Berkeley CSUA MOTD:2005:March:14 Monday <Sunday, Tuesday>
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2005/3/14-15 [Politics/Foreign/Europe] UID:36675 Activity:moderate
3/14    John please tell us how to open up an account outside of US, preferably
        an account in which you can have US as a permanent address and one that
        has a decent interest-rate to inflation ratio, like the UK pound or
        Australian $, thanks.
        \_ I have no idea about interest rates--continental European rates
           for bank accounts tend to be pretty abysmal, but you'd drop cash
           into a fund located in a disinterested country through a bank.
           Go to an outfit you like, such as http://www.llb.li (great service)
           and open an account.  If you can't, there are notary services that
           will do it for you.  I have no idea about Jersey/Monaco/Caymans and
           how they work, but most banks geared towards foreign clients tend
           to offer mail holding services for a small fee.  Regarding
           Australian $, Vanuatu had a lot of offshore account type activity
           last time I was there (~2 years ago) but at the time the
           Australians were trying to crack down on it.  That may have been
           targeted at .au citizens, though.  Most "civilized" banking
           countries also subscribe to some sort of money laundering provision
           or another; in Switzerland, ~100k CHF transactions are the lower
           limit at which they require proof of the provenance of the cash
           (i.e. no ill-gotten gains.)  If it's a tax dodge, do it in a
           country which does not consider it its responsibility to prosecute
           foreign income tax evasion (.ch is under massive pressure from the
           EU to start doing so.)  To get around this, some countries will
           charge you an "equivalence tax", i.e. around their approximation
           of what you'd be paying in your home country.  I'm not a banking
           expert, but if you have some specific questions that I can check
           out without too much effort, drop me a mail.  -John
           \_ You know ING Direct yes? ING Direct UK pays 5%, ING Direct Aus
              pays 5.2%, and ING Direct Spain pays 6%. I wonder how one could
              open accounts with foreign ING Direct.
        \_ Also, what is the goal:  If its to diversify RISK (eg, of the
           dollar dropping into the toilet), then just use foregin index
           funds and bond-index funds.
           \_ Good point, sorry, I was just assuming tax dodge.  -John
        \_ tell me if you want pointers to foreign bond (long
           and short) fund, foreign reit fund, foreign utility fund,
           foreign inflation indexed debt fund.
           \_ I am interested in this. -ausman
              \_ http://www.smartmoney.com/tradecraft/index.cfm?story=20041122
2005/3/14-15 [Reference/History/WW2/Germany, Politics/Foreign/Europe] UID:36676 Activity:high
2/23    Happy Belated Soviet Armed Forces Day! -- !ilyas
        \_ Hairy thugs with Stingers >> Soviet armed forces.  -John
           \_ Don't misunderestimate the forces of Great Mother Russia.
                    \_ WTF is "misunderestimate"? Guys, use a dictionary,
                       and English isn't German, you shouldn't string
                       prefixes like this. You simply had to say
                       "underestimate" or the opposite "overestimate."
                       \_ I learned the word from Heil Bush Jr. - op
              That's what Heil Hitler did in 1942.  Don't become another
                          \_ "Heil"!="Herr"
              6th Army soldier with lice crawling out of your nose, pus
              coming out of your wounds, and frozen toes and fingers falling
              off when bandages were unwrapped.  Keep your sorry sissy arse
              for your swiss wench or for some French whores, and stay out
              of the eastern front, cause you will end up curled up in a
              shit-filled 30 below bunker hole shivering of cold and fright,
              crying and whimpering, out of wood and out of food, knowing
              that your fuhrer has abandoned you, and knowing that you will
              never see yer mama again.
              \_ Winning a war due to a combination of aid from your allies
                 and enemy strategic fuckups doesn't count.  -John
                 \_ It doesn't?  I thought that's all pretty much all wars
                    were won. -jrleek
                    \_ Tell Napoleon, Mannerheim, Pilsudski, and a host of
                       other brilliant generals who were simply "better".
                       Note that "strategic fuckups" != "tactical fuckups".
                        \_ Zhukov is brilliant too.
                           \_ Zhukov!
                           \_ Was, he's dead, and "we have more PPsH-armed
                              peasants than you have bullets" does not imply
                              brilliance, although you're probably right.
                 \_ the war was won by the courage and sacrifice of the
                    citizens of Great Mother Russia, including teenage
                    girls from a factory holding up an entire Panzer column
                    with AA guns when the Germans first attacked.
                                - RusCom Troll
                    \_ In 1941, war was beginning.
