09/21   Anyone know how true the facts are in this article?
        http://www.exile.ru/150/150010101.html
         \_ Well Bruce Willis is certainly NOT a "New Age hack
         for M. Night Shyalaman."  As for the rest. it certainly
         suffers credibility wise by a complete lack of
         references/links even to "media reports" which it
         makes vague claims to.
        \_ Who read this: ....
        \_ Facts:  Pretty solid.  Interpretation: Questionable.
           \_ Facts are shakey.  No links.  No references.  Just spew.  He
              belongs on the motd, not trying to publish like he's a real
              journalist or reporter of any sort.  Spew, spew, spew.
              \_ "Like he's a real journalist" is debatable. "Exile.ru." Think
                 about it. These are morons who forgot what "exile" really
                 means and think that just because they ran from their
                 homeland in an attention-grubbing tantrum, they deserve a
                 soapbox to speak from. Ran, let alone, to Russia, where
                 all reasonable people run _from_, not _to_.
                 \_ Exile is the name of the paper they write that is geared
                    towards expats living in Moscow.
                 \_ If he's going to go off op/ed style trying to convince
                    his readership of a lot of heavy hitting shit than he can
                    at least come up with some minor references.  I'm not clear
                    on what this website is about.  Did this idiot flee *to*
                    Russia *from* the US or other western country?  Baffling.
                \_ he fled from UC Berkeley actually, look for the Exile
                   book and reviews on Amazaon
        \_ Someone link FreeRepublic to it.
           \_ Why?  Why are so many here apparently obsessed with the freepers?
              They're just the mindless right wing's version of the mindless
              left wing's idiots.  Freeper freaks on the right, SF Bay Area
              freaks on the same.  Same closed minded, self deluded, agenda
              driven stupidity.

9/21    ucla ee guy, deposit into EasyPay Bruincard, yay or nay?
        \_ Right now I'm leaning towards nay. The letter said that
           some merchants give discounts if you pay via Bruincard,
           but it didn't say how much or which discounts. If it
           saves me 10% or more on books I'll deposit.
           BTW, did you find a place and are you going to
           orientation on Wednesday? - ucla ee guy
        \_ Just exchange email addresses already so we don't have to
           read your conversations.
           \_ That's the joke, son.
              \- It's not a joke, it's just stupid...not to mention annoying.
                 \_ Ignore it.  You're only feeding it.

9/21    Subcommittee on Social Security - Effects of Illegal Immigration
        http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/755043/posts
        \_ Food for thought:  If all businesses are made to comply with
           current immigration law, yes, you will have less incentive for
           illegal immigration.  You will also see a rise in costs and then
           prices as employees organize, demand reasonable wages (or even
           minimum wage), and strike.  Small farms, which rely on illegal and
           thus inexpensive labor, will see a drop in profitability.  Not that
           I'm saying any of this outweighs the benefits, but we should be
           aware of where this may lead. --erikred
           \_ And lower crime rates, lower costs for social services, hospital
              emergency rooms that have time for emergencies, schools that have
              the resources to teach and lower taxes to pay for the lesser
              burden on society.  We should be aware of where current illegal
              immigration has taken us already.
              \_ Actually, dear freeper, the immigrants, compared to true
                 blue Americans, tend to be much more hardworking, much less
                 dependent on social welfare, and overall very conservative
                 as a group on all social issues the "conservatives" cared
                 about, not that I agree with them.
                        \_ Ahh, nothing like pontificating from a position
                           of ignorance.  Even a cursory investigation
                        \_ I'm not a freeper, thanks.  And I'd like to see a
                           link showing any half baked statistics to back up
                           your highly questionable and worse than anecdotal
                           claims.  You're spewing, not saying anything worthy
                           of calling a reply or debating.  There's no meat on
                           your stick (so to speak).
                        \_ Nothing like pontificating from a position
                           of ignorance.  Your argument is
                           inconsistent with passage of Prop 187, for
                           example.  Exactly what motivates opposition
                           to immigration if, as you describe, the net
                           benefit is positive? Let me guess, racism?
                           Even a cursory investigation
                           into crime, welfare, and hospitalization
                           statistics indicates you are wrong.  Do not
                           misconstrue this an indictment of all (il)legal
                           immigrants.  The question is do the TOTAL costs
                           outweight the benefits, not just if your maid,
                           gardner and pool boy are paid slave wages.
                           And guess who loses in this game, the working
                           poor already here.
                \_ Yea, I think those illegal immigrants are kind of dumb.
                   It sucks to be an illegal immigrant in the US.
                   \_ It sucks harder to stay where they came from. --dim
                      \_ It sucks even harder to squeeze into a tiny van
                         or ship or trek across the desert or cross the
                         ocean and risk death to get here to send
                         $3/hr to the family back home. No, it's
                         easier to stay home and die, but they arent
                         going to take the easy way out. Same as
                         it's been for hundreds of years.
                         \_ When your maid service dates back to 1986 you know
                            you're dealing with criminals.

9/22    Over the next 10 years, MIT will move all its existing coursework on to
        the internet.  [formatd]
        \_ Which means what exactly?  No homework due during power outages?
        \_ This is old (but cool) news.  See:
           http://web.mit.edu/ocw/ocwfactsheet.html

9/22    Why ain't vacation workin'?  And why no man?
        \_ Why no women?
           \_ This is the CSUA.
              \_ Surprisingly, that answers all three.

9/22    Regarding this Bush compared to Hitler thing-- why?  I think it's
        perfectly apt-- Hitler did use war to distract the populace from
        domestic troubles, and it does seem like a motive worth
        considering wrt to the US as well.
        \_ Yes, Bush ordered the death of 6 million Jews. Instigated wars
           that resulted in even millions more deaths. In case you did not
           know this, Nazi Germany had an effecient, but austere, financial
           model. Wake up you stupid Neville Chamberlains - read some history
           instead of People magazine for once!
           \_ He hasn`t...yet. You know that Hitler didnt come with his
           "Final Solution" until later in the war? I think _you_ should
           read some history before blindly criticising.
           \_ A.. go visit the Huntington Library and ask to see the original
              Nuremberg files. I assure you they were written way before the
              war started.
              war started. From your spelling you obviously didn't grow up in
              America. They say the reason why England is so far down is because
              all the smart ones died in WWII. I guess you proof positive.
           \_ Hitler wrote Mein Kampf long before he got power.  His Final
              Solution wasn't far from his original thinking.  Your comparison
              of Hitler to Bush is insulting to my race, nearly wiped off the
              face of Europe by Hitler, and my relatives, who fought Hitler
              and were willing to give their lives to see him defeated.
              Sign your name, asshole.  -- ilyas
           \_ Maybe you need a new tin foil hat?  I think THEY're getting to
              you.  I heard they increased their power output recently in an
              attempt to override the older tin foil hat problem.
        \_ The original quote was this: "Bush wants to distract attention
           from his domestic problems. That's a popular method. Even
           Hitler did that."  Nobody ever called Bush a Hitler.  This
           minister merely pointed out that Bush was pulling an ages old
           political trick.