russell jones

I forgot to mention that there is not one square inch of private property in Hong Kong, number one on the list.

socialism does not equal lack of rights and conversely capitalism does not guarantee rights in any way shape or form. Socialism and capitalism are economic systems, not political. An autocratic capitalist country could exist that could squash many people's rights, whereas a socialist country could exist that has more freedom than all the capitalist countries. You know this of course AOD, but for some reason, in your world the only socialist country that has ever existed is the Soviet Union. The Heritage Foundation lists the top countries for economic freedom on their website. The first two on the list, Hong Kong and Singapore are known to ban political organizations and free speech. Almost all of the countries on the list in the top 20 have universal healthcare except for the US. Social Democracies such as Denmark and Finland are in the top 20. Try to update your arguments to this century AOD. When did Freeman say that? 1963?

maybe not... read about this study http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/12/021206075233.htm

exactly, and we are digging up millions of years of dead plants and fauna. There are not enough plants in the earth to absorb the excess CO2.

Another important thing to remember is that humans are doing something that is unprecedented by nature, we are unearthing millions of years of stored carbon dioxide in a very short period of time. Much slower and less drastic changes in the carbon cycle have led to catastrophic climate change a few times in the history of life that has killed most species on the planet. Of course, we are somewhat protected in our epoch due to the spread of land mass towards the poles, but that may not protect us forever. So yeah, the earth will change, it's just that most animals and plants won't be able to change with it. There's been far hotter times in the history of the world, and far colder times, but a bigger change in the climate of the world may not have happened often. Everything resists change and generally survives best in the environment that it evolved in.

I wasn't spinning what you said. I was just making an analysis of the possible implications of what you had said given the context of the argument. I have found that some of the accusations lobbed a Paul are not entirely fair, like taking his quote that "the Israeli lobby is evil" and construing it as anti-semitic.

Doesn't Casek think this too? I would never be stupid enough to say that Libertarians are racist, but I just may be stupid enough to tell you that perhaps a good majority of racists in this country claim to be Libertarian, if only as an excuse to "stop taking my hard earned dollars and giving them to darky." That being said, I could hear Paul's particular way of speaking coming through the "Blacks are fleet of foot" comment. Also, AOD, you should be careful yourself, since your defense of Paul involved you talking about how he gives to the poor, as if all Black people are poor...

good point, sorry I did not mention it. Our biggest imports of oil are from: Canada, Mexico and Saudi Arabia, in that order. This website has a table that shows it... http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html

reading suggestions from Davidson Quine and others? I am seriously interested in reading more about this. It is seriously more than people may realize.

I read a stub of the article on their website. The implications are truly staggering. It's one step closer to Gibson's AI. These connections set off my paranoid attenae, and I can imagine what casek would have to say, but at the same time I am enthused to say the least about the potential of a semantic web of bringing together the world, data and disciplines in a way that would not have been possible before. It's almost like the first step in our evolution.

You won't need to pay for grad school if you plan on staying in the humanities. I didn't pay a cent, and I got a stipend. As far RFID's, I've heard the same thing as casek about the fears to human health. I wonder if there is any evidence to back them up? But the wireless world just keeps on marching nonetheless. Semantic web research sounds interesting, what are the details? I'm still waiting for image recog search. the implications for research may be enormous.

most electricity in the US is generated by coal, which does not come from the Middle East.

This pope is weird, it seems like he is using condemnation of global warming to promote a fundamentalist interpretation of Genesis.

true.

I'm not Jewish, but I can pass. Maybe I should get in on this. I had no idea what I had to gain. World domination, I am assuming lots of women, etc. Do you guys know where I can sign up? I'm looking to move up and I am willing to lead the "order."