              \_ SU and Stalin probably had more "strategic fuckups" than
                 the Germans, but they still won due to the heroic Russian
                 people!
                 \_ They won because they release all 'Zigs.
              \_ The lithium's behind the Advil. Go ahead. I won't miss any.
              \_ I thought Nazi's defeat was not due to the Red Army's
                 strength, but due to Soviet's strategy of burning everything
                 down to earth before they retreat.
                 \_ In other words, strategy.
                    \_ In other words, "ilyasing their country"
                    \_ "In other words"?  Isn't that the same word I used
                       above?  -- PP
                    \_ You know what you doing.
              \_ Was it a mistake for the Allies to ally with USSR against
                 Germany?  Would the world (western world at least) have been
                 better if we let the Soviets fight the Germans by themselves,
                 either winning eventually but at much higher cost or losing
                 eventually?
                 \_ What if the winner ended up with the Bomb?
                    \_ Like the Russians did?
                       \_ We already had the bomb at that point, and the Nazis
                          were out of the picture.
                        \_ Somebody set us up the bomb!
                        \_ So? The winner still ended up with the bomb. Why
                           should we have allied with USSR?
                           \_ Germany with the bomb, controlling all of
                              Europe, would be a much more formidable opponent
                              than the USSR was. I think it was as simple game
                              of power politics.
        \_ where is ilyas and his funny trolls?
           \_ In SOVIET RUSSIA, Ilya trolls YOU!
                \_ For great justice.
2005/3/14-15 [Computer/SW/OS/Windows] UID:36677 Activity:moderate
3/14    My girlfriend has one of those "USB flash drive" "stick like things"
        with 128MB ... and it has suddenly become "write" protected, and
        nothing can be "written" to it.  Looking at "properties" doesn't
        seem to offer any "check boxes" that I thought could have caused
        the "problem".  Anyone "seen" a "problem" like this before?
        \_ Most of these things have a physical write-protect switch.
           \_ Not on this one.
              \_ Does it use a special driver with write-protect ability?
                 Did your OS mount it read-only?
                 Do you have write permission?
                 \_ I borrowed it one day and used it on my home computer
                    which is win2k ntfs while her laptop is winxp fat.
                    seems that it has a problem after that.  guess I'll
                    bring it back to my home computer to see if it will
                    work from there, even don't I don't see why that
                    would cause a problem in the first place.
                    \_ Did you properly eject it from the win2k machine?  If
                       not, you probably corrupted the filesystem.
                       \_ But I can't even format it now.
        \_ I've had some problem with a CF card that 'lost' all the pictures,
           nearly gave me an heart attack. I got the files back via
           "chkdsk /f drive:" Again use with caution.
        \_ hey!  what's with all the double quotes?!  are you trying to be
           funny?  - op
           \_ yes. -quoter
              \_ you're failing.
2005/3/14-16 [Computer/SW/Compilers] UID:36678 Activity:nil
3/14    We have this licenced proprietary C++ library but no source, just
        a dynamicaly-linked library and the .h file.  We have some C++ code
        that calls the library.  I'd like to be able to call this closed-source
        library from within Java.  Since I already know how to call its
        functions, can I just use System.loadLibrary("Proprietry"); to access
        this library, or do I have to make a seperate C++->Java wrapper using
        say JNI?
        \_ You have to write some JNI wrappers.  There's special code on
           both the Java side and the C side to make JNI work.  (Unless, of
           course, they have some JNI wrappers included.  Look for .java or
           .class files.) -jrleek
           \_ They have no Java wrappers and are out of business.  I guess
              I know my next project...
              \_ Well, first, make sure their libraries were compiled with
                 the same compiler as your JVM.  If it's Sun's JVM on
                 linux, it's gcc.  In order to work with Sun's JVM, the
                 library needs to have been compiled with gcc, or icc 8.1
                 or later.  Another possibility for an earlier version of
                 icc is Jrocket. -jrleek
                 \_ Presuming their libraries are compiled with some old wierd
                    obsolete compiler, if I make a JNI wrapper (in C++) for
                    their code and compile it with the right compiler, will I
                    be able to call my wrapper from Java?  Or are we screwed?
                    \_ You are very likely screwed.  Wierd stuff can happen
                       if your C++ compilers are not binary compatiable.
