2/22    http://www.sfweekly.com/Issues/2006-02-22/news/feature.html
        Something similar might be said of the ACLC's perhaps most
        controversial theological initiative: its attempt to
        persuade ministers to remove the cross from their churches
        and replace it with the crown. Despite the cross'
        symbolic importance for many Christians, who consider it to be the
        instrument upon which Jesus was crucified, Moon teaches that it is
        illogical to venerate a murder weapon. Some clergy, such as Dr. Bennet
        Hayes, the pastor of a large church in Houston that is affiliated with
        the Southern Baptist Convention -- and who teaches Moon's
        Divine Principle from his pulpit -- have no problem with the edict.
        "Not only do I no longer have a cross in the sanctuary,
        I've told my parishioners who wear crosses to turn them in to me,"
        he says. "I've got a whole drawer full of them."
        \_ Please explain why anyone gives a shit about this long, context-
           free excerpt or I'm nuking it.  You have till 23:59 2/23 -dans
           \_ I'm glad I have provided a tiny forum for you to exercise
              your ultimate ninja power!
              \_ No, if I had ultimate ninja power, I could kill anyone I
                 wanted!  I could cut off the op's head and not even think
                 twice about it.  Though that is a tempting option, I've
                 already thought about it three times.  Clearly, I lack
                 ultimate ninja power. -dans
                 \_ You mean REAL ULTIMATE POWER!
                    \_ AWESOME POWER!  NO CONTROL!
        \_ Wow it would be cool to be a leader of a cult and wake up one
           morning and decide something like "hey red is good" and tell your
           underlings everyone should wear red and pretty soon millions of
           sheeple are wearing red every day.
           \_ Take off that red shirt!

2/22    The New Republic prides itself on the fact that each issue includes
        articles that are timely and articles that are timeless. Some times
        the articles turn out to be both--as, for example, in the current
        number of the magazine which fixes on how and why "Identity Goes to
        War" and what happens when it does. The proximate framework for the
        four articles under this rubric is the round-the-world upheaval
        between militant Islamicists and what are mostly secular societies.
        It's easy to point fingers. It's much harder to understand the deep
        and festering troubles of multicultural polities and the questions
        they raise for both the historic majorities and the fast-growing
        minorities. Subscribe today for only $9.97 and you'll get all our
        commentary on these complex issues.
        \_ Please explain why anyone gives a shit about this long, context-
           free excerpt or I'm nuking it.  You have till 23:59 2/23 -dans
           \_ It's more like a long, context-free advertisement.

2/22    The "heil" guy should enjoy this:
        http://youtube.com/results?search=unpimp

2/23    Okay, which of you geeks owns a Spiderman mask and lives in LA?
        http://cbs4.com/watercooler/watercooler_story_053092249.html
        \_ HAHAHAHA that is pretty hilarious.
        \_ Fled on foot... Hilarious.
        \_ HAHAHAHA that is pretty hilarious. 13 books worth $15,000. Nice.
        \_ So that's what ilyas has been up to lately.

2/22    http://tinyurl.com/jqnn5 (news.yahoo.com)
        More evidence that genetics and God create gay people.
         \_ never was too fond of that god guy.

2/23    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060223/ap_on_bi_ge/family_finances
        Average American Family Income Declines. Bushconomy at work!

2/23    http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/10/real_estate/monster_condos_come
        http://csua.org/u/f2m (money.cnn.com)

        Americans are buying monster condos as second and third
        vacation homes at a rate never been seen. Dare to say
        Bushconomy isn't working?
        \_ it's working for rich dudes
           \_ So what is wrong with that? The rich got richer through
              Reagon's new tax cut initiatives in the 80s. Money trickled
              down to the poor, stimulating an economic boom never been
              seen in the history of US. Unfortunately the Clinton
              administration unfairly took credit for it all. Why do
              you hate rich people? Are you a communist?
           http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0511-08.htm (ft.com)
           "Real wages in the US are falling at their fastest rate in 14 years"
           \_ Interesting.  For 2005, real wages were flat to a decline of 0.1
              percent.  This article was posted in May 2005.  Note that more
              recent numbers show real wages increasing.
              http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/30/pf/real_wage_growth_slow
              \_ where do you get flat to -0.1%, and is that for the time
                 period of Jan 1 2005 to Jan 1 2006?
                 \_ That would be Shelby TN and Greene MO.
                 \_ I heard "flat to -0.1%" on a radio financial show.  I
                    haven't found a URL to support it.
                    \_ "real compensation for 2005 was essentially unchanged--
                       down 0.2% and the worst year on record" according
                       to the http://epinet.org link below.  radio guy was probably
                       talking about real compensation, not real wages.
              \_ http://www.bls.gov/news.release/prod2.nr0.htm Table B.
                 (Year/change in real hourly compenasation for business)
                 1996/0.8       1999/2.7        2002/1.8        2005/1.7
                 1997/1.1       2000/3.5        2003/1.6
                 1998/4.6       2001/1.4        2004/1.9
                 Manufacturing swings much more wildly, and this excludes
                 government compensations, which is probably more stable.
                 Since none of the above sources quote actual bls references,
                 I have no idea how they derived their claims.  However,
                 unfortunately as per norm, the doomsayers are more grand
                 verbiage and bad statistics than truth.
                 \_ compensation != wages
                    http://csua.org/u/f2q (epinet.org)
                    unfortunately as per norm, the dubya-lovers are more
                    grand verbiage and bad statistics than truth.
                    \_ Yes, compensation > wages.  And it's pretty shifty
                       to draw conclusions based on 2 hand picked quarters.
                       Consider the graph on http://csua.org/u/f2r [bls]
                       for a better quarterly compensation (not real,
                       seasonally compensated) picture.
                       \_ what are the beginning and ending quarters you are
                          talking about?
                          \_ Epi compares 2004q4 to 2005q4.
                             \_ you mean the most recent annual data, or is
                                that beginning of Q4 to beginning of Q4, and
                                perhaps government fiscal quarters?
                                \_ One year hardly a pattern forms.

