No it's not a product of winner take all. In Canada, it is one man, one vote, yet there are 5 official political parties with at least 5% of the national vote. The largest party only has 30% of the vote.
In fact, in Canada, your vote counts for money, $1.75 per year per vote to the party you voted for. The reason is that corporate donation maximums were dropped from $100k's+ to $1000 maximum per year. It has taken the corporate influence out of politics.
Vote out the incumbent. All politicians are corrupt, but the common theme between all of them is that the longer they are in power, the more corrupt they become. A regular cleaning of the slate is good for the government and the country.
We still need an option for "none of the above, thanks".
There's a simple solution to that - write it down beneath the candidate's names, draw a little square next it to and make a check in it. Sure, you've spoiled a ballot, but you've made a point. Better to do that than to stay at home and complain.
Abstaining from voting is your right. And in a nation where mid-term elections frequently see less than 50% turnout, the votes of those who choose to abstain speak more loudly than those who choose to participate.
Interesting point. But unfortunately for you, while the abstainers make a strong statement by having the majority of votes, they only serve to increase the power and influence of the minority who choose to exercise their right. In effect, you are handing control of the government over to them, and are being ruled by a minority. Well done.
"You just need to look around the world and you will see hundreds of thin nitwits and clever fat people,"
The study is indicative of trends, it is not saying "all fat people are stupid."
I would probably not have to look too far, for example, to find a dozen people who have smoked 30 years or more and who do not have lung cancer. Can I deduce from this that smoking does not cause lung cancer?
Earnings matter, but so does potential growth. Even though Google's P/E ratio is higher, investors are expecting Google to have much more room to grow. Investors do not really believe Microsoft is going to improve revenue by 50% in the next year.
Me: So a policeman in the USA would shoot a shoplifter if they ran away? American: If they didn't stop, I guess they would. Me: That's dumber.
Police won't shoot a shoplifter if they are running away. In fact, wasn't it British policemen who shot an innocent man 7 times in the head for running away?
However, it is a good thing for cops to carry guns. There are a lot of college students in Montreal, Canada that are very thankful that nearby police (who just happened to be at Dawson College on other business) had guns when the shooting rampage happened a couple weeks back. If they didn't, it could have been a lot worse.
They're not protecting their customers, they're protecting themselves.
That's not all. The wording in the old privacy policy said:
the company "may disclose your information in response to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal process to the extent required and/or permitted by law"
New policy:
the company "may disclose your information in response to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal process"
Looks like the law isn't important to them anymore.
As such, AT&T may disclose such records to protect its legitimate business interests, safeguard others, or respond to legal process.'"
Don't you see, AT&T is doing this for you, the valued customer. It is in your best interests. Don't you want to be kept safe from the evil0rz criminals?
In Canada, the Privacy Act restricts the ability of corporations to share private information. Admittedly it's not perfect, but it appears to be better than what exists in the United States.
Sigal: I think the raid is what brought this whole thing to my attention, and to the attention of people around the world. The raid in Sweden could turn out to be the best thing that happened to the internet community. I think it backfired on the MPAA. They wanted to take down a site they thought was illegal, but everyone noticed that the MPAA is terrorizing the people.
No kidding. Whether or not the party manages to elect any members, its time to bring these issues to the public on every front possible, including the political front. A strong grassroots effort behind the Pirate Party would throw these tactics right back in the face of the *IAA organizations.
The Pirate Party doesn't have to get elected to get their point across. Political parties whose platforms are based on a single concept (e.g. intellectual rights reform) merely have to prove they have popular support, and then one or more major parties will pick up (or pirate, lol) their idea to add to their votes.
The Pirate Party doesn't need to win any elections to succeed. All they need is some publicity and public support, and major parties will be forced to adopt their policies. Or, one major party adopts it in order to gain an advantage.
But there's no way they're going to succeed in politics when they've named themselves the "Pirate Party". I don't think I even need to ask whether they realize that they're giving their opponents fodder for later complaints and insults.
Arrrrrrr matey. Who will be laughing last when the RIAA is walking the plank?
In the US we have similar problems: cartels of licensed industries (Engineers, Architects, Doctors, Dentists, Teachers, anything licensed)
In Canada, entrance to any Medical profession and Teachers programs is rationed as it is in the US. However, for engineers, this is not the case. It is not at all difficult to get accepted to an engineering program - attrition is accomplished through failure by poor students or a low work ethic in a very demanding program.