                       Although you may get lucky.  In my experience
                       linking gcc compiled JNI with an icc 8.0 library,
                       everything was cool as long as the library didn't
                       throw an exception. If an exception was thrown,
                       everything always crashed. No matter who threw the
                       exception or from where or who was supposed to
                       catch it.  Java can be touchy. -jrleek
                       \_ It's even worse.  If it's not the same compiler /with
                          the same options when you compile/ you're probably
                          out of luck.  -emarkp
                          \_ We have in-house C++ code that calls this old
                             library just fine when compiled with (I think)
                             the MSFT compiler.  If I compile my JNI wrapper
                             with the same compiler, shouldn't that also work?
                             This funky library just sits there processing
                             input data and never throws exceptions.
                             \_ If I may make an architectural suggestion,
                                I believe that you shouldn't be utilizing
                                JNI to call this library. Instead, I believe
                                that you should utilize CORBA and write a
                                wrapper around your library in that fashion.
                                This is especially relevant if you plan on
                                utilizing this library in the future. I realize
                                that this may be a performance hit. Again,
                                use best judgement given time/performance/etc.
                                Just a suggestion.
                             \_ It might work out for you then.  I'm pretty
                                sure the JNI on windows is compiled with
                                the MSFT compiler.  I can't really say
                                though.  I'm niether a C++ or windows
                                guru. -jrleek
                             \_ If that works, then, in the worst case, you
                                should be able to write a pure C wrapper
                                on the C++ code, compile the wrapper with
                                VC++, call the C wrapper in your JNI layer
                                and compile the JNI stuff using another
                                compiler.
2005/3/14-15 [Politics/Foreign/MiddleEast/Others] UID:36679 Activity:moderate
3/14    Hi guys, fyi, there was another protest in Lebanon today,  larger than
        the 500K protest, and this time, against Syria.  Like earlier protests,
        mostly composed of young people.  Considering Lebanon only has 4
        million people, I wonder whether it's 75%+ of people our age and
        younger who decided to get out of the house and protest for/against.
        \_ Yes, and the first rally was likely composed mostly of Iranians.
           \_ Are you saying that the pro-Syria protest had a large number of
              people bussed from Syria / the West Bank?
              \_ That's what I read from the news.  Of course this was American
                 news that I was reading, so.  -- !PP
        \_ Maybe some of the protesters attended both rallies because they were
           paid by both sides to do so.
        \_ Protester of the day
  http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/050314/481/xhm10503141604
           \_ I never knew foreign women were so beautiful. I guess Lebanon
              isn't such a bad country after all!
              \_ 1: Big waist.
                 \_ that may be so, but she still has a smaller waist than
                    our typical Patriotic Jenny Craig-type of women.
                    European women >>> American women. Less McD fat, less
                    bovine/poultry-hormones, less pesticide, less pollution,
                    and less attitude.
                 2: With that collar she's wearing, it looks more like she's
                    posing for Playboy.
                    \-Beirut's reputation/image before ~1980 and since are
                      very different. It used to be quite a party city.--psb
                        \_ It still is, or rather is again.  I think it has
                           one of the fastest-growing club/bar scenes around
                           the world.  -John
2005/3/14-16 [Consumer/Camera] UID:36680 Activity:nil
3/14    Is there a good website for mp3 reviews like http://dpreview.com?
        \_ MP3s or MP3 players?
           \_ players
        \_ For players, do look at the Archos Gmini 440.  I just got
           one and it's teh r0xx0r.  -John
2005/3/14-15 [Science/Physics, Politics/Foreign/Europe] UID:36681 Activity:moderate
3/14    Why Mormons shouldn't move to UK:
        http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4341693.stm
        \_ What the hell does any of that have to do with mormonism?  Or even
           religion at all?  Huh?
        \_ Hi troll! -emarkp (I had more Physics and Math than just about
           anyone else I knew in the CS major.)
           \_ yes, and the war in Iraq is the right decision, and Bush is
              right, and everyone who thinks otherwise will go to hell.
              \_ Woohoo!  You win the stupidest troll of the day award!
                 \_ I don't think that's possible, given the guy below.  -tom
                    \_ I assume you mean those 2 in the gay marriage
                       thread?  Yeah, I wrote this before those were
                       posted.  Maybe we need to take a vote.
                       \_ Tom's a fag, he's obviously biased.
              \_ Wow, didn't know the "rightness" of the war in Iraq was
                 scientifically measurable.  And no, I don't make pronouncments
                 about a person's eternal soul based on their politics.
                 about a person's eternal progression based on their politics.
                 Oh and sign your name.  -emarkp
         \_ I'd rather be a mormon than a fag.
