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| Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - - Posts by Arwon |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35  Posts: 286/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| No-one advocates unresicted ownership of rocket launchers, no-one advocates the total banning of pistols and BB guns for everyone. After you get beyond that, it's all just quibbling over how much regulation there should be. There should be a graduated (ie, a variety of licenses for different weapon types) licensing scheme, and firearm registration. Treat 'em like cars, another dangerous machine. Guns don't substantially influence crime rates either by lowering or raising them. There's too many other much more significant factors at play to blame guns or lack of guns, for crime rising or lowering. Comparing across countries with any sort of accuracy is almost impossible. Since guns aren't a huge factor in crime rates, a moderately libertarian approach is best - the problem is, most zealous gun advocates spout rhetoric with revolutionary zeal, meaning they alienate almost the entire middle ground who don't care either way. Statistics in the gun debate are almost always horribly distorted and taken out of context. |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 287/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Back to the "Luke wasn't really a Jedi, just a good guy" argument, I'm going to quote someone on another board whom I agree with: "The way I saw it was that he does bring about a balance in the force by incorporating light and dark side teachings together. And he doesn't get it quite right, but his son Luke does. Part of the reason that what Palpatine said about the Jedi's views being too narrow was so seductive was because it was true, even if he was just as narrow-minded in holding to his Sith views, and only said it to turn Anakin. The Jedi believe any attachment to a person is bad, because it can lead to what happened to Anakin. But when Luke goes to rescue Han and Leia, that turns out to be for the best. There's a difference between caring for someone and wanting to help them, and caring for someone and being willing to do anything to save them. Just because some attachments might lead some people to the dark side doesn't mean that all attachments are evil. And Palpatine is quite open to the idea of converting someone from the light side to the dark side, and manages to do so with Dooku, and with Anakin, and he sure as hell tries with Luke. But the Jedi, as soon as someone goes to the dark side, their only answer is to kill them. Yoda doesn't send Obi-Wan to talk to Anakin and try to show him the error of his ways, he sends him to "destroy" him. When Luke goes to confront Vader, he still believes he can be brought back, despite what Yoda and Obi-Wan say. And he ends up being right. It seems like in that way, not sticking to the dogma of one side or the other, but instead putting together the best of what each side offers, he brings balance to the force. That's what I took out of it, anyway." Maybe you lot are differing from me in reading "Jedi" as good guy. Did you SEE Revenge of the Sith? The Jedi fucked up a lot - they were inflexibile, kinda corrupt, and way too narrowminded and dogmatic. |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 288/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| It's not just gun related deaths... it's murder in general. Even given the different definitions of the homicide rates, out friggin murder rates in general are a small fraction of America's rate, and that's even when we include "attempted murder" and most forms of manslaughter in that rate ()though America includes vehicular manslaughter I believe, which does complicate matters). Beyond that though, there's quite a different culture around guns in this country. We've never had a "right to bare arms" (though the police have to my knowledge always been armed) and we don't really see guns in terms of self defence and stuff. Someone who keeps a gun by their bed for defence would be seen as a fairly paranoid eccentric. Also, most homocides make the news, which I guess is in contrast to the US these days. The main body of gun owners in this country seem to be farmers who need them for various things, and sport shooters who just like them. And security folks and so forth I guess. Yes, it's actually somewhat true, there's a lot of people who've never seen a gun (except on the belt of a copper) - unless you're in certain fields of work or have an active interest there's not really many around. In recent years there's been a reform of our gun laws, which to my knowledge has basically consisted of the federal government strongarming the states into falling into a uniform line (or possibly outright handing control of gun regulation to the Federal govt, I'm not sure). This has meant a tighter licensing scheme, a reclassification of some weapons, and the banning and buyback and destruction of a lot of semiautomatics etc. Many argue that it's excessive and not actually doing anything, I tend to agree, but the only people angry are the hardcore gun-nutters whose rhetoric is so unbalanced and zealous that most people probably would think they shouldn't have guns at all... (edited by Arwon on 05-23-05 02:09 PM) |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 289/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Or maybe the screenplay was, uh, different? | |||
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 290/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| You guys never did manage to build a proper social democracy nor the support for one, eh? | |||
