True. However, this current subthread started with the following:
I swear I've seen a big stone one of Lincoln, sitting
down. You mean that it WON'T come to the defense of Liberty
when a rabbi writes the word on its forehead?
So? He got confused, since, in the legend, the rabbi
Strange mixing of words there... he is taking the same type of position as
the administration. Your words confuse the position with the degree of
responsibility and the statement's impact. Did you mean to discourage
comparisons of list postings' positions with those held by people in power?
IOW, you (pl.) say you don't prefer it if ONLY criminals carry weapons,
you (pl.) just want to change the law so everyone who carries a weapon is
by definition a criminal . . .
I didn't say that, and I didn't say anything about criminalizing guns. It is
my belief that there are relatively
And the Milky part of it comes from a myth that it's the milk spilling
out of a goddess's breast into the sky.
Really? And I thought it was named after a candy bar...
Tom Beck
www.prydonians.org
www.mercerjewishsingles.org
I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed
Maybe I Should Read The Book Maru
No maybe. I'd put Hyperion/Fall of Hyperion up there with The Anubis Gates,
His Dark Materials, and just a very few others as among the ten best books I've
ever read.
I consider Hyperion/Fall of Hyperion to be essentially one book that got
published in two
Display and interpret any symbol the way
you wish to. If others get offended, it is their problem, not yours.
As long as *all* they do is feel offended. There have been reports, for
example, of Jews in some European countries being attacked for wearing kippot,
stars of David, and other
The other edits the most important magazine of th Left.
I can't even reply to the other points, most of which seem to be personal
attacks. However, The Nation is not the most important magazine of the left. It
has a tiny circulation. I can't even remember the last time I snuck a peak at
One of the reasons that people
like Rush Limbaugh are so successful at speaking to
the American public is that - unlike their opponents -
they _like_ the public. I have lots of problems with
Rush. But he loves America, and he loves Americans.
The American people rather like that and they
What democrats said that it was acceptable for Clinton to lie under
oath?
I don't know what other Democrats may have said. I never said it was
acceptable for him to lie under oath. I just didn't think it was an impeachable
offense.
I also think he should never have been forced to face
So her rhetoric is over-the-top, but her basic
position
doesn't seem too far out.
The prosecution rests.
Huh? What does that mean? How does what he said prove the case? It seems to
me the opposite. She has been put forward as an example of an extremist whom
liberals should
Let's see Tom condemn Katha
Pollit once in a while.
I'm not sure who she is, sorry.
When Noam Chomsky says things equally bad - or worse -
our liberal friends like Tom tell us that even
criticizing them is censorship.
I haven't said anything about him here, and I don't have to please
From the NY Times
(http://nytimes.com/2003/08/01/international/worldspecial3/01CND-GORDON.html?hp -
free registration required):
Weapons of Mass Confusion
By MICHAEL R. GORDON
CAMP DOHA, Kuwait, Aug. 1 There is a bold and entirely plausible theory that may
account for the mystery over
but would start with
educating people (beginning in elementary school) with
the hazards associated with certain lifestyle choices
- and gradually making people responsible for their
own folly -- we could ~ halve the chronic disease
burden with lifestyle changes
But that would go against
Seriously, the ones that get the most attention seem to be more extreme
one way or another. That's probably true for any group that gets
stereotyped. Except maybe Poles. I've never met a Pole anywhere close
to being as stupid as all the jokes imply. (Where'd they get that
reputation,
Except, when a right winger makes an innocuous statement and the left wing
media huffs and puffs until they blow the issue up into whatever slight
they feel gets them the best press.
So liberals aren't perfect. Never said they are. Although I bet some of the
statements you characterize as
That's a good point I hadn't thought about. Ambition is not, in and of
itself, an evil trait, and it is the one Slytherin most valued. If you can
point those ambitious kids along the right path, you've got a better chance of
keeping them from the Dark Arts than you would if you sent them
Restrictions on the free flow of information.
The subjugation of women.
Inability to accept responsibility for individual or collective failure.
The extended family or clan as the basic unit of social organization.
Domination by a restrictive religion.
A low valuation of education.
Low
Considering the level of interest shown in the Tour de France when it
started, I'm surprised to see little or no mention of the fact, now that it's over,
that Lance Armstrong won his fifth in a row. This one was more stirring than
the previous 4, as his triumph was in doubt until the
I enjoyed #5 immensely. I especially liked the way Rowling developed Ginny
Weasley - she's turning out to be a very interesting young witch. In general, I
think, Rowling does much better with her good guys than with her villains.
I also liked the way a lot of stuff that happened in this novel
Generally true, but I *loved* Dolores Umbridge. Of course, I'm about the
only person who liked Luna Lovegood among people I;ve talked to, so what do I
know? :)
A) I don't consider Umbridge to be completely a villain. She's certainly
wrongheaded and even cruel and destructive. But she's
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
P
A
C
E
Just because Dolores' motives for her actions were not of the slay everyone
and take over the world variety does not mean she's not a villain. Evil
doesn't have to wear a black cape and cackle maliciously in order to be evil.