            \_ is that because you are mormon?
               \_ You misspelled "moron"
            \_ Why, exactly?  And why have you given this thought?
               \_ Well, I'll just throw gasoline on the troll fire and comment
                  that the two aren't mutually exclusive. -emarkp
                  \_ Uh oh.  I don't think your metaphors are rowing with a
                     full deck of marbles.
2005/3/14-15 [Recreation/Dating, Politics/Domestic/Gay] UID:36682 Activity:very high
3/14    The argument for gay marriage is that it's their own business and
        doesn't affect anyone else, since its private matter between
        two grown up adults and they have the rights to choose how
        they live. But why does the argument breaks down for other
        things that both party agrees to, like marriage/sex with a
        minor, hiring someone to kill myself (doctor, give me the
        death pill)? It seems if we allow gay marriage, then we should
        not ban other types of marriage as well, as long as both party
        are ok with it, such as multiple marriages, father/daughter,
        mother/son, brothers/sisters, humans and animals, etc. Any
        thoughts? Just because gay people are on TV doesn't make it
        more 'right' than any of the other banned marriage types.
        \_ Not to mention the fraud implications of instituting gay
           marriage...
           \_ uh, what?
              \_ uh, think about it?
                \_ uh, what?
                   \_ you can't be that dumb.
        \_ Part of marriage is consent, and legally being able to enter into
           a contract -- children and animals cannot give consent.  Polygamy
           is a more grey area but it can be argued that divorce situations
           would become too difficult to resolve.  The real solution is for
           the government to get out of marriage altogether and just issue
           civil unions, with only churches being able to marry people.  The
           civil unions give you all the legal rights marriage does today,
           while the churches have the right to grant marriage to only those
           they deem fit.  And this argument isn't that persuasive anyhow,
           for the simple reason that saying "giving rights to group X means
           we'll have to give it to group Y" doesn't mean group X shouldn't
           get said rights.  Does "If we give black people the right to sit
           at whites-only lunch counters, that means we'll have to let horses
           and sheep in as well" make any sense?
           \_ yes you are right, giving various rights to married woman and
              man doesn't mean we have to give similar "rights" to garried
              man and man.
                \_ Except there are very good reasons to let men marry men
                   and women marry women, just like there are very good reasons
                   to let black people sit at whites-only lunch counters.
                   \_ Pray tell, what are these good reasons?
                      Racial segregation was based on the false
                      premise that there were "races", whereas
                      the denial of marriage rights to gays is
                      not based on any such false premise.
                      \_ The good reasons are obvious to anyone but a bigoted
                         moron.  Two men or women in a long-term committed
                         relationship deserve visitation rights, survivorship
                         rights, etc.  -tom
        \_ Go man!  Thanks for fighting for my right to enter a marriage with
           my lovely sister!
        \_ Marriage between a man and a woman is the foundation of a
           healthy society tested over thousands of years.  Other forms
           of unions like father daughter, gay men, etc.  are not.
           Hire a lawyer and draw up your own legal documents if you want,
           just don't call it marriage.
           \_ Not to mention the inevitable consequences of evolution,
              extinction.
                \_ Yes, since once gay marriage is legal, hetero marriage will
                   become illegal -- And the world's population is already
                   shrinking at an alarming pace.
                   \_ The world's population is shrinking???
                        \_ Your sarcasm detector is in need of repair
           \_ Your claim about history is simply not true.  -tom
                \_ Really? Prove it.
           \_ How about we say a civil union can be between a man and a woman,
              or a couple of the same sex -- all other laws about bigamy and
              incest still applying.  Then good Christian churches in San
              Francisco can call civial unions between gays and lesbians
              marriage, and you can retain your right to not call such civil
              unions marriage.
              \_ A dog is a dog.  A cat is a cat.  you can try
                 calling a dog a cat, but it's still a dog and
                 everyone will think you are an idiot.
                 \_ your troll-fu is weak!
           \_ You do realize not all the rights of a married couple can
              be solved with a legal contract don't you?  For instance
              I can't file my taxes as a married couple (just one of
              many examples.)  Oh and metal protests to the contrary you
              many examples.)  Oh and mental protests to the contrary you
              a bigot and a homophobe.  Have a nice day.
              \_ you should ask the question why there should be such
                 a relationship called marriage that allows two people
                 to file a joint tax return in the first place.