As opposed to becoming a doctor or a lawyer. All you really have to do is be accepted, and then you're set for life.
Ok, am I missing something here? Last I heard, water expands when it freezes, not when it warms -- unless it warms to the point of boiling, which is clearly not (yet) the case.
Water is unique indeed. The density of water is not constant from 0C to 100C. In fact, water is the most dense at 4C. Thus, at the bottom of the ocean, even under the Arctic ice caps, the temperature will generally be 4C (outside local phenonoma).
Water will expand from 4C to 100C. Thus, as the average temperature of the planet increases, there is thermal expansion in the oceans as the oceans heat up.
Compounding the problem is melting sea ice. Sea ice melts at 0C which is less dense than the average temperatures of the ocean. Inevitably this fresh water will warm up and start expanding.
I just thought that I'd point out that if the ice melts at the north pole, the sea level won't rise. It's already displacing its equivalent mass in seawater. Obviously there are other implications, though.
The northern polar ice cap extends beyond the Arctic Ocean at the North pole, and extends onto land. Most notably, but not exclusive to, Greenland. Although it would take a very long time, the melting of the ice on Greenland would result in a significant rise in water levels around the world. And the rate of ice melting on Greenland is accelerating and is measurable.
Also note that the parent referred to ice at the polar caps, which also includes the South Pole. All of the ice that is on Anarctica is on land and not on the water and as it melts, it will increase the volume of water in the oceans. The rate of ice melt on Antarctica is accelerating and is measurable.
Sea levels in the distant past have been as high as 10 feet more than they are now. The difference is that now the ice is melting fast enough that we could see levels like in the near future. In geological terms, we could see levels 10 feet higher in a blink of an eye.
Eating bad food is only part of the problem. A lack of exercise is far worse. I eat a varied diet, including large portions of meat, and even occasionally some deep fried food, as well as plenty of desserts. I also eat fruits, vegetables, and plenty of breads.
Why am I not fat, and could even be considered underweight? Is it genetics? Hardly. It's because I also exercise every week, at least 5 hours of moderately hard exercise. It's only a minor part of my weekly routine, but 5 hours of burning 1000 calories an hour is equal to approximately 2 extra days a week had I done nothing out of the ordinary.
People can evaluate the risk and potential cost and choose to pay more with no risk or less with an element of risk bundled in.
So, I can pay less and download my music off P2P networks. The cost of getting a bad quality song? I delete it and download a higher quality song. So far, in 99.5% of the cases where I have downloaded, the quality has been excellent. In those 0.5% cases where it has not, it took a matter of 5 minutes and no additional money to find a suitable quality version.
Or I can choose "less risk" by buying a CD in a store? Such as, a CD from Sony with malicious software that installs without my knowledge, causing all sorts of harm and may require a total system reinstall to remove it?
The problem with sloppy grammer isn't in the comments or during discussions. The problem is on the main page. No one cares if some comments are in error; it's just like casual conversation. However, millions of people around the world know what Slashdot is and what they can expect to find on the main page.
Slashdot's articles are a reflection of the issues that concern its readers. Therefore, Slashdot's main page is a reflection ON its readers. When we see careless typos and grammatical errors, on the main page, blatant and obvious, people get upset because at some level perhaps they consider it a reflection of themselves. At the very least, Slashdot readers believe in the site, and to see careless errors made, not corrected, and then listed as a low priority, well. You can imagine the result, and I can see that a vast majority of Slashdot readers agree.
Yes I could hire a copy editor. Yes every typo and grammar error could be removed. And I think that the tone of the site would be different. I personally don't believe that particular change to be an improvement.
Wrong. The quality of the site would improve. The only message that would change, is the message that the owners and editors of Slashdot actually care. Note that even newspapers, with multiple editors, still get make typos. But at least they TRY.
While the death of 2/3rds of the human population would be a tragedy of unimaginable proportions, in terms of the history of the human race, would actually only return us to 1920's levels. Certainly not 'feeling the pinch', but equally not the end of humanity.
Slashdot Mirror
No it's not a product of winner take all. In Canada, it is one man, one vote, yet there are 5 official political parties with at least 5% of the national vote. The largest party only has 30% of the vote.
