Meshugger

This explains the motivation for every single thing he said. I would like to hear him trying to do a motivational speech to the developers. - "Yeah, our shareholders expect a certain percent of return for this project. Yeaaaaah, um. What i would like you guys to do, is to streamline the development process so that the activities for each asset are maximized according to their corresponding criteria and responsibilities. Um, oh yeah, we have also determined that the marketing department will be more active in the creative process and general design decisions. Umm, this will ensure that through collaboration of inter-displinary programs, the product will be reactive to the current customer climate needs, thus generating better results." Nothing would fuel your creative energies more when being encouraged on such a level.

Are you sitting on a 1Tb-line?

I agree somewhat there. As long as it is possible for companies, interests groups or associations of certain professions to get the government to subsidize, giving tax breaks or have regulatory laws to their favor, there will always be lobbyists in politics. Likewise, people from the private sector will be interested in entering politics to write laws in their favor, or politicians to enter the private sector after instantiating laws that gives them a head start. Thus, effectively turning the tip from democracy to corporatism. As for healthcare insurance, i would treat that a little differently though.

Yeah, so? Your point being? My point is that the quote refers to a point at which the massive growth of the economy, caused by the successful application of socialism, aka the command economy, aka one of the most effective and proven tools for rapid industrial growth, has created an industrial society so mechanized and perfected that work can be completely voluntary. It does not refer to today, tomorrow, or the near future, but rather an indefinite future, wherein the Glorious Socialist Paradise has been achieved across the world. It is a bit "spiritual," to be sure, but it's not some piece of practical advice, thus throwing out the idea that Marxism is about equal pay for unequal work yet again. Command economy?

Thank you

As i said earlier, it has nothing to do with how much the doctor, the nurse or those who manufacture medical equipments and pharma get paid. It is not even about the idea of having a healthcare insurance by itself. It is about generating profit for the sake of profit in healthcare insurance, because it leads to insurance companies maximizing their profits as first priority, therefore immoral.

So when was the releasedate again? Or is there one to begin with?

It's immoral to make a profit off illness and people's fear of death, preying on the sick and downtrodden. J. Seriously though, do you expect doctors and nurses to work for free? Agreed or anyone else for that matter, societies growing sense of entitlement is getting scary. I could almost bet that it had nothing to do with the nurses or doctors. Rather, it was about having a healthcare insurance policy, based on profit, being immoral.

I somewhat agree with Pat Buchanan....i feel a bit dirty now Anyhoo, thanks to the great internet, i found a fun anecdote: The whole article can be found here (Washington Post) To summarize:

So would an individual state government, if it wished to, be able to organise universal health care for its own citizens? Have any done so? Would this be more acceptable to the public? I would definately support that, since it would leave accountability to a closer and to a lower level, making it more easy for the taxpayers to verify any fraud or mismanagement. The federal government would simply have legislate the mandate "universal healthcare guaranteed to its citizens" to every state would be enough. Whether if they would adpot the swiss model or the british one would be up to them as long as it was universal. @Meshugger: The Constitution does not permit the Federal government to tell the states "Thous Shalt or Shalt Not Do This" about much of anything unless a program is either 1) Paid for by Federal money, this would not be, or 2) Pertains to inter-state commerce or dealing with a foeriegn power. This would not. If an individual state wished to privide UHC for it's citizens I am all for it. Fair enough, Brussels do not dictate on how we deal with Healthcare in Finland either. However, the subsequent question should be: out of 50 states, has any of those actually tried UHC on any degree? And i mean some kind of UHC that would actually work in the long run?

So would an individual state government, if it wished to, be able to organise universal health care for its own citizens? Have any done so? Would this be more acceptable to the public? I would definately support that, since it would leave accountability to a closer and to a lower level, making it more easy for the taxpayers to verify any fraud or mismanagement. The federal government would simply have legislate the mandate "universal healthcare guaranteed to its citizens" to every state would be enough. Whether if they would adpot the swiss model or the british one would be up to them as long as it was universal.

A rather interesting article about the subject. Basically, it is about how easily the democrats shot themselves in the foot in this process. Unbelievable mismanagement and mudslinging, and the losers were of course the taxpayers themselves. I bet Guard Dog would have a field day reading this.

Custom AI's for henchies, sounds cool. Hopefully they also atleast try to stay away from my line of fire. And Jesse Houston says a mean word in the interview, my fragile young mind is in peril. That sounds very good indeed. But what about enemy A.I.?

No worries, i was just toying around with ideas, monthy python-style Since the legislative branch, judicial and executive branches are shaped as they are, meaning that big and broad changes are made difficult for one administration to accomplish, i do not see anything else than a few laws that pushes the healthcare insurance dilemma in one direction or the other.

A part of me wishes for the current administration to simply put public single-payer as the only option, and passing a law that would outlaw the entire healthcare insurance industry as whole. Then, the history books will tell that this was the start of the Second American Civil War, the only war ever in history that was fought over a healthcare insurance policy. The war was won by "The People's Liberation Army for Freedom" against the "National American Front for Justice and Prosperity". I think thar i need to play Civ4 or something similar for a while.

Hum, i had a smaller cold in july. Really weird though, i had no fever, but i could barely brush my teeth without sweat starting to pour down my back, and i had a terrible ache in every muscle in my body. No headache, no sore throat, just a little cough. It went away after two days though, so i didn't bother to check with the hospital. Lately a lot friends have had a sore throat/cough and a fever, but none of them have bother to check with the hospital either, they just stayed at home and waited until they got better. I am well at least atm.

I don't know about calling them 'new', but i definately would consider them as the best characters of KotOR. Maybe Canderous as well for good measure.

Yeah I agree. The first part of Wall-E is incredible, but after they get on the ship and the humans get introduced it goes a little downhill and gets a little heavy handed. Maybe I just prefer the artsy parts. Spirit Away is good, but i wouldn't consider that as the first Miyazaki movie to see for those that are used to Disney and Pixar Simply too much is happening in every frame for the viewer to keep up, IMO. While i do not cry, Totoro gave that lump in your throat due to its beauty and brilliance. It is simply a movie that celebrates everything that's good with childhood. Grave of the Fireflies give you that very same lump for different reasons which would be spoilerific.

First, "My neighbour Totoro", then "Princess Mononoke". And as always, always, always watch it in the original dub(japansese). The english ones are usually "ok", but that's about it. Watching a movie in its original language, with subtitles of course, should be mandatory. After those two movies, you will automatically and franticly watch every Miyazaki movie that there is. Honerable mentions include: Nausic

I think that it is pretty much established that Miyazaki is in his own league when it comes to animation movies.

Hmmmm. Isn't the EU supposed to be a union of sovereign states loosley organized under a weak central government? Isn't that by definition.... a confederacy? Oh dear

Lulz

They may flag as much as they want. The burden of a free society is that you have to put up with opinions that you do not want to see or hear. Otherwise you are the very tyrant that you despise.

So, since the very idea of govermental single-payer is out of the window, how about the Swiss model? 1) Healthcare insurance companies exists, there's no public option. 2) The swiss can freely choose which insurance company that they like. 3) Healthcare insurance companies are by law, forbidden to deny to pay for their client's treatment (certain exceptions may exists for plastic surgury) 4) Every swiss over the age of 18 have to, by law, have a healthcare insurance. 5) Monthly payments are regulated by law, not to exceed a certain procent of the client's income. Practically universal healthcare for every citizen. Sounds bad or good?

I do not care a silch about the new Wolfenstein, but i can listen to his limerick again and again.