2/23    Australian PM: "We are the least discriminatory country in the world."
        http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/02/23/1140670205134.html
        \_ John Howard: putting the face on faceless, utterly unironic
           bureaucrat. This would be sad if it were not so absurd and
           demonstrably incorrect.
        \_ after four decades of cultural genocide?

2/23    ausman you've fucked a lot of girls. Can you explain why all
        the prettiest girls I've dealt with in my life are also the
        bitchest bitches? And why they are so horrible in bed?
        \_ Maybe it is you that is the horrible one.
        \_ because daddy spoiled them.
        \_ They can afford to be.
        \_ they're used to getting their way because they're pretty.
           \_ Plus/minus pressure put on them by an image-conscious society.
              Physical beauty !imply anything other than physical beauty.
              \_ Even Mr. Yeats recognized that physical beauty is at least
                 a mild indicator of lack of non-physical beauty.
                 \_ There's no hard and fast rule.  I've been with ugly girls
                    who were terrible in bed, hot girls who were great in bed,
                    and all variations in between.  It really depends more
                    on the compatibility, tastes, communication, and feelings
                    *between* the two people.  But then, that would be a
                    complex topic that can't be generalized into an easy
                    soundbite.
                    \_ I find it distressing that you mapped "non-physical
                       beauty" to "great in bed".
                       \_ Life ain't shit but bitches and money! --icecube@csua

2/23    Why the kernel change on soda?
        \_ to monitor domestic /etc/motd.public editting. This is done
           preemptively and justifiably to prevent motd terrorism.
        \_ more importantly who did it and is there going to be an
           announcement?
           \_ What change?  Clue me on the change.  uname -a says:
        FreeBSD http://soda.csua.berkeley.edu 5.3-RELEASE
        FreeBSD 5.3-RELEASE #0: Fri Dec 17 17:40:05
        UTC 2004
        root@soda.CSUA.Berkeley.EDU:/usr/src/sys/i386/compile/SODA-MINIMAL
        i386
        \_ It wasn't on this "SODA-MINIMAL" kernel before it was down earlier
           today.  It came back up with the current kernel.  It was on some
           other kernel earlier.  Can't recall which but maybe someone has
           the full motd including motd.official archived which shows the
           other kernel name.
           soda 2: uptime
           6:05PM  up  8:01, 97 users, load averages: 0.39, 0.49, 0.41
           \_ I am pretty sure soda is running SODA-MINIMAL.  Unless
              the admins are crazy privacy freaks, the kernel config
              files are hiding in /usr/src/sys/i386/conf
              \_ Shrug, it wasn't before the reboot according to the
                 motd.official entry.  Maybe that was wrong and just got
                 updated while it was down but *something* changed.
                 \_ If you really think root is monitoring the motd again
                    with the kernel, you should take a look at the output
                    of kldstat:
                    Id Refs Address    Size     Name
                     1    9 0xc0400000 35ce50   kernel
                     2   14 0xc075d000 537f0    acpi.ko
                     3    1 0xc3a22000 2000     blank_saver.ko
                     4    1 0xc3a56000 17000    linux.ko
                     If were rad I would unload blank_saver.ko and load my
                     own kernel module that logs motd edits and name it
                     the same thing.
                     \_ I never said any such thing.  I noticed a change in
                        motd.official after the reboot and asked what that
                        was about.  Nothing more.  All I said was, "Why the
                        kernel change on soda?"
        \_ Maybe SODA is setup to boot with a certain kernel that sucks,
           and after the power failure someone noticed oh no we booted
           on the old sucky kernel that is .00000000000000023432043200001
           less efficient than KERNEL-MINIMAL, so they rebooted
           after some slave could be at the prompt to press the
           'boot with KERNEL-MINIMAL' button.  Also, I am reading
           your mailspool.
           \_ Oh thank God!  I'm glad *someone* is reading my mail spool.
              Please let me know if anything interesting comes in and kill
              all the spam and viruses.  Thanks!