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 291/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| The only way to be sure is to kill everyone you think might be a terrorist - then arrest and execute everyone they know. And just to be safe, everyone THEY know as well. | |||
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 292/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Ultimately I think its the lack of oxygenated blood in the brain... | |||
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 293/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| It's baffling that she wouldn't notice four kilos of anything extra in a bag, really. It's a sad and regrettable story, I belive our drug laws are too punitive let alone those of Asian countries. That said, the media circus over the silly bint has been incredibly excessive. And staggeringly uneven. This isn't the first time Australians have been caught up in Asian drug crime, and at least she's escaped the death penalty and there's a chance she can serve the sentence in Australia. The 9 young Australian guys caught being heroin "mules" won't be so lucky on either count - most likely the firing squad for those dumb kids. And all they got was a couple days of "oh that's sad" coverage, some distraught families and such, then attention shifted straight back to Corby. Apparently there's also 3 other Australians facing the death penalty from the same charge... and I just learned this TODAY. And of course, David Hicks got barely any attention himself all that time he was in Guantanimo Bay. I suppose he and the "Bali 9" just aren't as photogenic. Stupid media. (edited by Arwon on 05-27-05 12:19 PM) (edited by Arwon on 05-27-05 12:20 PM) (edited by Arwon on 05-27-05 12:29 PM) |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 294/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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Originally posted by Emperor Ziffatine I dunno, Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia was probably A Good Thing, and probably also Tanzania's invasion of Idi Amin's Uganda. |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 295/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| And fix places like Cambodia and East timor. It's funny to me that for 40 years the UN was completely hamstrung by cold war rivalries, and that now it can actually occasionally play a useful role, it gets so heavily criticised for not being something it's structurally impossible for it to be. |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 296/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| On the inside life's not that bad if you have money. "Boredom will be Schapelle Corby's main worry in jail, writes Matthew Moore. A banana, some pawpaw, five slices of white bread and half bowl of vegetables is the daily ration that is supposed to sustain about 20 Westerners like Schapelle Corby serving time in Bali's Kerobokan jail. Despite the occasional egg, no prisoner, Westerner or Indonesian, can stay healthy for years on a diet so lacking in protein. Corby, like everyone else in the jail, will depend on those on the outside in the months and years ahead. As she has done for more than seven months, she will need devoted friends and family to bring her food, supplies and money for as long as she is locked up. The jail provides almost nothing to its more than 600 inmates: no drinking water, coffee or tea, bedding, toiletries, clothes, medicine, amenities or work. For those without money, this lack of basic necessities can be fatal. But for those with cash, and friends, the jail can be a forgiving place to serve a long sentence. Prisoners can eat and drink whatever friends bring them, can furnish their cells, and have a mobile phone and full-contact visits five days a week. Advertisement Advertisement Life is easier for men than for women because they have the run of the jail, while Corby will be largely restricted to the women's block with 60 other prisoners. The single-storey jail is built around a large open area that includes a tennis court, but prisoners spend months and years wandering aimlessly. Although there is nothing to do, the atmosphere is more relaxed than many jails and, with discretion, there is cold beer for less than $A2 a can. Corby, like the other prisoners, will take her visitors to a small grassed courtyard where someone will appear, spread a straw mat for all to sit on, and offer cold cola, lemonade or sweet tea. This area is small and can be cramped when it is busy, but no one minds if you have a picnic and a glass of wine, provided you make a small donation to the guards who depend on visitors to make their living. Nights are the hardest. The women are locked in from 5pm to 9am. Corby's cell is so small the bodies of the seven women can touch as they rest. With no beds, they sleep on mats, and with no fan, they sweat. Each woman gets a bucket of water a day to keep clean. Now that she is sentenced, she might move cells and have a chance to make some improvements, get a cell with a bathroom, and add furnishings. Her mother, Rosleigh Rose, said Corby has had no power so far, but inmates say most cells have electricity at night so you can have a TV, charge the mobile phone, and run a fan. Phones, TVs, alcohol and other luxuries are illegal, but prisoners with money have no trouble keeping them. Bali's biggest jail has a reputation as a hellish place, but those inside say having money makes life tolerable. The Herald asked 10, mainly foreign, prisoners serving sentences for drug offences to fill in questionnaires describing their lives and the best and worst aspects