In the News

Discussion of science, technology, politics, and other topics that aren't strictly philosophical.
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Cory Duchesne
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Re: In the News

Post by Cory Duchesne »

keenobserver wrote:killed the kids so no one would enjoy what he wont in death, seems more sensical to me
Why would he care whether or not his kids enjoyed or didn't enjoy?
and to demonstrate ownership over that which men have totally lost power over, their children.
You mean, he failed at winning respect from his children, so he killed them in order to assuage his wounded self esteem.
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Matt Gregory
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Re: In the News

Post by Matt Gregory »

From the Catholic News Service:
In another letter she wrote that she wanted to love God "like he has not been loved," and yet she felt her love was not reciprocated.
All Christians who have a genuine desire to love God must feel this way.
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Dan Rowden
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Re: In the News

Post by Dan Rowden »

She just wanted an attentive boyfriend.
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DHodges
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Mother T.

Post by DHodges »

Dan Rowden wrote:She just wanted an attentive boyfriend.
Catholic nuns do that whole "Bride of Christ" thing, don't they?
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Jamesh
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Re: In the News

Post by Jamesh »

Afghanistan's Role in Iran's Drug Problem

http://www.cfr.org/publication/11457/
Iran has an estimated 3 million drug users and “by many accounts, the world’s worst heroin problem,” says Peter Reuter, a drug expert and professor at the University of Maryland.
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Jamesh
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Re: In the News

Post by Jamesh »

Bush turning Aussies off US: poll

Lowy Institute poll 2007
Forty per cent of Australians hold an unfavourable view of the United States and most of those say it is due to President George W Bush, a comprehensive opinion poll has found.

Mr Bush is due to arrive in Australia next week for APEC, just as his friend, Prime Minister John Howard, prepares for an election.

However 60 per cent of people continue to hold a favourable view of the US.
Among those who do not, most cite Mr Bush and American foreign policy as the reasons why.
Of all the external threats to Australia, climate change causes the most concern, with 55 per cent of people very worried about it.

That rates well above fears for international terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism.
I'm one of the 40% who do not have a favourable view of the US, though like anywhere, it has good folk. About the only countries I now have a favourable view of are the quiet northern European countries. I don't have a favourable view of Australia any more - I am too disgusted with the collapse of our political and judicial system way down to the low US standards [through it's alignment with business and Republican party style propaganda], and the resulting fall into rampant greed and materialism, to the point it has become blatantly detrimental to society. Too many rich folk running around abusing their power without constraint.
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Dan Rowden
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Re: In the News

Post by Dan Rowden »

It's been that way here for a while, Jimbo. No wonder "secret" societies exist? Why not?
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Jamesh
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Re: In the News

Post by Jamesh »

It's been that way here for a while, Jimbo.
Actually, this is something I haven’t completely got my head around yet. I didn’t really take that much notice of business, politics and international affairs until I was close to 40. I think my late developing interest has been mostly spurned by the advent of the www, and the degree of rejection of the fore-mentioned hugely strengthened by what this forum and other sites, have taught me over the years.

In a sense one could say it has always been that way and it is only in recent years, the noughties, that I am noticing it to an extent that it now creates a consistently very negative view in my head. Still, my intuition tells me that since Howard and Bush came into power, the situation has gotten markedly worse. The multitude seems completely ineffectual in countering propaganda, and generally far, far more herd like than the 70 and 80's.
Elizabeth Isabelle
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Re: In the News

Post by Elizabeth Isabelle »

Jamesh wrote:About the only countries I now have a favourable view of are the quiet northern European countries.
What you are describing is the old axiom "ignorance is bliss."
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Jamesh
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Re: In the News

Post by Jamesh »

Yeah, I probably am. But I have not seen any evidence that countries like Sweden and Norway for instance have politicians using the internationanal stage to promote their ego's, like our countries do. There is a definate maturity to many European countries that we do not have.

Here is a simple example. Many European countries have 6 weeks annual leave, while in our countries, with 3 and 4 weeks, and with many whom save up their leave or forsake it for cash, together fact that we work more hours of work per annum than them, then this indicates that we are more excessively bound by souless dog-eat-dog materialism and status anxiety, than people in such countries. Even your churches are now promoting materialism as if it is some spiritual necessity for happiness.
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Matt Gregory
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Re: In the News

Post by Matt Gregory »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... _id=480614
Britain's step towards the creation of human-animal hybrids has been condemned by the Vatican as a "monstrous act against human dignity". . . .

. . . The so-called chimeras will be 99 per cent human and one per cent cow . . .
Surely they mean 1% human and 99% cow because most people are already at least 99.9% cow. A 99% human would be quite miraculous.

