Politics

If the West is to help the East; the East should pay the Gas. There are two basic ways, and two basic ways only, to conquer a nation; force of arms or by economic control. At present, the West is spending much of it’s wealth in helping the Eastern revolutionary forces stabilize, organize and rid itself of the old political ways. At the same time, the East is attacking the West on the economic front, and preventing the West from helping it’s own Eastern political transition in a swifter fashion. IOW, the East is shooting itself in the foot by shooting the West in the foot. The East should recognize that it is hard for the West to put the hammer down when it is too …

Where I live, it is illegal to talk on the cellphone while driving if you are not using a hands-free device. Is this a good law? Curious to see what you think.

A Genderless school in Sweden http://www.heraldsun.com.au/lifestyle/the-other-side/pc-preschool-bans-words-him-and-her/story-e6frfhk6-1226082516997 has banned the use of him/her. What's your opinion of this?

I keep reading about free trade. As I read more into it, I'm starting to get a bad vibe from all of it. One of things I keep thinking about is how would science be effected? Scientists exist all around the world. Many scientists work on similar things, but their funding sources differ. But what if free-trade were to exist? Would this mean only one country gets to specialize in a particular kind of science? Would that mean there would no longer be the ability for there to be an international effort to progress a particular field of science?

Is it time for NATO to disband ?

Right now some of the big guys are saying our economy will never return to what it was. Some are saying the problem is the masses don't have enough education, and for our economy to improve they must return to college and make themselves more job ready for our economy. Others are saying we must stop sending our jobs over seas, and need take steps to encourage our industry to stay in the states. There are some high tech. jobs that require a degree a physics or biology, but really how many of these jobs are in your neighborhood? There are not many of these jobs in Oregon. In fact most of Oregon has no high tech industry. Its economy was built on timber, agricul…

Hey, guys I heard that China and India may become superpower nations in the future... My question is, if they do how will this affect the US/European economy as well as our way of life? Are people anticipating any form of conflict to arise in the future due to the dominance of Asia? Furthermore would there be any increase in respectable science career/employment opportunities in the future for the US/Europeans in China or perhaps in India? Wherever you are do you see the rise of Asia as being a good thing?

Walmart had so much buying power, it caused brand name companies to close down factories in the US and move their operations to places like China. Why is not possible for our government to do the same regarding medical supplies? I use a CPAP machine, to manage sleep apena. The cheapest head gear I can find is $89. Now get this. The real cost of this stuff may be a couple of dollars. There are several different styles of head gear. Mine is a modeled soft plastic piece that fits in my nose, attached to two tubes, that look like the tubes for an aquarium pump, and a hard plastic piece that these tubes fit onto, connecting them with another tube, that leads to t…

In 2008, the Aegon insurance company sensed trouble, and asked for a bailout. They got 3 billion euro from the Dutch state. This helped the company, and they survived. Now, the company is healthier, and has finally paid back the last part of the bailout. And the interest. In addition, the Dutch news (in Dutch) reports that for 3 years, Aegon was not allowed to pay dividend to its shareholders. This was part of the agreement. In short: the state bailout came first, then dividend. So, if it works out well, bailouts help the economy (the company survived, jobs were secured) and it helps the tax payers, because the companies pay a hefty interest. Obviously, the…

Health-care spending is expected to shoot upward over the next 20 years, forcing Canadians to make big sacrifices to cure the ill effects of this "spending disease," according to a report released Wednesday by the C.D. Howe Institute. Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Report+warns+health+care+spending+disease/4572530/story.html#ixzz1Irf64bfo ====== What is your though on this? The health care is on life support now with long delays in ER and shortage of doctors and staff.

Nationalists have two primary goals: 1) policing of regional populations against 'foreigners.' 2) increasing the prosperity of the national economy for the benefit of citizens. Can these two goals ever be totally achieved in practice and, if not, will people ever stop using force to try?

When people express hate for a particular candidate or party, this hate has the potential of causing weak supporters or those who are undecided to avoid supporting or associated with the hated party because they don't want to be hated themselves. Does this make hate one of if not the most effective political tactics?

Differing Presidential Releases George W. Bushs speech after the capture of Saddam: The success of yesterday's mission is a tribute to our men and women now serving in Iraq. The operation was based on the superb work of intelligence analysts who found the dictator's footprints in a vast country. The operation was carried out with skill and precision by a brave fighting force. Our servicemen and women and our coalition allies have faced many dangers in the hunt for members of the fallen regime, and in their effort to bring hope and freedom to the Iraqi people. Their work continues, and so do the risks. Today, on behalf of the nation, I thank the members of our Arm…

hey guys I recall reading somewhere that it was Saudi men who were responsible for the september 11 attacks on US soil...yet immediately after the US attacked Iraq as "payback"? My question is, despte Saudi Arabia and the US being great allies, if the US were to wage war against Saudi Arabia for harbouring terrorists would they be able to do this without angering and involving the global Muslim population worldwide? Wouldn't future wars be impossible in Saudi Arabia as there are some senstive holy sites of worship there to Muslims? I have heard also that in the US religion/politics are tightly intertwined things? Could it be that USA is in fact at war with Islam? …