I found her brand
Democratic state lawmakers fled Texas on Tuesday for the second time in
three months to thwart a Republican drive to redraw the state's
congressional districts. Eleven of the 12 Democrats in the state Senate
left for Albuquerque, N.M., as a first special session called by the
governor to
Since society's role in assigning adoptions should entirely give
consdieration to the needs and rights of the child - not to the desires of
the adopters, I think that society should try and meet the reasonable
expectations of the child whenever possible, since of course, there is no
way
Nevertheless, I would hope that everyone would be in favor of the second
half. I think that this issue is so important and controversial that it should
be decided by the State Legislatures and Congress, which are elected by the
people, and not written by unelected judges.
As will hardly
Many on the political left have been reluctant to concede the special
brutality of Saddam, as if admitting that truth would justify a war they
opposed. Some genocides are apparently more equal than others. It's true
that America can't right every wrong, or depose every dictator. But the
U.S.
http://www.scifiweekly.com/issue326/interview.html
Tom Beck
www.prydonians.org
www.mercerjewishsingles.org
I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the
last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle
___
There
is a pervasive dishonesty that has crept into this
issue where we have people actively crippling American
war efforts for short-term partisan advantage - and a
bunch of very bright people on the list who buy that
wholesale.
Oh, stop it. This is close to the Ann Coulter libel that
To me, the most bothersome thing about the 16 words is that it also
happened simultaneously in Australia and England -- Howard and Blair said
the same thing and now blame it on a failure of the British intelligence
service. What a coincidence that neither the British, Australian nor U.S.
http://www.eblong.com/zarf/periodic/closeup.html
Ah. I've seen a different poster with the same title, that had pictures of
the desserts...mmm...desserts... :::drools:::
Tom Beck
Sweet Tooth Maru
www.prydonians.org
www.mercerjewishsingles.org
I always knew I'd see the first man on the
They use a Project Orion type spaceship in the Niven/Pournelle novel
Footfall to launch a military mission to the F'i'thp conquered space station. That
was the first place I ever heard of Project Orion (and a lot of other
unconventional weapons ideas from the past, such as Thor).
Tom Beck
Well...there are a _few_ semi-spoilers at the end.
I was very disappointed with this movie. I thought it was surprisingly poorly
made - the cinematography was dim and blurred, the editing was choppy, the
action sequences were staged in a way that you could not actually see what
people were
(My oldest daughter is 20 and my youngest daughter 13, so Barbie's are
behind us now).
They're into Malibu Stacy now?;)
(Either that or they're buying real clothing for themselves, which is even
more expensive. g)
Tom Beck
www.prydonians.org
www.mercerjewishsingles.org
I always
I expect that I will keep repeating myself on this subject occasionally,
until I get a reality check that will tell me if I am alone in believing
John C Wright, author of The Golden Age and The Phoenix Exultant is the
hottest new author since Brin hit the scene.
I'm a big fan of Alastair
For the Harry Potter books, I like the UK cover art better, at least judging
from Order Of The Phoenix. And I regret the dumbing down of the book
1 title in the US by changing Philosopher's Stone to Sorceror's Stone.
Me too. I have purchased all 5 books from amazon.co.uk because I preferred the
I especially miss the novelty LP album covers (like my original Led Zeppelin
III cover with the picture wheel in it) and the double albums with
suitable-for-hanging-in-your-dorm-room trippy artwork inside. It's a real
shame: the death of the LP and the small size of CD and tape covers seem to
The British edition was better than what us herms got. The cover slipped out
to reveal the hanged man. It didn't for the US edition.
Yes it did. At least, mine did. Unless I somehow managed to buy the British edition in
a US store.
--
Tom Beck
www.prydonians.org
www.mercerjewishsingles.org
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29766-2003Jul8.html?nav=hptop_ts
Former Vermont governor Howard Dean said, The credibility of the U.S.
is a precious commodity. We should all be deeply dismayed that our
nation was taken to war and our reputation in the world forever tainted
by
I watched the team time trial of the Tour De France today, and the US Postal Service
team (incl. Lance Armstrong) came from way back to not only win but shatter the
course, building up speed with every klick, eventually winning by 30 seconds. It was a
stirring achievement to watch, because they
Don't forget we totally beat the French!
Speaking only for myself, I'm not rooting *against* anyone - I'm rooting *for* Lance
Armstrong.
