Recent comments

  • We’re All Being Poisoned by Deregulated Capitalism   11 years 43 weeks ago

    I'm going to have to change my tune on the Pizza restaurant video of Michael Hastings' crash. I had thought that it looked like someone was actually filming the video because it was not steady. It now looks to me like someone was using a video recorder to film a monitor that was playing back the fixed surveillance video. You can actually see a chair through the window looking inside the restaurant. I played this video over and over at various speeds and what I saw was that the car swerved a bit as it went past the pizza place...probably right about just past the psychic place. The distance between where the surveillance camera was as the car first came into view on the left side to the tree where the crash happened was about 238 feet. It only took a little more than a second..no more than 1.5 seconds for the car to travel that distance so the car was going darn fast...about 80MPH. The car seemed to swerve a bit at about 100-150 feet then there was a low intensity flash that seemed like it could have been the rear lights aligning directly with the surveillance camera. Then I could see what looked like the broadside of the left front side of the car as the right side had hit the tree. Then there was a small flash in the front followed by a much larger flash from the rear...looked like two explosions...perhaps the first one cause by gasoline spillage as the engine transmission was thrown out. Then there was the large explosion that was probably due to the gas in the gas tank igniting. Problem is that this was not a Ford Pinto, it was a Mercedes that was supposed to be designed to not do this kind of thing. I'd sure like to hear what Mercedes has to say about this crash/explosion/engine-transmission flying out of the vehicle....that could be very dangerous to pedestrians or other cars if they were ever hit by a flying engine-transmission being hurled 166 feet down the road/sidewalk. Another odd thing I noticed was that the wavy awning did not seem to move as the car flew by. I would have expected the gush of air to cause them to move a bit...I didn't see them move. Perhaps if it was a truck moving at that speed rather than an aerodynamic Mercedes? hmmmm?

  • Growing economic stress & inequality brings an increase in violence   11 years 43 weeks ago

    Once the financial are changing, it can give effect to many other things. And criminal is the worst impact of it. free advertising

  • It's been 500 days since the Fukushima nuclear crisis began in Japan   11 years 43 weeks ago

    The condition has already different. They have build many buildings anymore now. free advertising

  • Daily Topics - Thursday December 27th, 2012   11 years 43 weeks ago

    They must be having many journalists to get the news. So they can have materials for the news everyday. free advertising

  • Are Wall Street Speculators Inflating The Cost of Food?   11 years 43 weeks ago

    They should be counting on it too. Every needs in the event must be counted well, so they can settled the budgets. free advertising

  • Despite a bad year, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan got a 600% raise   11 years 43 weeks ago

    That's a large increase in financial. He is so great to manage it until like that. free advertising

  • The US Chamber of Commerce is under investigation   11 years 43 weeks ago

    It's better to pass the normal way to reach it. So there will be no problem after it like that. free advertising

  • We’re All Being Poisoned by Deregulated Capitalism   11 years 43 weeks ago

    DAnneMarc: I agree but it was just that I recognized the Mnemonic code he was typing in and I got a kick out of it! I have also had various older languages in school many years ago like Basic, RPG2, Cobol, Fortran during the punch card days..and have learned a number of other languages since. It seems like one barely has time to learn one language and many more pop up. But, basically, they are all similar enough that it isn't too hard to pick up on them. One would think that by the year 2154, they would have gone beyond Assembly Language. It's like when NMAP was used in the movie The Matrix Reloaded.. and a number of other movies..The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo...Judge Dredd..Bourne Ultimatum...Die Hard..and a bunch of others....some immediately recognized it on the movie screen and NMAP even keeps those facts on it's web site. But, you are right, the important thing was the socio-political implications.

  • ALEC is writing middle-class-destroying legislation   11 years 43 weeks ago

    LolitaPer ~ My Boss--one of my most significant others; who, I have the utmost respect for--constantly reminds me of the undeniable fact concerning the digital age that output is only as good as input. That is, garbage in equals garbage out. Without ascertaining the credibility of the information inputted one cannot take seriously the credibility of the information outputted. Therefore, we must conclude that public opinion--based on garbage--is nothing more than garbage. No other conclusion is possible.

    However, public opinion based on garbage, that might influence an election is most credible. I might suggest attempting to influence the garbage influence in information intake rather then public opinion. Given a well informed electorate the output will take care of itself.

  • We’re All Being Poisoned by Deregulated Capitalism   11 years 43 weeks ago

    Palindromedary ~ "Elysium" sounds like a great movie. Pardon my technical naivete. Assembly Language is new to me. Dos, Basic, Fortran is as far as I've gone in school. In the profession we use USB jigs loaded with firmware updates. Personally, after reviewing the plot of the movie, I find the socio-political implications of the story much more compelling than the technical ones. Didn't you?