of the prison. All complained of boredom, corruption, and especially of the large bribes they are forced to pay to wind back sentences hugely disproportionate to the offence. Most agree the prison is not violent, although punishment for the occasional outburst can be a long stretch in an isolation cell the size of a single bed. Robert Fraser, a 45-year-old from Scotland, nearing the end of a four-year stretch for possession of hashish, says it is ridiculous to compare Kerobokan with the notorious Bangkok "Hilton" jail or Turkish jails made famous in the book Midnight Express. "It's no hellhole here," he said. "If you are going to be in prison in Asia, this is the place to be." The sign in the visiting area says visits last for only 15 minutes. But the reality is friends and family can stay for nearly three hours in the morning and two in the afternoon, provided they pay about 80 cents a time. For those who want something stronger than tea and soft drinks, you can buy bottles of arrak. Hashish is readily available for about $16 a gram, the same price as on the streets of Denpasar. Fraser said the cost of a day out was about $120, a price confirmed by a former Indonesian prisoner who went out for medical treatment twice, but asked his name not be used. It is only available once prisoners have done some time, got to know the staff and the pace of the place. Fraser said he needed a minimum of about $130 a month to survive in jail and anything over that made life tolerable. Friends bought him materials that allowed him to build model boats in the prison workshop, which gave him an activity most prisoners didn't have. Corby is the only Western woman in the prison, although some of her fellow inmates speak English, including Teresa, a 28-year-old Indonesian woman doing 15 years for a narcotics offence. She appreciated the "spiritual aspects" of the jail, such as its little church, but warned new prisoners to be aware of how the courts listened only to money. "Don't believe your lawyer 100 per cent and be careful with the court; remember there is money talking and it's the same with the police." Every current and former prisoner you speak to complains about spending tens of thousands of dollars just to get a sentence cut to something manageable. As Corby heads into the appeal process she will have to decide whether she is going to do what most inmates say they do. One European prisoner said he had paid $35,000 to get his sentence brought down from 12 years to five. A further cut to just 18 months was on offer when he appealed to the Supreme Court, but could not raise the extra $25,000 asking price. Corby's financial backer, Ron Bakir, alleged on radio in April the chief prosecutor in Corby's case, Ida Bagus Wiswantanu, had already sought a bribe as part of the defence. Indonesia's ambassador to Australia, Imron Cotan, responded by issuing a statement that Bakir had breached Indonesian law, hinting be could be arrested if he returned to Bali. After weeks of negotiations with the embassy, Bakir this week issued an apology, retracting his allegations. Yet Kerobokan's inmates all tell stories of how the bribery system works. You can pay early, before the prosecutor makes his request for sentence, or you can wait and try to organise payment during the appeal process that Corby is now heading for, when there are no hearings and less public scrutiny. French woman Helene le Touzey moved to Bali five years ago to support her son Michael Blanc after he was caught at the airport importing 3.8 kgs of hashish into Denpasar. A French Government representative told her it would cost between $200,000 and $250,000 in bribes to have a chance of securing a sentence of about 15 years. No money was paid and her son got life. They appealed twice. Both times the prosecutor renewed his demand for the death penalty. The High Court in Bali let the original sentence stand but the Indonesian Supreme Court added a fine of $70,000. Appeal courts in Indonesia often adjust sentences and think nothing of increasing the punishment imposed by a lower court, which is something Corby must risk if she appeals. One way prisoners can reduce their sentences is through remissions granted by the Government each year. Remissions are usually granted for good behaviour and are for one or two months. The more of your sentence you serve, the bigger the remissions can be, increasing to four months a year, and even more. As one former prisoner explained, "You can get remissions of up to six months, but only for very, very good behaviour and a very, very good supply of money." Also, quite a few SE Asian countries have very strict drug laws - very often the death penalty for drug smuggling. Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore would be other such examples. (edited by Arwon on 05-28-05 10:57 PM) (edited by Arwon on 05-28-05 10:59 PM) |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 297/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| A little bit of drinking is the last of her problems right now. Does medicare cover the surgery? |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 298/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Thank god for a decentish public health system at least. | |||