With respect to most of the common violations of social mores, society responds in part by seeking explanations of those violations in the possible illegitimacy of the social structures which first create the tensions generating these violations. Thus when poor, inner city children vandalize public property, people are inclined to say that this is just a symptom of the bad effects of social injustice on these children, and the proper response of society to this petty criminality is for social programs to be instituted to relieve poverty among inner-city children. The children may also be blamed, but still there is also a search for exculpatory causes for their misbehavi…

Can anyone recommend a good book that details the founding of Israel and covers all of the major events that have happened since then that have formed the Israel/Palestine conflict? I'd love to learn more details of things like the country's founding, the borders and how/why they've changed over the century, the arguments on both sides for and against a Jewish state, etc. Thanks!

There soo much debate now in the science community and myths that are not proven true or false. Many scientist say stress can cause gray hair or thin,bold hair Many scientist say smoking pot can lead to lung cancer or kill brain cells and lead to short term memory proccessing problem. Many scientist say brain cells ,heart cells and the spine do not devide or grow and injury is for life. Many scientist say too much cell phone can lead to cancer. Many scientist say stress or anger can cause ulcers and hernia. Many scientist say kidney stones is caused by stress,anger or junk food. Mnay scientist say this is true and many say this is a myth. …

Maybe this should be in speculations. The premise is that if a tax were levied requiring people to pay for CO2 emissions, would the proceeds from the tax end up paying for more CO2 emitting industries, etc. causing a viscous cycle that would lead to hyperinflation? Presumably, if the economy would shift to CO2-free activities, there would be no taxation/fines and no fiscal stimulus caused by redistribution of CO2 tax proceeds. But I would guess that industries would just "pay to pollute" and would receive those payments back in increased revenues from people who wanted the products that they generate with that energy. Is this overly cynical?

If drag from air-resistance and other friction were not an issue, high speed would not require great power. Presumably trains are relatively energy-efficient because of their low rolling resistance, long length, and lack of starting and stopping. But for driving, more power is required for acceleration, more rolling friction for stopping and maneuvering, and high speeds make wind resistance the biggest power-drain. Low speed limits (55) were once imposed on highway traffic but this was extremely unpopular. Could the problem be that as long as cars are designed for quick acceleration to higher speeds, there will be little progress in energy-conservation. If, however, …

This doesn't just apply to Americans, people!. They "all" come and go like leaves in the snow of a winters blustery storm. Blown from the trees by a terrible breeze, mans unyeilding thirst for power? Try to have good memories of this Memorial Day. The link below may spread some conscience.

Now that it's come out that Pawlenty pardoned a child molester so he could open a day care center in his home (and the child molester has since re-offended and been arrested), do you think his chances for the Republican POTUS ticket have changed?

Reducing unemployment through job-creation or work-sharing seems to be an important social goal. This reflects a work ethic that the economy supports everyone therefore everyone should support the economy. However, with mass production and other modern industrial efficiencies, trying to incorporate everyone into economically productive endeavors may be less effective than just keeping them out of the way. The problem, however, is that 1) people want to feel important and productive and 2) people who work generally don't like the idea of supporting people who aren't working. The solution that has been pursued in "the post-industrial age" has been to expand service sect…

A global culture seems to have evolved in which the primary response to economic recession is to protect national citizens by restricting migration allowances if necessary. Presumably this has a traditionalizing and territorializing effect by reinforcing the culture that regions are primarily closed populations with common cultural traditions, etc. (national culturalism). The question is what implications this culture has for science. Internet allows unrestricted point-to-point communications globally, so people can still communicate and collaborate in that way despite regional separation, but do you think it is generally detrimental for science to face a global cultur…

There are currently several leadership discourses that prompt questioning of the ability for official leaders to control their ranks. One is the revocation of "don't ask don't tell" allowing open homosexuality in the military. While Obama seems to be fully in favor of allowing open homosexuality, his "decree" hasn't resulted in immediate deference to his authority. People are resisting. It is interesting to consider military resistance in other contexts as well. For example, we may ask if Gaddafi actually could convince his military to stop fighting the rebels. It has been assumed that he has the power to surrender and abdicate, but why do people assume that the mil…

Global warming seems to have failed to galvanize much cultural change as far as reducing energy-consumption goes. Yes, there have been some flashy high-profile projects designed to reduce carbon footprinting. However, radical cultural changes that would drastically improve conservation have continued to be treated as too painful to rush into. Hitting the snooze button just one more time seems to be more appealing. So if the prospect of global warming wasn't enough to motivate change, the question becomes how active people are willing to get to fight the prospect of indoor warming? Are they willing to build more power plants, increase fossil-fuel production, and nucle…