                 \_ One of many rights.  One of the most obvious because
                    everyone does taxes every year so they are aware of the
                    laws.  Not everyone has to deal with, say, custody battles
                    every year.  Or medical emergencies.  Etc etc.  And if
                    you want to get rid of marriage altogether, well, I
                    wish you luck.  I'm not sure it is a good idea but
                    if you can make a compelling reason for there to be
                    no "special couple (or group?)" rights at all, then
                    by all means convince me.  That's another conversation.
                    \_ what I mean is that there are reasons why we attach
                       various legal rights and responsibilities to
                       marriage (the one between a woman and a man).
                       Those reasons no longer apply when it's
                       garriage.
                       \_ joint tax return and partner benefits should be
                          100% applicable to gay marriage.  Why wouldn't they
                          be?   -tom
                          \_ I don't think you understood what I was saying.
                             \_ Then perhaps you should explain it better.
                                All you did was make an assertion.  -tom
                                \_ you're an idiot.  -Tom
           \_ Genocide, slavery, discrimination, religious persecution, etc.,
              have been part of history for thousands of years as well.
              \_ you got the "thousands of years" part, but you forgot the
                 "foundation" part.
                        \_ That can be argued
              \_ Not supporting gay marriage is in no way comparable to
                 these things. Please tell me how the rights of a gay
                 man (or woman) have been abridged.
                 A gay man has the same rights as any other man to marry
                 any woman he choses. Similarly a gay woman can marry
                 any man she choses. Gays and non-gays have the same
                 exact set of rights.
                 What gays are asking for is EXTRA rights above and
                 beyond what the average person is entitled to. What
                 is so special about them that requires that we give
                 them something which all other people do not have?
                 It is not as if they are blind or deaf or cripple,
                 or were formerly treated as chattel. Why should a
                 person's private choices about their lifestyle
                 entitle them to EXTRA public rights?
                 Now if you want to tell me about sex-change people,
                 then perhaps I can agree that these people may have
                 less rights.
                 \_ And when mixed race marriages were illegal everyone
                    had the exact same rights, they were allowed to
                    marry someone of the same race.  Gee why all the fuss?
                    \_ The issue of mixed race marriage is wholly
                       different than that of gay marriage b/c
                       there is really no such thing as separate
                       races. To abridge the rights of a person
                       based on a false characteristic violates
                       the fundamental principle of equality.
                       Unless you are willing to claim that gender
                       is a false characteristic, look elsewhere.
                       NOTE: I don't care what gay people do w/
                       their lives and I think that it is wrong
                       to discriminate in hiring, &c. based on
                       the fact that a person is gay (or watches
                       B5 instead of Star Trek).
                        \_ There is no such thing as separate races? Next thing
                           you'll tell me is gays are human beings!
                        \_ There is no such thing as separate races?
                           Next thing you'll tell me is gays are human
                           beings!
                           \_ That there cannot be separate races
                              is obvious from evolutionary theory
                              and has been generally confirmed by
                              genetic studies. There is also no
                              doubt that gays are human beings.
                              So what? It leaves unchanged the
                              idea that the private choices of
                              some people ought to create some
                              extra right for them.
        \_ I think if the current trend continues, assisted suicide will
           eventually become legal.  So are polygamy and father/daughter, etc.
           if the laws can be modified such that the involved people can sign
           declarations like "I hereby declare that I only deserve one third
           the right of being the wife to Mr. X" or "We hereby irrevokably
           sever our relationship as brother/sister" so as to avoid legal
           nightmare.  But marriage/sex with a minor or an animal will probably
           never pass, since a minor or an animal can't give consent.
           \_ you're an idiot.  -tom
              \_ That's such an insightful comment tom!
                 \_ It's insightful because it is true
                 \_ I agree with tom. -!tom
                    \- Hola, if you are interested in one perspective on the
                       history of homosexuals in "christendom", you may wish
                       to read John Boswell of Yale (dead?). He has at least
                       two books on the subject:
                         http://csua.org/u/bcs
                         http://csua.org/u/bct
        \_ If a man marries a man and a woman marries a woman, they
           will become extinct. If for thousands of years the
           foundation has been based on that, human race will be
           extinct. It's not the way nature intended it to be. I am
           certainly not advocating we kill them all, like we do when
           chickens and cows catch a disease, but it is a 'problem'.
           It especially sickens me when gay couples wants to adopt a
           child. It's like you proudly declares to the world you cut
           off your penis, and then wants to surgically install a
           penis because you need one. If you want to be gay, don't
           fucking complain about not able to have a baby.
           \_ you're an idiot.  -tom
           \_ Should single people be able to adopt?
