" by " boys and girls, most no older than 15, and some apparently as young as eight". One resident: “Where are the police? Why are they not here? People are frightened.”
Americans in the 1992 riots were in no such mood:
"We are glad the National Guard is here. They're good backup."
Many years ago a historian (please enlighten me to the name if you can remember) did a study on the rise and fall of civilizations. He identified a phase immediately before collapse: Dependence
Each and every one of you that is blaming the Republicans or the Democrats for this are being fooled and you should, as critical thinking engineers / scientists, cut through the noise and find the signal.
The Banks are in charge. This is the Banks punishing us for not piling on debt as quickly as they would like. Remember how the Republican Bush gave the Banks $750 billion then the Democrat Obama gave them $800 billion?
The end goal is 100% of GDP being paid as interest to the Banks each year.
I never said it was secret. This brings me to a second point. China actively pays individuals to post on forums like this:
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-03-26/tech/china.astroturf_1_bloggers-china-government?_s=PM:TECH
Looking through your posts clearly shows you are a pro-Chinese anti-American poster with comments such as:
"No, it's because the US is a democracy, and many Americans are
fucking stupid"
"Maybe we can get the Chinese to put this thing up"
"So, uh, murder is okay now because the US government exists"
Then again, perhaps you are not a penny blogger and are simply a racist.
This is part of China's asymmetric warfare strategy laid out in this document over ten years ago:
Unrestricted Warfare
by Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui
http://cryptome.org/cuw01.htm
Read through the document. China is at war with the US because the Chinese Politburo knows that the only way they can hold on to power in the long run is to crush all viable alternative economic systems. The accumulation of US debt, the hacking of US and Western systems, and the ongoing Charm Offensive are all designed to put the US and the West in a position where we are forced into the Chinese model.
Most likely, politicians don't say anything because they are simply too scared. I'm sure China has dirt on many of our leaders. This is why we have not pressed China on WTO issues such as undervaluing the Chinese currency and the rare earth mineral export ban -- both of which are illegal under the treaties China signed in 2001.
If politicians are all about "corporate security" and a large number of "corporations" got attacked then wouldn't the politicians be making a big stink?
Never assign to malice what can be attributed to stupidity.
Millimeter accuracy in 3 dimensions would open up a lot of possibilities for use in robotics.
If you think there is any significant difference between Democrats and Republicans then you are as dumb as they hope you are.
Both parties work for the banks. The same banks that finance their campaigns and finance the businesses that put them in power. The Republican Bush gave $750 billion dollars to his masters, then the Democrat Obama gave them another $800 billion. Why can't you see who benefits?
The debt ceiling will be raised because the banks want it raised. An ever increasing share of tax money will flow directly into the banks in the form of interest payments. Both Republicans and Democrats will make sure it happens -- this little charade is just for show. To make you think the populace has some say. We don't.
There is no reason to be a jerk, ever. But a lot of really smart people get put into positions that are downright miserable simply because they are the smartest person in the room, get frustrated, and then turn into jerks.
A lot of smart people don't understand how the world works, how much humans are dictated by a herd mentality and it comes back to bite them in the ass. For example, an extremely bright recent graduate gets a job at a company staffed mainly engineers who are 5 to 10 years older than them. The young, smart fellow may think "if I work hard and showcase my talents I will soon get ahead". Sadly, the world does not work that way. People who have been working for 5 - 10 years in a job don't like to see people younger than them master it in 1 or 2. What they hate even more is having to work for a somebody younger than themselves. If you think we live in a meritocracy you've never worked in an organization with more than 2 levels of management.
I've seen many young, brilliant engineers apply themselves, get chewed up by the political machine, and become abrasive assholes simply because they don't understand "its not what you know, its who you know". My advice to them is to quit the job and start their own company. Never work for someone dumber than yourself. If you think you know everything, prove it.
For years I heard the MySQL is released under the GPL and is free. Its open source, so long as I don't modify MySQL I won't have to pay for it if I want to use it as the database for any applications I write. Not true.
A few years back I contacted MySQL with some questions about using it as a DB backend for a small invoicing program I wanted to sell for 300 per install. MySQL's representatives informed me that even if I don't include MySQL in the installer, I am liable for $650 per license. I asked, "Isn't MySQL free under the GPL". "No", they informed me, "not if you want to make a profit"
Now that Oracle owns MySQL, and Oracle has a habit of suing companies for (TomorrowNow / SAP) using their products, every piece of code I have the uses MySQL is quickly being ported away.
Before this degenerates into another self hating, "America is just as bad" thread lets take a step back. China is at war with the United States as they outlined in the document "Unrestricted Warfare" (http://cryptome.org/cuw01.htm). Lets not forget that fact. The Chinese Politburo wants to destroy Western values, such as representative democracy and freedom of the press. The US is not a perfect example. But it is far and away a better example than China.
