8/28    50,000 maidens vie to become Swazi King's 13th wife. What the hell?
        Are they still living in the 15th century? Also, I wonder if the
        princess was listening to rap or hip-hop:
     http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050829/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_swaziland_whipping
        \- now the modern amercican 21st century approach would be to turn
           it into a REALITY SHOW.
           \_ Big win, since it would raise the number of minorities on
              prime time network TV.
              \_ I find this entire thread unbearably depressing. -- ilyas
                 \- maybe you were happier in the Age of Aquarius?
                    Ilyas Inquiry: Are you familar with Jamie Robins?
                                   Is he one of your masters?
                    \_ Harvard Epidemiology Robins?  I site him a lot.  My
                       Dark Master likes him too.  I used an example of Robins'
                       in my last IJCAI paper. -- ilyas
                       \_ go to bed dude
                          \- yes, Jamie Robins who looks like Spalding Gray
                             and who may ride a teenger's bike.
                             and rides a teenger's bike.
           \_ I don't think SWAZILAND has that many TVs.  -John
                \_ The lucky girl gets a BMW and a cellphone!
                   \_ But no TV.  Go figure.
        \_ [format police]
        \_ Well, the government is implementing "intelligent design" in
        schools across America. What the hell? Are they still living in the
        15th century?
        \_ What does this have to do with the 15th century? More like
           4000 B.C.
           \_ One wonders what sorts of social organization were prevalent
              in 4000 BC.
              \_ Chinese didn't have law prevents brothers and sisters
                 sleeping on the same bed until something like 1000 BC
                 or later.  just tell you how primitive
                 Chinese society was at the time... and I assure you
                 there aren't that many civilization which was as
                 advanced as Chinese at the time.
                 \_ Huh?
                 \_ Interesting.  Partha would say that the rule of law is
                    the basis of civilized society.  Ilyas would say it's
                    property rights.  Apparently, you're saying it's the
                    prohibition against conjugal relationship with one's
                    siblings.  I like the way you think!
                 \_ I knew I was born too late!
                               \- just a small point: i think "rule" is
                                  a prior condition for "society" beyond
                                  small family/tribal type units. "rule of
                                  law" often suggests a sense of justice and
                                  adding "civilized" also puts a slightly
                                  editorial spin on things. i'm making an
                                  empirical claim [you need non-anarchy
                                  for society to get beyond a Hobbesian
                                  state of nature. not a normative claim
                                  about "what is good", like is depotism
                                  worse than the SoN, i.e. taking a position
                                  for or against "Live Free or Die"]. --psb
                    \_ Wow, you've gotten both me AND psb wrong.  I like the
                       way you think! -- ilyas
                 \_ I knew I was born thirty centuries late!
                       \- The darkness drops again; but now I know
                          That twenty centuries of stony sleep
                          Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle
        \_ dude, let them be.  There is nothing wrong with their way of life.
           \_ Polygamists make baby Jesus cry.
              \_ Ok fine. Uh, 2000-1500 BC.
           \_ really?  would you change places with any random person in their
              society?  would you want our society to emulate theirs?
        \_ Why is the king's own daughter in that party?
        \_ Why is the king's own daughter in that party?  He must be a fan of
           <DEAD>www.daddydoesdaughter.com<DEAD>
        \_ "... a country where 40 percent of adults live with HIV."  Wow.