           \_ I hope this is a troll, it would be hard to imagine anyone
              being so bigoted in the 21st century.  I assume you are against
              IVF, viagra, birth control, etc.?
              \_ No, only gay that wants to have kids.
                 \_ Do you have any idea how many kids are abandoned every
                    year?  Fuck you.
              \_ And all the sex change shit.
        \_ Gay marriage advocates, I want to "union" with my sister (or
           maybe brother) with all the rights and responsibilities of
           a garriage.  However, I want to cut out anything that has
           to do with sex with said sister (or brother) cause I am not
           interested in their respective sexual organs.  What do you
           think of that?
           \_ I think you're an idiot.  -tom
              \_ why?
                 \_ Because you exhibit so much evidence of it?
                    \_ How come you can redefine marriage and I can't?
                       What is the basis for marriage?
                       What is the basis for marriage?  Just because
                       a relationship is consensual, doesn't mean it
                       should have the rights and obligations of
                       marriage.  Being consensual, alone, is not
                       enough.
                        \_ The consensual part was in refence to people
                           marrying sheep and children.
                       \_ Why not?
                       \_ Why not? Why isn't it being consensual enough?
                          \_ What does being married mean?  How is it
                             different from other types of relationships?
                             While you can try to define a marriage in legal
                             terms, ultimately, our laws surrounding
                             marriage were made to cater to this age old
                             relationship between a man and a woman which
                             is the foundation of society.  The laws are
                             for the relationship and not the other way
                             around.  Now, the question is, should the
                             laws be extended to a gay relationship?
                             \_ Times change, people change. Slavery
                                was the foundation of society for thousands
                                of years. And then it wasn't.
                                \_ The comparision btwn gay marriage
                                   and slavery is intellectually
                                   dishonest. A slave had virtually
                                   no rights under the law whereas
                                   a gay man or woman enjoys all
                                   rights that every other person
                                   of their gender enjoys.
                                   BTW, slavery was not the basis
                                   of every society for thousands
                                   of years.
                                   \_ And after slavery, blacks had all the
                                      rights of whites--they could still ride
                                      the bus, they just had to sit in the
                                      back.  -tom
2005/3/14-15 [Politics/Domestic/California, Recreation/Dating] UID:36683 Activity:nil
3/14    http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/14/gay.marriage.ap/index.html
        California gay-marriage ban ruled unconstitutional (state constitution)
        State:  "State law also says marriage is a contract between a man and a
        woman."
        Plaintiffs:  ... cited now-overturned bans on marriage by interracial
        couples, or laws that treated wives as a husband's property
        \_ Why is the constitution so vaguely written!! God damn it.
        \_ Does this mean I can finally marry chiapet? Joyyyyyyyy!!!
        \_ So, in the plaintiff's argument, were those bans overturned by
           the legislature or the courts?
           \_ Perez v. Lippold (1948) - Supreme Court of California
              "Respondent refuses to issue the certificate and license,
              invoking Civil Code section 69, which provides: '* * * no
              license may be issued authorizing the marriage of a white
              person with a Negro, mulatto, Mongolian or member of the Malay
              race.'"
              \_ Mongolian or the Malay race?  So Chinese was somehow a better
                 race than Mongolian and Thai better than Malay in the American
                 eye back in 1948?  What caused such discrepancies?  -- Chinese
                 \_ Because Americans in 1948 knew what the opium trade did
                    to China! -Bud Day
                 \_ My interpretation:
                    They meant "Mongoloid" (Chinese, Japanese, Korean,
                    Filipino, Inuit, etc.).
                    \- The "keep the races sep" attitude was to be found
                       among the "educated and respectable" far later than
                       1948. See the quotes in WARREN''s opinion in
                       Loving v. Virginia: http://csua.org/u/bcv
                       In the last 15 yrs there were various southern school
                       principals getting into hot water over similar. --psb
2005/3/14-16 [Computer/HW/Laptop] UID:36684 Activity:moderate
3/14    I'm thinking about getting a new laptop. I don't want to buy a Dell
        because I'm not a Republican supporter and I don't want to buy a Mac
        because my work involves Linux development/VMWare. What are other
        alternatives I have? Thanks.
        \_ If it's for work, why not expense it to your company and get the
           most expensive Sony Viao you can get?
        \_ Apparently today is "troll the motd" day.
           \_ Kinda like "the Troll Olympics" isn't it?
        \_ obGetAThinkPad
           \_ ob Support the CHICOMS?!? omgwtfbbq
              \_ They're still American, better buy quick though.