In fact, in Canada, your vote counts for money, $1.75 per year per vote to the party you voted for. The reason is that corporate donation maximums were dropped from $100k's+ to $1000 maximum per year. It has taken the corporate influence out of politics.
Vote out the incumbent. All politicians are corrupt, but the common theme between all of them is that the longer they are in power, the more corrupt they become. A regular cleaning of the slate is good for the government and the country.
We still need an option for "none of the above, thanks".
There's a simple solution to that - write it down beneath the candidate's names, draw a little square next it to and make a check in it. Sure, you've spoiled a ballot, but you've made a point. Better to do that than to stay at home and complain.
Abstaining from voting is your right. And in a nation where mid-term elections frequently see less than 50% turnout, the votes of those who choose to abstain speak more loudly than those who choose to participate.
Interesting point. But unfortunately for you, while the abstainers make a strong statement by having the majority of votes, they only serve to increase the power and influence of the minority who choose to exercise their right. In effect, you are handing control of the government over to them, and are being ruled by a minority. Well done.
From Diamond Nexus's website:
Mined diamonds are carbon (C), and Diamond Nexus gemstones are principally polycrystalline.
There are two major diamond mines in Canada, and De Beers is already linked (financially) to one of them so far.
"You just need to look around the world and you will see hundreds of thin nitwits and clever fat people,"
The study is indicative of trends, it is not saying "all fat people are stupid."
I would probably not have to look too far, for example, to find a dozen people who have smoked 30 years or more and who do not have lung cancer. Can I deduce from this that smoking does not cause lung cancer?
BMI may be worthless when comparing say a 22 to 24; not really that big of a deal.
However, if your BMI is 30 or higher, then chances are pretty good you are a fat ass. Especially if you waist line is 40 inches or greater.
It is simply not healthy to have 20 pounds of fat sitting on your abdomen, even if you are some kind of muscle bound freak.
Earnings matter, but so does potential growth. Even though Google's P/E ratio is higher, investors are expecting Google to have much more room to grow. Investors do not really believe Microsoft is going to improve revenue by 50% in the next year.
Me: So a policeman in the USA would shoot a shoplifter if they ran away?
American: If they didn't stop, I guess they would.
Me: That's dumber.
Police won't shoot a shoplifter if they are running away. In fact, wasn't it British policemen who shot an innocent man 7 times in the head for running away?
However, it is a good thing for cops to carry guns. There are a lot of college students in Montreal, Canada that are very thankful that nearby police (who just happened to be at Dawson College on other business) had guns when the shooting rampage happened a couple weeks back. If they didn't, it could have been a lot worse.
They're not protecting their customers, they're protecting themselves.
That's not all. The wording in the old privacy policy said:
the company "may disclose your information in response to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal process to the extent required and/or permitted by law"
New policy:
the company "may disclose your information in response to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal process"
Looks like the law isn't important to them anymore.
As such, AT&T may disclose such records to protect its legitimate business interests, safeguard others, or respond to legal process.'"
Don't you see, AT&T is doing this for you, the valued customer. It is in your best interests. Don't you want to be kept safe from the evil0rz criminals?
In Canada, the Privacy Act restricts the ability of corporations to share private information. Admittedly it's not perfect, but it appears to be better than what exists in the United States.
From the interview:
Sigal: I think the raid is what brought this whole thing to my attention, and to the attention of people around the world. The raid in Sweden could turn out to be the best thing that happened to the internet community. I think it backfired on the MPAA. They wanted to take down a site they thought was illegal, but everyone noticed that the MPAA is terrorizing the people.
No kidding. Whether or not the party manages to elect any members, its time to bring these issues to the public on every front possible, including the political front. A strong grassroots effort behind the Pirate Party would throw these tactics right back in the face of the *IAA organizations.
The Pirate Party doesn't have to get elected to get their point across. Political parties whose platforms are based on a single concept (e.g. intellectual rights reform) merely have to prove they have popular support, and then one or more major parties will pick up (or pirate, lol) their idea to add to their votes.
The Pirate Party doesn't need to win any elections to succeed. All they need is some publicity and public support, and major parties will be forced to adopt their policies. Or, one major party adopts it in order to gain an advantage.
But there's no way they're going to succeed in politics when they've named themselves the "Pirate Party". I don't think I even need to ask whether they realize that they're giving their opponents fodder for later complaints and insults.
