2012-12-20, 16:30 | Link #25362 | |
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
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Quote:
It's a qualitative difference. Shields aren't weapons, but rather armour, and the two terms have different implications. For instance, if you are afraid of being shot, it's reasonable to wear a bullet proof vest, but a gun won't prevent you getting shot. |
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2012-12-20, 16:47 | Link #25363 |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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Except you can bludgeon someone with a shield, and having a gun can save your life. Either by scaring you potential enemy into not attacking at all, or in running him off after he's attacked, or, yes, in hurting the other guy first.
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2012-12-20, 17:01 | Link #25364 | |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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I'm all for mitigating the circumstances that create the violence we're seeing. I don't see any point in "feel good" solutions that aren't actually solutions ... or in fact make things worse.
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2012-12-20, 17:02 | Link #25365 | ||
Sensei, aishite imasu
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Hong Kong Shatterdome
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I mean, look at Switzerland. Males are required by law to retain an automatic rifle as part of their militia service, and after their service is done, many opt to have it converted to a semi automatic in order to keep it, many of whom do. It's one of the most gun prolific nations in the world. And despite this, Switzerland has a lower homicide rate than the United Kingdom. The main reason for this is because Switzerland has a high overall, across the board standard of living, and good social safety nets. Quote:
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2012-12-20, 18:15 | Link #25366 |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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The Unequal State of America: Why America is more unequal than most
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8BJ0J520121220 The Undeserving Poor http://www.reuters.com/subjects/inco...uality/indiana
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2012-12-20, 19:23 | Link #25367 | |
Unspecified
Scanlator
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Unspecified
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Reported sex assaults leap 23 percent at US military academies
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2012-12-21, 07:16 | Link #25372 |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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Analysis: Allies to lose socialist patron if Venezuela's Chavez goes
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8BK07420121221
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2012-12-21, 11:05 | Link #25373 |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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Why We Got Facebook And Not Mars Colonies
I think Vexx would shed tears after reading this. As much as Farrell is a doomsayer of Marketwatch, I think what he highlighted is pretty crucial - investors are looking too much into short-term gains.
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2012-12-21, 11:08 | Link #25374 | |
Nyaaan~~
Join Date: Feb 2006
Age: 40
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And don't get me started on Amazon.. http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/...eeping_on.html -- They are what you call bad investments. Same thing with exploding space shuttles and the titanic. Let's see where money gets directed when you find a big meteorite floating within travel distance that is made up >50% of gold ..
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2012-12-21, 11:45 | Link #25375 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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Quote:
Facebook IS in fact a short term gain, I don't see it developing any new usesable groundbreaking technology other than as an automated communications interface, in the future.
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2012-12-21, 16:59 | Link #25378 | |
blinded by blood
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Quote:
Amazon was directly responsible for the democratization of Android tablets--they're the reason $200 7-inch tabs are a thing now. Amazon and Google together are responsible for driving down the overall price of smartphones thanks to the $200 Kindle Fire, the $350 Galaxy Nexus and $300 Nexus 4. Because of this massive shakeup in the mobile industry, the iron grip that carriers like AT&T and Verizon have on the market is slipping. T-Mobile already announced it's doing away with handset subsidies, and with its purchase of MetroPCS is poised to become much more influential in the market than it ever has. Prices of flagship devices and iPhones might remain in the $500 range, but the Nexus 4 is a beast of a smartphone that easily kicks the ass of any other flagship device out there for $350 ($300 if you don't mind 8GB of internal storage and use the cloud). Democratization of products and services only helps the consumer in any sort of run. I don't buy the complaints that cheaper goods will cause the markets to implode--that stinks of "right to profit" Koch brothers and Enron-style nonsense that caused us to get into this mess in the first place.
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2012-12-21, 17:04 | Link #25379 |
Nyaaan~~
Join Date: Feb 2006
Age: 40
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^ My point is that Amazon doesn't make any money. Never has and likely never will -- so people who invested in Amazon, at least for the long-term, are foolish. Greater fool theory at work I suppose, whoever ends up holding the stock when the music stops..
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current affairs, discussion, international |
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