              \_ What is not made in China these days?
                 \_ I make sweet love to yermom right here in the USA.
                 \_ My 2-year-old Fujitsu S series is made in Japan.
                    You'd have to ask a new buyer if you wanted to know
                    if they were still made there, considering how cheap
                    one is on http://newegg.com now ($1,250 before tax).
           \_ Just not an X31--*nix is a nightmare on it.  I'm told X40s are
              OK for Linux/BSD though.  Be very careful to check the various
              Linux-on-laptop sites for compatibility first.  -John
        \_ Assuming this is not a troll, Dell and IBM are at the top tier
           in terms of on-site support.  Toshiba's probably right behind.
           HP, I dunno, I think they're notebooks look worse than ThinkPads.
           HP, I dunno, I think their notebooks look worse than ThinkPads.
           My feeling about Sony's is they're more about form than function,
           but I could be totally wrong; don't know about their on-site support
        \_ I know Gateway Cowbrand can go into Chapter 11 anytime, but anyone
           has any experience with their laptops?
        \_ I have a Compaq NC6000 for work. Features, speed, ergonomics are
           great. Reliability is meh (several of us already have had HDs
           replaced for this model).
        \_ Have you considered Fujitsu? The lifebook and toughbook series
           are pretty nice and very rugged.
           \_ I'll second this.  The toughbooks are amazing.  Look at the W2.
              \_ toughbooks are Panasonic
              \_ toughbooks are Panasonic.  Get the Y2, for ~ .5 pounds more
                 you get 14" instead of  12" screen.
                 I see on http://engadget.com on http://cnet.com a couple people complaining
                 I see on http://engadget.com & http://cnet.com a couple people complaining
                 the screens suck compared to the Fujitsu S series with
                 CrystalView.
        \_ Apparrently Linus now uses a Mac for his primary work machine so
           perhaps Linux support on the Mac will be getting a lot better in
           the near future. -dans
        \_ Long thread from Aug 2004
           http://www.engadget.com/entry/7044941173883695
           I like the posts talking about the Fujitsu S7010/S7010D
2005/3/14-15 [Politics/Domestic/Gay] UID:36685 Activity:low
3/14    In the Gay Marriage post, it doesn't mention this was a ruling by a
        county judge.  And the article mentions 13 states last year passed
        state amendments that banned gay marriage.  I thought it was 11.  Which
        are the 13 states?
        \_ Yerright - the judgment was made by a San Francisco Superior Court
           judge.  It's expected to be appealed all the way to the California
           Supreme Court, but until then, gay marriage is nazi'd.
2005/3/14-15 [Politics/Domestic/Gay] UID:36686 Activity:moderate
3/14    FYI, don't forget:  Gay marriage is legal in Massachusetts.
        A gay or lesbian married couple can file jointly for the MA state tax
        return, but that same couple can't file jointly for the federal tax
        return (Defense of Marriage Act, 1996, signed by Bubba).  Also, a gay
        or lesbian partner won't have death-of-spouse Social Security benefits,
        unlimited marriage gifting, or all the other federal tax/SS benefits.
        \_ Do'h!  I already forgot.  What was that again?
           \_ http://tinyurl.com/5ofuh
           \_ Dem gays are already gettin' MARRIED!
        \_ This gay marriage thing sounds pretty good. If all the gay guys
           get married and don't reproduce, w/in a few generations we won't
           have any of the buggers around to bother us. Gay women, now that
           is another story...
           \_ You are more brilliant than the lovechild of Hawking and Einstein
           \_ We don't need a few generations, we just need lots of gay
              guys and no gay women.  Soda brothers, we have hope now!
2005/3/14 [Academia/Berkeley/CSUA/Motd] UID:36687 Activity:nil 50%like:38632
Thanks to kchang's kais motd:

                     __/~*##$%@@@******~\-__
                   /f=r/~_-~ _-_ --_.^-~--\=b\
                 4fF / */  .o  ._-__.__/~-. \*R\
                /fF./  . /- /' /|/|  \_  * *\ *\R\
               (iC.I+ '| - *-/00  |-  \  )  ) )|RB
               (I| (  [  / -|/^^\ |   )  /_/ | *)B
               (I(. \ `` \   \m_m_|~__/ )_ .-~ F/
                \b\\=_.\_b`-+-~x-_/ .. ,._/ , F/
                 ~\_\= =  =-*###%#x==-#  *=- =/
                    ~\**U/~  | i i | ~~~\===~          You know, we totoro
                            | I I \\                   do not appreciate this.