Arrrrrrr matey. Who will be laughing last when the RIAA is walking the plank?
In the US we have similar problems: cartels of licensed industries (Engineers, Architects, Doctors, Dentists, Teachers, anything licensed)
In Canada, entrance to any Medical profession and Teachers programs is rationed as it is in the US. However, for engineers, this is not the case. It is not at all difficult to get accepted to an engineering program - attrition is accomplished through failure by poor students or a low work ethic in a very demanding program.
As opposed to becoming a doctor or a lawyer. All you really have to do is be accepted, and then you're set for life.
Ok, am I missing something here? Last I heard, water expands when it freezes, not when it warms -- unless it warms to the point of boiling, which is clearly not (yet) the case.
Water is unique indeed. The density of water is not constant from 0C to 100C. In fact, water is the most dense at 4C. Thus, at the bottom of the ocean, even under the Arctic ice caps, the temperature will generally be 4C (outside local phenonoma).
Water will expand from 4C to 100C. Thus, as the average temperature of the planet increases, there is thermal expansion in the oceans as the oceans heat up.
Compounding the problem is melting sea ice. Sea ice melts at 0C which is less dense than the average temperatures of the ocean. Inevitably this fresh water will warm up and start expanding.
I just thought that I'd point out that if the ice melts at the north pole, the sea level won't rise. It's already displacing its equivalent mass in seawater. Obviously there are other implications, though.
The northern polar ice cap extends beyond the Arctic Ocean at the North pole, and extends onto land. Most notably, but not exclusive to, Greenland. Although it would take a very long time, the melting of the ice on Greenland would result in a significant rise in water levels around the world. And the rate of ice melting on Greenland is accelerating and is measurable.
Also note that the parent referred to ice at the polar caps, which also includes the South Pole. All of the ice that is on Anarctica is on land and not on the water and as it melts, it will increase the volume of water in the oceans. The rate of ice melt on Antarctica is accelerating and is measurable.
Sea levels in the distant past have been as high as 10 feet more than they are now. The difference is that now the ice is melting fast enough that we could see levels like in the near future. In geological terms, we could see levels 10 feet higher in a blink of an eye.
The features of google are clearly described on their website and there are hundreds of books about the usage of search engines on the internet.
Specifically, you can find more information on Google Search tips on this page here:
http://www.google.com/help/features.html
Eating bad food is only part of the problem. A lack of exercise is far worse. I eat a varied diet, including large portions of meat, and even occasionally some deep fried food, as well as plenty of desserts. I also eat fruits, vegetables, and plenty of breads.
Why am I not fat, and could even be considered underweight? Is it genetics? Hardly. It's because I also exercise every week, at least 5 hours of moderately hard exercise. It's only a minor part of my weekly routine, but 5 hours of burning 1000 calories an hour is equal to approximately 2 extra days a week had I done nothing out of the ordinary.
People can evaluate the risk and potential cost and choose to pay more with no risk or less with an element of risk bundled in.
So, I can pay less and download my music off P2P networks. The cost of getting a bad quality song? I delete it and download a higher quality song. So far, in 99.5% of the cases where I have downloaded, the quality has been excellent. In those 0.5% cases where it has not, it took a matter of 5 minutes and no additional money to find a suitable quality version.
Or I can choose "less risk" by buying a CD in a store? Such as, a CD from Sony with malicious software that installs without my knowledge, causing all sorts of harm and may require a total system reinstall to remove it?
Which is the greater risk again?
"Evil will always triumph, because good is dumb" -Spaceballs
Slashdot's articles are a reflection of the issues that concern its readers. Therefore, Slashdot's main page is a reflection ON its readers. When we see careless typos and grammatical errors, on the main page, blatant and obvious, people get upset because at some level perhaps they consider it a reflection of themselves. At the very least, Slashdot readers believe in the site, and to see careless errors made, not corrected, and then listed as a low priority, well. You can imagine the result, and I can see that a vast majority of Slashdot readers agree.
Wrong. The quality of the site would improve. The only message that would change, is the message that the owners and editors of Slashdot actually care. Note that even newspapers, with multiple editors, still get make typos. But at least they TRY.
While the death of 2/3rds of the human population would be a tragedy of unimaginable proportions, in terms of the history of the human race, would actually only return us to 1920's levels. Certainly not 'feeling the pinch', but equally not the end of humanity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_population