    The Director himself had this to say:
    Quote Wikipedia:When asked whether the film reveals how he sees Earth turning out in 140 years, director Blomkamp responded "No, no, no. This isn't science fiction. This is today. This is now."[7]

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysium_(film)

  • ALEC is writing middle-class-destroying legislation   11 years 43 weeks ago

    Everyone has an opinion usually based on misinformation from self-serving and questionable resources. So much information but so little facts. Poll takers insist on taking data from people without ascertaining whether they can give an opinion based on exceptional knowledge of the subject matter. ALEC and other such organizations depend on this type of ignorance to promote their ideas. I'm going out on a limb and say that our Constitution, Bill of Rights, Emancipation Proclamation, Magna Carta, and other such documentation prevent this type of behavior. I guess I better knuckle down and find it.

  • We’re All Being Poisoned by Deregulated Capitalism   11 years 43 weeks ago

    Just saw the movie Elysium...very good movie...and it is really interesting to know that in the future year of 2154 the ruling class will still be using Assembly Language to program their robots! ;-}

  • ALEC is writing middle-class-destroying legislation   11 years 43 weeks ago

    STFU you damn troll!!!

  • ALEC is writing middle-class-destroying legislation   11 years 43 weeks ago

    Thom, thanks for reminding readers of ALEC. I would like to mention a couple things. First, yesterday an editorial in the Washington Post defending ALEC (writer's name escapes me) against 'rants' of organizations like 'Media Matters' which the writer called (have to paraphrase --article not in front of me as I type this) 'loose affiliations of lib's gaining steam as result of the Internet...' Made ALEC into a nonprofit organization whose free speech rights were under attack by knee jerk type reactionaries who basically are against legislation if it favors profit making co's!

    If reader were ignorant of ALEC, this Ed. Would make it seem ALEC was a bunch of average citizens sitting around in kitchens and living rooms ..kind of like t-party folks...just putting together thoughts and ideas bout how to maintain freedom 'values' in their personal lives and communities....

    2nd thing I want to say is that perhaps you could write a bit reiterating how ALEC and their influence is made ever more worrisome after "Citizens United.' I have a blog (excuse the 'plug') at www.dearpundit.info which explains Cit's U. In some detail.

    Thanx again for important info and great commentary.

  • We’re All Being Poisoned by Deregulated Capitalism   11 years 43 weeks ago

    DAnneMarc: RE: #66...Most emphatically, I ditto that!

    Danny D: "all you have to do is look at the policies of each party to see the difference in what each is trying to sell."
    Yeah, snake oil...cures all...all one has to do is "believe" and keep "believing" eventually, they'll die fools who believed in the lies.

  • ALEC is writing middle-class-destroying legislation   11 years 43 weeks ago

    Voter ID means -- one vote per person! Not the Chicago way "Vote early and often".

  • We’re All Being Poisoned by Deregulated Capitalism   11 years 43 weeks ago
    Quote Danny D:I'll buy Democratic policy over Republican policy any day and, in the true spirit of democracy, work to make my party better.

    Mr. Danny D ~ Really? In that case can I interest you in a Bridge I'd like to sell? I can't speak for Flopot; however, I can speak for a former devout and disillusioned Democrat. It is true that I prefer Democrats over Republicans--the same way I would prefer to be bitten by a Scorpion than a Rattlesnake. However, blue and red arguments aside there is one thing I prefer above all and that is the truth. Candidate Obama promised Single-payer government sponsored health insurance, the prompt closing of Gitmo, a full repeal of the Patriot act, an investigation of the Bush Administration for war crimes, repeal of the Bush tax cuts, dismantling of free trade, and above all, to protect and defend the Constitution of The United States. He failed miserably on all promises. A man without his word is a cockroach! Personally I would prefer an honest dirty scoundrel to a lying gifted orator anyday. At least with the scoundrel you know where you stand.

    You want to make your party better? Then do what I intend to do and vote like they don't exist. Send a blatant message to the Democratic Party that they need to listen to We the People and keep their promises, or don't count on our support. The Democratic party will only improve when the cockroaches are removed. If that is your real intention supporting the party the way it is now is the worst possible thing you can do.

  • ALEC is writing middle-class-destroying legislation   11 years 43 weeks ago

    In addition to Campaign Finance Reform we have to reinstate and enforce laws banning any form of bribery. Corporate influences especially in the form of Lobbyists need to be outlawed. Capitalism is getting out of hand and is not going to survive if we don't regulate and control it.

  • We’re All Being Poisoned by Deregulated Capitalism   11 years 43 weeks ago

    Mr. Flopot. If you don't see the differences between the two parties then you are the one who is naive or complicit. I do generally vote Democrat and while there are those in the party who are complicit in the corruption or don't fight against it as hard as they should, all you have to do is look at the policies of each party to see the difference in what each is trying to sell. I'll buy Democratic policy over Republican policy any day and, in the true spirit of democracy, work to make my party better.