--
Tom Beck
www.prydonians.org
www.mercerjewishsingles.org
I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. -
Dr
Tom Beck: Who says a playoff series doesn't begin until the home team
loses? I've never heard that. Is it in pro basketball, which isn't a real
sport? Do they mean the team with the home team advantage, or the home team
for each game? I suspect they mean the first but it's still a silly
In a message dated 7/8/2003 6:09:54 PM Eastern Standard Time, Julia Thompson [EMAIL
PROTECTED] writes:
Speaking of sports, anyone else following the Tour de France? If anyone
who knows more about cycling than I do (which isn't very much, aside
from having read Lance Armstrong's _It's Not About
My point is that the biography does not idolize him as a person. The author
idolizes him as an athlete and appreciates him as a man. But I would make
the point that Kofax seems unique in his maintaining his dignity and his
refusal to cash in on his celebrity. But rather then argue this I
How about Juan Marichal?
--
Tom Beck
www.prydonians.org
www.mercerjewishsingles.org
I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. -
Dr Jerry Pournelle
___
http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
But your description of him is precisely one he would agree to. That is the person
that comes through in the book. He disavows anything more. When he did not pitch on
Yom Kippur this was not a political act and not really a religous one (Kofax is the
prototypical non-observant Jew. And yet his
No baseball for a while so I thought I might stir the pot. Just finished Jane Leavy's
excellent if reverential bio.
There is an unfortunate tendency among some of Koufax's admirers, especially those who
have known him, to elevate him into some kind of human paragon. Granted that he
appears
However, the changes have been criticised by human rights campaigners
who complain that heterosexual non-married couples are discriminated
against.
Heterosexual couples will not be eligible for the registration scheme,
a decision attacked by veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.
Mr
To modify an old saying:
Why buy the cow if you can get the government to give you the milk for free?
I'm afraid I don't see your point. The complaint is that the UK government will,
rather than permit actual legal same-sex marriage, permit gay couples certain
privileges similar to marriage
But of course the BBC managed to find a straight couple to illustrate
the issue: they have a child and live together and think the new law is
a good thing; but they would like to be able to take advantage of it
themselves since they don't want to get married.
Why should straight people be
Legions of obese Americans and Russians and Spaniards and Canadians...
Well...um...Russians were obese *long* before McDonalds invaded Moscow...
Tom Beck
___
http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Is NOT fat. Is extra layer of skin for keepink warm.
Nyet. Eez FAT.
I remember when I lived there seeing women eating containers of sour cream
like it was ice cream. :::shudder:::
Tom Beck
www.prydonians.org
www.mercerjewishsingles.org
I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I
It suggests that the Americans on the list are not
representative of the American public, which was my
point.
So? We're supposed to be?
Tom Beck
www.prydonians.org
www.mercerjewishsingles.org
I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the
last. - Dr
Tom, not to be rude, but are you even capable of
discussing these things, or do you just start frothing
at the mouth as soon as someone mentions George Bush?
I mean, you seem like a bright and reasonable guy -
right up until someone mentions a Republican and then
I swear to God someone else
Why is it so hard to see there's a difference there?
And how come the only people in the world outside of
Israel who care about the difference live in the
United States, and most of them are conservatives?
Well, most American Jews care quite a lot about Israel, and most of us are
not
Is there a name for a shot where the ball is cradled on the ankles and both
legs are lifted and snapped in a whip-like motion?
Yeah: Falling On Your Ass. It's vaguely similar to the bicycle kick or
overhead though.
Tom Beck
www.prydonians.org
www.mercerjewishsingles.org
I always knew
Would the Israelis be willing to give up all of their West Bank
settlements at this point?
If they did, would all of the Palestinians then quit calling for the
annihilation of all Jews? Would they give up their attempts to claim
Jerusalem?
One thing that needs to be kept in mind is
The same goes for Israel. Shortly after WWII, the least
unfair solution probably would have been taking a
good-sized chunk of land from Germany to form a Jewish
homeland, while negotiating with the Middle East world to
get them visitation rights to their holy sites. Instead,
Europe decided
In a message dated 6/13/03 1:39:41 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
If that is a fair assessment, then I have another question. Were any
(or most) of the refugees able/permitted to return to their homes a
year or so later, when their fear and uncertainty had subsided? If they
were not
In a message dated 6/13/03 1:46:35 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
What right did the UN have to tell Arabs how they would be governed, or
to take away their homes?
The land was under UN jurisdiction, that's what right.
Tom Beck
www.prydonians.org
www.mercerjewishsingles.org
I always
It's kind of late to worry about that now.
I have trouble reconciling that statement with someone who has an
interest in understanding history.
Come one, how many subjugated peoples in the entirety of world
history got to vote on who ruled them? They had never voted to be
In a message dated 6/13/03 2:16:38 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
Why, specifically, could they not go to Israel in, say, late 1949 or
1950? Were they forcibly prevented? By whom?
By that point, I think, the Israelis wouldn't let them back (neither would
the Arab countries). And before you
I suppose because the leaders of those countries were still trying to
bring about Israel's destruction, and the Palestinan refugee situation
seemed to them to help their cause.