Inspirational supplement:
The Cow Te Ching
The great Cow flows everywhere, both in the world and in the home.
The ten thousand thoughts shy away from it, but it holds nothing back.
It fulfils its purpose noisily and makes endless claims.

It poisons the ten thousand thoughts,
And yet it is not their lord.
It has no aim; it is very petty.

The ten thousand thoughts struggle against it,
Yet it is not their lord.
It is mindless.

It does not show greatness,
And therefore is mediocre.
Elizabeth Isabelle
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Re: In the News

Post by Elizabeth Isabelle »

The news articles do not do justice to the suppression of freedom of speech in America and other questions about political ethics revealed by this you tube video.

Yeah, he was rude and should have shown more mature manners, but this is really police over-reaction - and the police wouldn't even listen to John Kerry telling them to let the guy alone. Of course, Kerry didn't display a "take charge" attitude over the situation. Ironically, that in itself probably answered the student's question...

edit to add - here's another one that shows what happened after he was dragged out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NWukZhsiBw&NR=1

This guy is really freaked out - and I can't blame him. All the funky, back room stuff people suspect the government of doing, plus the effects of being tasered with 6 or 7 cops standing over him. Telling the guy to calm down after being tasered reminds me of my father smacking me repeatedly because I "refused" to stop crying. People, especially those in positions of power, have to learn to think, and reason the difference between what is effective and why, and what is not effective and why.
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DHodges
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Tasered!

Post by DHodges »

Elizabeth Isabelle wrote:The news articles do not do justice to the suppression of freedom of speech in America and other questions about political ethics revealed by this you tube video.
There is a discussion of this incident over at Something Awful, with a surprising number of people defending the actions of the police.
Elizabeth Isabelle
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Re: In the News

Post by Elizabeth Isabelle »

Man kills woman for her car because his ran out of gas.

But of course men are not more violent than women. Women bitch more than men, so that makes women more violent. [/sarcasm]
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Matt Gregory
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Re: In the News

Post by Matt Gregory »

Ugh.

Two can play at this game, Elizabeth!
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Matt Gregory
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Re: In the News

Post by Matt Gregory »

I don't think that really proves anything about male and female violence, but doesn't it seem like women are primarily passive, except for when they do cross the threshold of aggressive behavior, they cross it in a very extreme way? As in they're more aggressive than men. It's as if their passive nature makes them totally give themselves over to the aggression and they just let it carry them away.
hsandman
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Re: In the News

Post by hsandman »

DHodges wrote: There is a discussion of this incident over at Something Awful, with a surprising number of people defending the actions of the police.
Took me a long time to convince people on one such forum, that what they are looking at is their own future...

The big red fcking arrow was no help at all either: APEC Photo

ps. illuminati praying for world peace in antartica? Do you people find that funny too?... They must have cool base there... or visiting someone ;)

Time for knock - knock joke? ok .. i won't.
It's just a ride.
Elizabeth Isabelle
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Re: In the News

Post by Elizabeth Isabelle »

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Dan Rowden
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Re: In the News

Post by Dan Rowden »

Elizabeth Isabelle wrote:The news articles do not do justice to the suppression of freedom of speech in America and other questions about political ethics revealed by this you tube video.

Yeah, he was rude and should have shown more mature manners, but this is really police over-reaction - and the police wouldn't even listen to John Kerry telling them to let the guy alone. Of course, Kerry didn't display a "take charge" attitude over the situation. Ironically, that in itself probably answered the student's question...
I think the cops acted appropriately; he was obviously trying to assassinate Kerry. The objective being to cut him down with rapier wit and poisonous barbs.
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Matt Gregory
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Re: In the News

Post by Matt Gregory »

I'm just glad they took him out before he started asking Kerry about the crop circles.
hsandman
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Re: In the News

Post by hsandman »

Matt Gregory wrote:I'm just glad they took him out before he started asking Kerry about the crop circles.
Crop circles? Kerry did not know that the student was being electricuted (That is what he claimed the next day)... how would he know anything about crop circles?...

Image


RIP JFK :(
It's just a ride.
Elizabeth Isabelle
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Re: In the News

Post by Elizabeth Isabelle »

hsandman wrote:
RIP JFK :(
Excellent link. Excellent speech.
hsandman
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Re: In the News

Post by hsandman »

It's just a ride.
Kevin Solway
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Brain parasite modifies our behaviour

Post by Kevin Solway »

A parasite which is known to affect the behaviour of rats (it makes them fearless) may also affect the behaviour of humans.

About half of all humans are infected with this parasite which forms cysts in the brain, and which stay there for the rest of the person's life. A person is infected with the parasite through contact with cats and by eating uncooked meat.

One suggestion is that it can make human beings more promiscuous.
meganabma
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Re: In the News

Post by meganabma »

i don't understand why any one would want to replace women with robots, sure robots don't talk as much as women but still.... WHY???
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