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 299/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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Originally posted by Vulkar What about those of us who accepted that he did have weapons he wasn't supposed to, and accepted that he was trying to dodge the sanctions and inspections as much as possible, but realised that THIS IS NATURALLY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU IMPOSE SANCTIONS AND INSPECTIONS and didn't think the fact that he'd probably managed to hide a few things was a cause for war? Huh, Sparky, how about those who accepted that there were WMDs and still opposed the war? I'll admit it, I thought there were still some chemical weapons and maybe some biological remnants. I knew that the 1990s inspections regime had been effective but I figured there had to be some stuff left. He bluffed me like he did everyone else including his own generals. But I never accepted that any of this was a justifiable casus belli because I recognised that Iraq was extremely weak, that other states had far more weapons, that the invasion would be very destablising, and that everyone ws twisting things and making terribly facile arguments that didn't add up anywhere near enough to excuse an aggressive and politicised war of choice. But hey, thanks for playing. Where did you come up with the notion that if there were WMD the war had to be ok? It's entirely possible to have accepted that there were weapons and violations of the inspection regime without it following that WAR MUST BE GOOD. Really, stick to the emotional blackmail, you can't win with facts and logic. I'll help, I suggest you squawk about the human rights argument, squeal about Nazis and appeasement and mass graves and OMFG EVIL and whathaveyou. You've heard it all before, now SPOUT IT! Or if you must attempt to use facts and logic, at least use the one that might've been acceptable: the "correcting the mistakes of 1991 and recognising that our sanctions are killing people and making him stronger" argument that no-one seems to make because it requires both a nuanced grasp of history and an admission of fallability. (edited by Arwon on 06-03-05 10:48 PM) |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 300/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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(edited by Arwon on 06-03-05 11:03 PM) |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 301/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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Originally posted by Kitten Yiffer Not a huge difference really... the Aussie dollar gets about 75 US cents currently so if that's Aussie dollars it's about 19 K US at present market rates. Or about 142000 Krona if you prefer. Still very sizable. |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 302/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| It's a basic principle of insurance, really. It's easier to efficiently cover a pool of 1 million people than it is to cover a pool of ten, as you can do better statistical analysis and average out spikes that would destroy a smaller pool of payers. See, if you have a HMO of ten people and someone needs a super expensive operation, essentially it is broken. But a pool of 280 million payers will far more accurately allow for costs of health insurance to be covered. They can tell that a certain number of people is likely to require said operation each year and budget accordingly. Incidentally, America PAYS MORE FOR HEALTHCARE (both in terms of GDP and budget) AND GETS LESS COVERAGE (what is it, 40 million without coverage?) than other first world countries. This is because it essentially has an extra layer of middlemen in the form of insurance companies and such, ramping up the costs. Really, why are private industry insurance beaurocrats supposed to be so much more INNOVATIVE and EFFICIENT than those employed in a state-run company? Whoever said America's system is privatised is wrong. They actually have a medicare system, but it only kicks in in emergencies. This actually makes it more expensive because preventative treatments arent covered. So, you get a huge number of people who can't get treated for something until it gets so bad it's an emergency ... which means they STILL GET COVERED AT PUBLIC EXPENSE but it COSTS MORE THAN IT WOULD ELSEWHERE. And, of course, getting said treatement means DECLARING BANKRUPTCY because there's no hope of footing the bill. To use Taryn's cyst as an example... she absolutely cannot pay for it privately. Here, she gets it treated and covered automatically under medicare. In the US, she couldn't get it treated until it, like, exploded or something... which surely woul be more expensive to clean up and treat than getting it preventitavely treated. America really pays for its health system like it's a public system, it should admit this and go the next step... legislate to make sure it is universal and does its job. (edited by Arwon on 06-15-05 05:03 AM) |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 303/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| If a bar wants to appeal to the under 18 crowd its going to have to do more than offer a nonsmoking section... Has anyone considered the Health and Safety issues here... the people who work in bars have to spend hours in a smokey, potentially carcinogenic working environment. It isn't all just about the patrons. Still undecided on the issue but no-one seems to have even thoguht of the staff's point of view. |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 304/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Depends how old she is and how predictable her periods are, don't it? | |||
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 305/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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Originally posted by Legault Excuse me while I laugh derisively. OK. |
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| Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - - Posts by Arwon |
