I would seriously question the logic in getting so confrontational over an event that took place in a minor internet forum. Almost nothing on the internet really matters in the first place, and this forum is one of the less significant places, so that really says something, doesn't it? That said, double posting annoys me.
I expected this, frankly. I said it back when it was announced earlier that the economy was picking up again - nothing lasts forever. It's just a matter of surviving until it picks up again. This is kind of what happens in a free market economy - ups and downs. The only way to stop it completely is to have a communal system of government - you know, communism how it was meant to be. Until that happens, we'll see ups and downs, some worse than others.
I actually made a thread about this, a long time ago. Starting up a new one is probably better, since mine is now on page 4. My opinion from the original: I'm still pretty much sticking by that. Capital punishment should be reserved for those who are, for all intents and purposes, unreformable. It's either that, or keep them in prison for the rest of their lives, and life imprisonment is quite expensive.
The only reason Sparta lost power was because they were destroyed by the majority of the other Greek armies, backed by Persia, if I remember correctly. A lot like what happened to Germany, actually. Everyone dies at some point, no matter how badass they are.
It's possible. Of course, he could still have been all "KILLTEHJ00Z" in an art sense. Not nearly as dangerous, of course, but he still could have influenced some people. Conversely, if he didn't start WWII, it's possible that Einstein would never have fled Germany, and when the Soviets took power, they might have gained control of him and they could have had the first nukes. Now there's a scary thought, huh? It was only the threat of the nukes we had that stopped the Soviets from waging outright war against us. If they had the nukes, what would have stopped them?
I would venture to say that the Spartans of ancient Greece had the greatest army in the world, in terms of training. Now, for strategy and numbers, yea, Germany was pretty intense, but Spartans were selected and trained from birth to fight. You can't get more hardcore than that.
See? Rap music and rap musicians aren't bad influences. Not at all. /sarcasm But no, seriously, not the smartest move on his part. Is it that hard to get a permit?
This teacher should be in prison. I mean, this hits me pretty hard, personally, because my little brother is autistic, but he's managed to regain a large amount of functionality, and is at a normal academic level for his age. If this had happened to him, it would have set him back years of development, since almost all of his progress is based on a special diet we have him on. Any deviation, and he starts to slip backwards. So, this teacher should definitely be prevented from ever having the opportunity to do this ever again.
I personally can't see the world's powers ever getting rid of their nukes, no matter who asks, or how politely they do it, especially not with nutbags like north Korea and Iran building their own, and threatening to actually use them. This whole thing is, IMO, no more than a publicity stunt. Obama has done virtually nothing to help, and he gets an award for it. Way to go. -.-
The moon is just a stepping stone. It is theoretically possible to make Mars habitable, and there are planets out there that may just support life as we know it - one only about 20 light years away. Now, it would be a one way trip to get there, with our current technology, but that's the kind of thing I'm talking about. Yes, it could have been used differently, but, as I said, not only could space travel save our race one day (conceivably), but it provides a wealth of new technologies and insights, not least of which is that the moon has a large amount of material in the dust that could, possibly, be used to generate fusion reactions (something we've not been able to effectively do yet, using earthbound materials). If there is water on the moon, this 79 million dollar trip may let us know if we can save several billion dollars later, because we wouldn't have to transport water from earth to the moon, in addition to all the other supplies. Water on the moon may also open up the possibility of hydroponics, making food transport less necessary. I'd say this was a pretty useful mission, myself.
Right, because rocket scientists, astronauts and physicists can make drinking water and cure cancer. They're doing what they're good at, and they're also trying to give us another option if it turns out that our planet is past the point of no return ecologically. Not to mention that a large number of our modern conveniences and technologies came from space exploration (think computers, Velcro, TV dinners, numerous medical techniques, etc etc)
I'm an atheist, and I have some pretty strong morals. My overarching philosophy is to try to leave the world in better shape than I entered it. Sounds trite, but it works, and covers all the bases. I believe that science can and will, in time, provide all the answers that religion cannot, and give better answers than the limited ones religion does provide. And most of the atheists I've met feel about the same. The vast majority of atheists, in fact, feel much the same, and are not *******s.
You mean the assisted living facilities where they routinely leave old people alone in their rooms with no company at all for days at a time? Or where the company they do get is apathetic and callous? http://blogs.findlaw.com/injured/20...care-facility-duties-and-resident-rights.html Nursing homes are one of the worst places for the elderly. I personally hope I never need to go to one. Also, if people have money, they can get others to clean their house and do other routine tasks, while they concentrate on contributing to the larger community.
Is there a "too far"? I mean, yes, if we go too fast or too recklessly, we could end up doing serious damage to ourselves or our planet(s), but as long as technology is used responsibly, I can't really see a "too far".
Yea, kind of. I think I was born about a thousand years too early. I mean, the technology we have right now is great, but I just wish we had so much more. I wanna go to other planets, damnit! :D
I'm actually more interested in finding water ice on Mars, relatively far from the polar caps. http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080620-phoenix-ice-update.html The Moon is a great stepping stone for space, and water there would slash living costs by millions, but I can't see anything more than an outpost or two, maybe a re-fueling station being there anywhere in the foreseeable future, whereas Mars has the potential to support a full colony.
The point is, any test and any study can be skewed to provide the results the tester wants - even more so on the internet, where nothing has to be peer-reviewed. When I see an article in a respected journal - in print - then I might believe that pot is absolutely harmless. Until then, I'll go with what I've seen - pot tends to make people stupider. Whether it actually happens or not, I can't say for certain, but that is what I have observed. Everyone I've met who's smoked pot, I can't even stand to talk to. (No offense if I'm wrong, of course, and I actually hope I am - the potential taxes on pot look pretty nice)
If that Toshiba is the one I think it is (and I know little about laptop technical terminology), it's DEFINITELY the worse choice. My laptop was a Toshiba Sattelite, and it SUCKED ASS. My advice, get the HP, and get extra memory. I got about 30GB for I think around $50, but I would recommend getting a bit more than that. 100GB or more, especially if you have large amounts of video files (video editing, TV series downloaded to your comp, etc), or high-end games.
THIS. I say, go back to locking prisoners (especially murderers, rapists, and repeat offenders) in small, concrete cells with a metal bed, a toilet, a small slit of a window, and a food slot. Let em out into a yard for maybe an hour a day, just to try to help them maintain some sense of humanity, feed them, and that's it. Make prison something to be feared again, and maybe less people will get into it. Heavily supervised time will stop most in-prison crimes, lack of cell-mates will help stop abuse and give them plenty of time to think, and bad food, boredom, and lack of sleep will stop them from coming back. Harsh? Yes. But, then again, they lost most of their rights when they violated those of others. The system worked for centuries. It'll work now. (Especially because we'll be depriving them of most modern conveniences which they can no longer do without comfortably.)
No offense, but who the fuck cares what your parents want? Who the hell are they to dictate your religion and your life? Their job is to raise you, as best they can, and teach you how to be a decent human being. Also, I have found that religious schools are generally far less tolerant and peaceful than public schools (this is from personal experience), especially of atheists (obviously). My advice - see if there is any conceivable way to get your parents to send you to some other school. Also, report that teacher's actions to the administration. It may be that they won't care, but then, at least, you will have tried.