I think it may give us a good idea of the state of human rights in the world if we kept all of the stories in one place. Sound like a good idea? This story has been already posted, but new events have complicated the issue somewhat. The court has actually increased the sentence because the defendant's lawyer had notified the media, thus bringing the ire of the Western world upon the Saudi criminal justice system. I think this story is interesting for two reasons. The obvious "blaming the victim" angle is something that is actually codified in the Saudi justice system, but at the same time still exists in rape cases in the United States. It would be interesting if stories about rape cases in America could be turned up where the media coverage may have mentioned what the victim was wearing, or what she was doing in that place etc. Secondly, the increase in the sentence suggests that the Saudis want to protect themselves from Western influence as a matter of policy. This brings up all sorts of questions. Can we judge another society's actions according to our own morality? Do stories like this shine the light away from our own injustices by comparing a seemingly worse case in a far away land? Do people in the US think differently than the Saudi judges, ie. don't they also blame the victim? And finally, are women's rights the final frontier? "Saudi gang rape sentence 'unjust' A lawyer for a gang-rape victim in Saudi Arabia who was sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in jail says the punishment contravenes Islamic law. The woman was initially punished for violating laws on segregation of the sexes - she was in an unrelated man's car at the time of the attack. When she appealed, judges doubled her sentence, saying she had been trying to use the media to influence them. Her lawyer has been suspended from the case and faces a disciplinary session. Abdel Rahman al-Lahem told the BBC Arabic Service that the sentence was in violation of Islamic law: "My client is the victim of this abhorrent crime. I believe her sentence contravenes the Islamic Sharia law and violates the pertinent international conventions," he said. "The judicial bodies should have dealt with this girl as the victim rather than the culprit." The lawyer also said that his client would appeal against the decision to increase her punishment. Segregation laws According to the Arab News newspaper, the 19-year-old woman was gang-raped 14 times in an attack in Qatif in the eastern province a year-and-a-half ago. Seven men were found guilty of the rape and sentenced to prison terms ranging from just under a year to five years. The victim and attackers are from Saudi Arabia's Shia minority. Being a Muslim, I think it's a big injustice done to the girl. If the court doubled the sentence of the girl then they should have given death penalty to the rapists Asfandyar Saudi Arabia The rapists' sentences were also doubled by the court. Correspondents say the sentences were still low considering the rapists could have faced the death penalty. The rape victim was punished for violating Saudi Arabia's laws on segregation that forbid unrelated men and women from associating with each other. She was initially sentenced to 90 lashes for being in the car of a strange man. On appeal, the Arab News reported that the punishment was not reduced but increased to 200 lashes and a six-month prison sentence. 'Personal views' Mr Lahem accused the court of letting personal views influence its decision. "It seems that the sentence was influenced by the fact that the woman escalated the issue with her lawyer and also with the supreme judicial authorities," he said. "This is astonishing because justice is supposed to be independent from all pressures as well as personal considerations, be it a feeling towards the lawyer or defendant herself," he added. The Arab News quoted an official as saying the judges had decided to punish the girl for trying to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media. Mr Lahem said that the judges' decision to confiscate his licence to work and stop him from representing his client is illegal."

How do I recognize they? Do you know any they?

Who's they?

as everyone should. without a source, its just ether.

nope... never... nobody on this board has ever seen it or discussed it, ever. Really.

Clowns usually have more to say than the serious. Compare Jon Stewart to any "serious" news host. Who has more to say? At least clowns know they're funny.

To keep this on topic, smog and greenhouse gases are not necessarily related. In the US, new cars run so much cleaner than the past that in some cities the exhaust coming out of a Honda is cleaner than the air going in. That said, the Honda is still creating greenhouse gases, which warm the planet, even if it is not polluting the atmosphere in the immediate area. It is very important to differentiate smog pollutants from greenhouse gases. Some climate scientists have actually been able to show that the reduction of smog due to effect of catalytic converters has increased the effects of global warming because the clearer air has let more sunlight in than the previously smoggy air. Important lesson: Smog does not equal greenhouse gases. Important lesson 2: Smog is easy to fix, global warming is hard to fix

If only if that were the case. When it comes to the convention, if Ron Paul is in the lead, the delegates will not do their job and someone else will be nominated.

Although I wish that Paul would get the nod on the Republican side, I don't see it happening. Government is a business, and Paul wants to change that. The party will do everything in its power to stop Paul from canceling the money wagon.

I buying up Alaskan coast land. It's gonna be a top Spring Break destination in 2040. I'm rollin' with it. I'll retire on Mars dickheads!