2/23    What's the difference between stone, granite, limestone,
        sandstone, travertine(sp?), marble, etc?
        \_ For.... floors? countertops? sculpture? bathroom wall tile?
           \_ I'm the op. I just bought a condo with flat looking
              travertine floor. It looks flat and I really want to make
              it shine. I hired this dude who used the floor stripper,
              and then a no name brand urethane floor sealer to seal it
              three times to make it look shiny. I'm thinking about
              doing the same thing on my marble countertops and marble
              bathroom, but the dude said that's not necessary because
              they're shiny already. So my question really is, what's
              the best way to clean both marbles and travertine, and
              what's the best way to seal them, and how often do I
              have to strip the urethane and reseal it?
        \_ Travertine is a river rock and has a lot of holes in it.  It's
           usually honed and filled and used for a low-sheen flooring.
           Some people think of it as a shallow-earth equivalent of
           marble, which is usually found deeper in the earth.  Granite
           is a countertop material.   Stone surfaces need to be
           periodically re-sealed.  If you have small critters (cats,
           dogs, small children) at home, I'd stick with porcelain tile,
           which is lower maintenance and not as sensitive to urine
           as natural stone.
           \_ Granite isn't just for countertops. Likewise, countertops
              are often made from marble and other stones, especially in
              bathrooms. Granite is used as flooring and on walls, too.
              I'm not really sure WTF the OP is asking, though. He needs
              to be more specific or use Google (or both).

2/23    http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/22/commentary/everyday/sahadi
        Secrets to getting fired or hired. And HR is never your friend,
        and yes there is a blacklist!
        \_ This person does not understand what the term "blacklist" means.
           I find misuse of this word troubling, since the existence of real
           blacklists based on, for instance, politics, that would prevent you
           from getting hired anywhere, used to be a real menace in this
           country.
           \_ My company does not have a blacklist (AFAIK) but I kind of wish
              we did because of this one candidate who was so full of BS that
              I wouldn't hire him to run a lemonade stand.
              \_ Can't you just fire him?  Was there no sign he was a tool until
                 after he was hired?  I don't think there is ever a
                 justification for a secret list kept by all of the employers
                 in a given industry of people who are unhireable.  It will
                 always lead to abuses based on personal vendettas.  Having
                 some companies hire some losers sometimes is a small price
                 to pay for not living in a society where someones career can
                 be permanently and secretly ruined for, say, supporting a
                 political candidate their boss doesn't like, or trying to
                 start a union, which is how things used to work.
        \_ What I learned was that I need to be the company's bitch, and
           particularly my boss's bitch, doing whatever it or he or she wants
           no matter how unreasonable and with an enthusiastic attitude, valued
           over family or personal time, and I will be rewarded -- or at least
           maintain a perception of this.  Makes sense to me.
           \_ your reading comprehension is very good, but you can sure
              work on your tone and attitude. You get an A- for your report.
              \_ I absolutely agree and look forward to incorporating
                 your very insightful suggestions next time.

2/23    Alright, whoever is intentionally restoring the stuff I'm deleting...
        what the hell is your problem?

2/23    How come mainland Chinese people say number 1 as "eo1" instead of
        the standard "ee1"? Also why do they say "we" as "zhai2 men"
        instead of the standard "wo3 men"? Are there subtle semantic
        differences?

        [bad merge script was here, but maybe that was a good thing!]
                       for a better quarterly compensation (not real,
                       seasonally compensated) picture.
                       \_ what are the beginning and ending quarters you are
                          talking about?
                          \_ Epi compares 2004q4 to 2005q4.
                             \_ you mean the most recent annual data, or is
                                that beginning of Q4 to beginning of Q4, and
                                perhaps government fiscal quarters?
                                \_ One year hardly a pattern forms.
                                   \_ do you think that that's the most recent
                                      annual data?
                                      \_ 1995 was slighly worse and 1996
                                         slightly better than 2005, according
                                         to the bls graph.  It would be pre-
                                         mature and silly in 1997 to scream
                                         doom and gloom also.
                                         \_ I think we need data pre-'89
                                            ... not kidding.  Something from
                                            1970 to now.

2/23    How come mainland Chinese people say number 1 as "Yao1" instead of
        the standard "Yi1"? Also why do they say "we" as "zhai2 men"
        instead of the standard "wo3 men"? Are there subtle semantic
        differences?
        \_ First of all, this is not a "mainland China" thing.  The orgin
           of this prounciation came from military, as they discover
           the prounciation of one and seven (yi1 and qi1) sounds too similar
           over the radio.  Note that this is not some sort of cryptic code,
           as military in Taiwan uses the same prounciation as well :p
           It merely a military way of prounciating number in a more distincted
           manner:  1 become yao1, 7 become guai3, 0 become dong4, etc.
           Americans do something similar with prounciation of alphabets over
           the radio too.
           There is a subtle differences between "zai men" and "wo men."
           "zai men" is a more narrowly defined and strictly used when
           yourself as a person is included.  So, a wrong way to use "zai men"
           is in the context of, let say "we the nation of Chinese..."
           Having said that, "zai men" is more of an oral lingo (mostly
           in Northern part of China) and should not be used in formal writing.
                                                - kngharv
          \_ Do you know what does "lao4 ke'er1" mean?  I heard it
             said b4 but don't know what it means.