That's hardly a defense, as I'm sure you're aware. We're going to let you
suffer indefinitely and ruin countless
IRAQ: $100 Million Reconstruction Fund Unveiled; Exiled Royal Returns
http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/util/display_stories.asp?objid=34208
The U.S. civil administration in Iraq yesterday announced plans for a $100
million investment fund geared to create jobs and jump-start
Hamas is now threatening foreigners in Israel. It has warned them to leave.
Obviously, they have no intention of giving a shit who is killed in their
attacks - Israeli, Palestinian, Arab, foreigner - it's all the same to them.
So where are those scumbag European handwringers who scream whenever
Although, admittedly, having asked people who know
something about this sort of thing, and read some
stuff on how hard it is to find these items, I was
probably overoptimistic. But God forbid that a little
knowledge or expertise would be injected into this
loop.
And God forbid that
I do wonder, at some point will the credibility of
these people just evaporate? I mean, will people say,
gee, the people of Iraq _did_ celebrate when we
arrived, Saddam _was_ defeated fairly easily, the
country _didn't_ collapse into civil war, the museum
_wasn't_ looted, and so on - at
You know, Tom, given your previous record on
predictions in Iraq, do you think you might want to be
a little more careful with statements like the above?
Just a thought. I mean, if we do find them - and I
still think the odds are pretty good that we will -
what will you hate Bush foreign
In a message dated 6/7/03 5:35:53 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
I think there are stats on that sort of thing somewhere. I've heard
that cow farts account for a measurable percentage of the greenhouse
gasses produced.
Not cow farts - cow burps produce a lot of methane.
Tom Beck
If Diamond et.al. are correct then we are doing ourselves a great
disservice.
We are specializing in a way that generally becomes dangerous for a species.
It is possible to become ~too~ adapted. Shouldn't't the word be spread in
these cultures that the lifestyle they are shifting to causes
Alan Wisotsky, an attorney for Oxnard and the police officer who
interrogated Martinez, said the court's ruling was a victory for
persistent police work.
If someone had kidnapped your child, wouldn't you want police doing
everything they possibly could to get information from someone who
Uh. I don't see how the reporter reaches this conclusion. It seems
rather obvious that someone's right to not self-incriminate is not violated
if that person is never incriminated, whether by one's self or otherwise.
So, in other words, as long as you are not a suspect, the police
2) What is wrong with that strategy? It seems to me we are finally doing
what
is necessary to make the world a better place to live in, even if,
especially
if, you are a middle eastern Muslim. War is never the best way to solve
anything. I do not believe I am mistaken when I say that I
20,000 soldiers is a hell of a lot, and the US has
more urgent/important things to do than sending them
traipsing around the Iraqi desert sounds like a pretty
good one. Right now, at this moment, the US military
is desperately overstretched. There is a 3:1 rule for
deployments - to put
32.34714% - Total Geek
Tom Beck
www.prydonians.org
www.mercerjewishsingles.org
I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the
last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle
___
http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
In a message dated 5/28/03 12:06:48 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
The odd-numbered movies suck, the even-numbered movies are good.
To wit:
Star Trek I, TPM - Not good.
Star Trek III, TSfS - Not good
I liked III - the scene where the Enterprise explodes in space and then they
cut to
Interesting that so far nobody on this list is any higher than low 40%
Geekiness. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or a good thing...
Tom Beck
www.prydonians.org
www.mercerjewishsingles.org
I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the
last. - Dr Jerry
MARINES facing battle are being asked to pray for
President Bush (...)
serious
Bah. Really religious people should be praying for
_Saddam_ too.
/serious
Reminds me of the line from Fiddler On The Roof:
Villager: Rabbi, is there a blessing for the Tsar?
Rabbi: A blessing for the
They don't need to match the USA 1:1 for GDP either...just production where
it counts (military, etc.) - they'll be prefectly willing to sacrifice
civilian standards of life for tactical advantage.
They'll be perfectly willing to TRY. I'm not sure they'll be able to get away
with it for
On that note, that should be really religious _Christians_. Judaism has
never had any kind of principle for turn the other cheek. It's more an
eye for an eye.
Except the rabbinical commentators always stated that the law didn't *really*
demand such strict retribution. I'm not a Torah or
In a message dated 4/1/03 6:36:36 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
Yeah, and the was the Embargo! 12 years of siege warfare
against Iraq to prevent Saddam from buying weapons,
and now we know that the _only_ think that Saddam bought
in this period was... weapons.
Again, it's a false
In a message dated 3/31/03 7:13:43 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
In other words - do you reject all preventive actions?
In which case it seems to me that your argument is
that we should wait until _after_ New York is
destroyed to do something. As a New Yorker, I
disagree, and not terribly
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