The way the Chinese leaderships sees it, there are two options. Option 1: Western ideals spread to China and one party rule comes to an end. Option 2: Chinese authoritarianism spreads to the West and the party lives on. This is a fight to the death of one system against another. If we don't hold our system up as a shining example of how things "should be", while trying to make it better, then there is but one alternative. An untenable one.
To the posters who will lambaste me, I ask only one thing: When you point out the flaws in Western governance please include a proposed solution. Mindless complaining should not be confused with intelligence.
Anti-Americanism has existed as long as I can remember. Before 9/11 I remember a lengthy post on kuro5hin.org about why people hate America. Back then, it was in this order:
1. Because Americans are too religious.
2. Because Americans call themselves "Americans" instead of USians.
3. Because Americans don't care about the rest of the world (are too isolationist).
4. Because we didn't help the Kurds overthrow Saddam after Gulf War I. (Bruce Willis did a movie about this one).
I also point out that the housing bubble both started and popped in Europe before it played its course in America. I would say correlation is not causation, but there isn't even correlation in this case.
No, America was successful because it was the first to adopt a constitutional representative democracy and stick with it.
Some of my experiences using Google to run my business:
1. We use Google Docs for all documents. Recently, after an employee left the company we deleted his account. Every document that he shared with the company is still visible in the Docs list, but there is no way to open them. It returns an error. Posts on Google Docs help site have gotten 0 useful responses other than "documents shared with others should still be accessible". They are not. There is no tech support.
2. We use Google Voice. I had business cards printed and the web site changed to use our Google Voice number. After a few customers complained about my disconnected number, I started looking into it. Apparently certain numbers cannot call Google Voice. The entire 941 area code gets "This number is disconnected" when they try to call. Posts on Google Voice help site have gotten 0 helpful responses. There is no tech support.
3. We use Google Adwords to run ads. Recently an employee who was new to the system created a test campaign with up to $10,000 a day limit pointing to www.test.com. Little did he know that campaigns are created in a "Running" state. And, even if you don't authorize Google to extend you credit, they will. Luckily I noticed the problem after only 3000 damage. Google tech support was non-existent. Luckily their collections department was a little more accessible and gave us a 10% discount on our mistake, and closed the account. They also delisted an unrelated website from Google results.
4. We hosted an old web site in Google Page Creator. For months, when we logged into Google Page Creator a message appeared that said something like "Your pages will soon be automatically migrated to Google Sites". When Page Creator was shut down Google nicely migrated the site to garbage and deleted all record of it ever existing.
"The TSA is ineffective!"
"The line is now a terrorist target!"
"This is so invasive!"
So what you are you going to do about it? That's right. Nothing except whine on the Internet. And vote for Obama in 2012.
You're all pussies unless you take action.
Yeah, with that personality good luck ever making much at all. I take my original offer back, even with SharePoint skills I wouldn't hire you. When you get a decade into your career and wonder why you haven't advanced take a look at this sharp edge right you're displaying here.
By the way, I put myself through college, no help. But I wasn't whining about how little money I had. I was out there making money and being awesome. Maybe you should stop whining and start being awesome.
Yeah, with that personality good luck ever making much at all. I take my original offer back, even with SharePoint skills I wouldn't hire you. When you get a decade into your career and wonder why you haven't advanced take a look at this sharp edge right you're displaying here.
Debt slavery my ass. Learn SharePoint and I'll give you a job tomorrow any normal human could live on comfortably. No time? Get a book and read it on the shitter during your bathroom break. No money? Get the book from a library.
Or do you think you're entitled to a decent living without having to work for it?
The ten commandments, and similar passages in the koran, specifically prohibit the worship of material things via the "Thou Shall Not Make False Idols" commandment. Worshiping the bible, or the crucifix or the koran is not only stupid, its hypocritical by its own standards.
Its so simple. 'You' were wrong in 1970 - "haha" - therefore any prediction of oil running out, including the fact that oil is running out right now and has ran out any many places already, will be automatically dismissed and ridiculed by us no matter what. No analysis, no fact checking, onward christian straw men..
Exactly. We were told that we would be out of oil by 1997. That natural gas would be gone by 2012. That the hole in the ozone layer would extend to the whole of Europe and then to the whole of North America. Acid rain would would continue to get worse and worse. Landfills would cover the entirety of our free land if we did act FAST. I bought into the whole think hook line and sinker. I even insulted my grandfather as an idiot and "hating the earth" for disagreeing. I was wrong.
Belief in the face of constant failure is called faith. Enjoy your religion, please don't berate me for not believing -- anymore.
That's because they just put the plant in Arizona (Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant) and buy the power back without the risks.