                           / // i\ \\
                      (   [ (( I@) )))  )                   /
                           \_\_VYVU_/
                             || * |                   |\|\
                            /* /I\ *~~\               |  OO\
                          /~-/*  / \ \ ~~M~\          | /^^\|
                ____----=~ // /WVW\* \|\ ***===--___  |_m_m/
2005/3/14-15 [Academia/Berkeley/CSUA/Motd] UID:36688 Activity:moderate
3/14    Hey could someone point me to a copy of the nukl3ar b1ff ascii art
        including Totoro commmenting in the foreground?  I looked at cowsay
        and it doesn't appear to be an option there.  Thanks. -dans
        \_ http://csua.com/?entry=36687
           http://csua.com/?entry=27854
           http://csua.com/?entry=21368
           http://csua.com/?entry=18074
           http://csua.com/?entry=16746
           http://csua.com/?entry=14927
           http://csua.com/?entry=14926
           http://csua.com/?entry=14928
           Between mehlhaff's comprehensive archiver and kchang's sucky but
           easy to use archiver, I'll use the latter any time. kchang>>mehlhaff
           \_ Cool, thanks much. -dans
        Thanks to kchang's kais motd:
        \_ What does kchang's broken motd stuff have to do with a nuking?
           \_ See post immediately below.
              \_ why is it broken?
2005/3/14-15 [Politics/Foreign/MiddleEast/Iraq] UID:36689 Activity:low
3/14    Maybe Iraq did have WMD related program activities
        http://tinyurl.com/5olzn (nytimes)

Thanks to kchang's kais motd:

                     __/~*##$%@@@******~\-__
                   /f=r/~_-~ _-_ --_.^-~--\=b\
                 4fF / */  .o  ._-__.__/~-. \*R\
                /fF./  . /- /' /|/|  \_  * *\ *\R\
               (iC.I+ '| - *-/00  |-  \  )  ) )|RB
               (I| (  [  / -|/^^\ |   )  /_/ | *)B
               (I(. \ `` \   \m_m_|~__/ )_ .-~ F/
                \b\\=_.\_b`-+-~x-_/ .. ,._/ , F/
                 ~\_\= =  =-*###%#x==-#  *=- =/
                    ~\**U/~  | i i | ~~~\===~          You know, we totoro
                            | I I \\                   do not appreciate this.
                           / // i\ \\
                      (   [ (( I@) )))  )                   /
                           \_\_VYVU_/
                             || * |                   |\|\
                            /* /I\ *~~\               |  OO\
                          /~-/*  / \ \ ~~M~\          | /^^\|
                ____----=~ // /WVW\* \|\ ***===--___  |_m_m/
        \_ WMD related program activities
           != "Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no
              doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal
              some of the most lethal weapons ever devised." - Dubya, 3/17/03
2005/3/14-16 [Transportation/Bicycle] UID:36690 Activity:nil 50%like:36839 50%like:39299
3/14    Ride Bike! <DEAD>dailycal.org/article.php?id=17977<DEAD>
        \_ Is it just me, or does the DailyCal site seem to be down more
           often than it's up?
2005/3/14-16 [Recreation/Sports, Recreation/Computer/Games, Recreation/Media] UID:36691 Activity:nil
3/14    If you're bored, you can meander over to http://gamespot.com, click on
        Act of War: Direct Action, click on Developer Diary #2 movie, and
        watch as French game developers gloat over the tactical nuking of
        the White House.
2005/3/14-16 [Uncategorized] UID:36692 Activity:nil
3/14    how do i suck something out of an itunes share?
        \_ getTunes.
        \_ ourTunes
        \_ Blue Coconut
2005/3/14-15 [Reference/RealEstate] UID:36693 Activity:moderate
3/14    More evidence of Real Estate Speculation. We are definitely
        in bubble land here folks:
        http://money.cnn.com/2005/03/14/magazine/flippers_0504/index.htm
        \_ great, since you were so accurate predicting the dot-com
           bubble, that means we can only expect another 150% increase
           before it's time to sell.  -tom
        \_ eh, you need some major event that affects national psychology:
           like gas prices going too high, something getting all blowed up,
           deficits finally affecting the economy / all the banks pulling out
           of the dollar.  Otherwise it will be a slow-motion bubble pop.
           -total newb
2025/03/15 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
3/15    
Berkeley CSUA MOTD:2005:March:14 Monday <Sunday, Tuesday>