    Danny D

  • We’re All Being Poisoned by Deregulated Capitalism   11 years 43 weeks ago

    Screw "due reverence"! That's for idiots who bow down to tyrants and pretentious @$$holes. If our forefathers thought like that we would still be just a King's colony. And if you expect to pay Obama any respect, just because he managed to fool so many dummies into voting for him ...again...then you would also have to pay respect to whatever Republican $h!tW!t that wheedles his way into that position the next time. Do we owe Bush or Reagan respect? Hell no! As far as I'm concerned they are traitors to the vast majority of Americans. And Bush, at least can be classified as a war-criminal traitor that deserves no respect at all. The fact is that our system is no longer respectable because the criminals have manipulated it and turned those positions into very unrespectable positions.

    And if you try to argue that those of us who don't use our real names are less than those who do...I'd argue that those who do are overlooking the fact that there are a lot of crazies out there that may be reading these posts and who could come gunning for any one of us because they don't like what we say. In addition, when they use their real names, it is so much easier to find out just about everything there is to know about them...like where one went to school, their birthdate, who their relatives are, even what branch of service their relatives are in, and even the position they were recently promoted to, where they lived, their relatives who recently died, where they currently live, even what bands they played in, etc. With Google Earth, you can even measure the square footage of the house...how far it is from a body of water..etc. You can even zoom right down to street view and practically knock on the front door. Or, so I'm told....;-}

    It's better to be safe than sorry....don't use your real names! Yes, there are those hackers out there who could, and probably have, hacked their way into finding out a lot of personal information about people on the internet...even though they didn't use real names. But all of the information I mentioned above can usually be gotten on most people who use their real names without even hacking to do it. It's all publicly available data and you don't even have to pay for any of it. It's just not a very good idea to make it easy for the wider majority of readers because some may be wacko and dangerous. Use fake names that look like real names if you don't use funny ones that are obviously fake.

  • Daily Topics - Friday August 9th, 2013   11 years 43 weeks ago

    There was an interesting article ("The Cooperation Instinct") in the December 2012 issue of Discover (I'm behind on a lot of things). It was about the evolution of altruism and cooperation. It turns out that genetic relation is not necessary for the development of cooperation, it's just a natural change in life strategy.

    Running a computer simulation, Martin Nowak (German pronunciation) saw the dominant strategy go through cycles. At first, the dominant strategy was to always screw over the other guy, what they called Always Defect, after the action in the Prisoner's Dilemma, where defecting means ratting out your partner in crime. Then the top strategy was one called Tit for Tat, or what I've heard called the Silver Rule--do unto others as they have done unto you. The individuals that follow this strategy strictly would cooperate with a new "opponent" if their last opponent cooperated with them, and would not cooperate with a new opponent if the last opponent didn't cooperate with them. Eventually, this gave way to a strategy called Generous Tit for Tat, which involves often cooperating even when the last opponent didn't cooperate. It's not quite the Golden Rule, but Nowak called this the evolution of forgiveness.

    But like I said, things went in cycles. Once Generous Tit for Tat was dominant, the Always Defectors could take advantage of the situation and eventually that becomes the dominant strategy. The cycle is probably inevitable.

    What I get out of this, aside from insight into a long view of history, is that different places may be at different points in the cycle when they come into contact with each other, causing cultural strife. Some of the problems we're having in the United States alone may be due to some areas trying to Always Defect (Tea Party), while others are trying to move into Generous Tit for Tat (Progressives).

  • We’re All Being Poisoned by Deregulated Capitalism   11 years 43 weeks ago

    @DAnneMarc

    You are most welcome. Michael Hudson is one of my heroes - one of the last few economists who doesn't spout forth neoliberal nonsense.

    [EDIT: Yeh, Mrs Flopot is kinda funny. Could be a comedy character!]

  • We’re All Being Poisoned by Deregulated Capitalism   11 years 43 weeks ago

    Oh, Mrs. Flopot ~ Uh, Yeah! Sorry about taking advantage of that one. I just couldn't help myself. Funny stuff. That was "different", indeed.

    Whatever! Back to reality. I wanted to also thank you for those links to the Michael Hudson quotes and articles. I didn't get a chance to look at them till just a while ago. They were a most enlightening read. Please, keep the good tips coming.

  • We’re All Being Poisoned by Deregulated Capitalism   11 years 43 weeks ago

    @Carson

    I don't know if you're being satirical or not but where I come we don't show deference to authority. I single out Obama because he is a corporate shill and not some "lesser evil" alternative to Romney et al. My constant refrain is that he and the Democrats are no different from the Republicans, i.e. both servants of the corporations. I will honestly tell you what I find chilling - your post directed at me.

  • We’re All Being Poisoned by Deregulated Capitalism   11 years 43 weeks ago

    Flopot- I am directly insulted by your constant barrage on the individual representing the executive branch of OUR United States of America. He is the President. He is our President. And I'd appreciate it if you could address him with the due reverence. What are you anyways other than a scared clown with a funny hat and a fake name. If you're so keeping it real then put your brand on it. Why should anyone listen to someone who can't even tell you their name without lying about it. Tell you what Mrs. Flopot, from now on, just for you, my name is simply the capital letter 'F'. And i'll just leave it to your souless irreverent hollow cavity of a conciousness to figure out for yourself exactly what Mr. F wants to say to U.

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