h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Right...I've moved the Zimbabwe thread: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/F19585?thread=7370344&post=93670329#p93670329

Anyone with space flight experience out there?

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62E32L20100315?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FoddlyEnoughNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Oddly+Enough%29&utm_content=Google+UK

Bigelow Aerospace posted a recruitment notice for astronauts on its website. Only professionals with space flight experience need apply, which limits the pool of possible applicants worldwide to little more than 500.

does it count if you've done a sky-dive but didn't miss the ground?

organised, established bigots allowed to ignore requirement that they not be bigotted.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/17/catholic-adoption-gay-parents

Am I understanding correctly? They receive public funds and yet are not willing to use those funds as directed?

correct.
Evil nasty secularists telling them they can't continue to do their good helpful work because they have to deal with teh gays as if they were regular normal folk.

Public funding should be pulled then, shouldn't it?

Time to start phoning your MP, the PM and whatever minister is responsible.

yep.
Guess that makes me part of the oppressors of Christianity in my country.

We had a case a while ago here (Provincial, not Federal) in which it was announced that schools would have to inform parents if certain things were going to be discussed in class and could pull their kids out of the classes on the days those certain things were going to be discussed. Strangely, the provision was stuck into a bill amending statutes to bring them into conformity with a court ruling concerning non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The immediate appearance was that this was going to put a chill on the class rooms as teachers were going to be required to police every single class room discussion to make sure nothing potentially offensive to *any* parents was mentioned. There was also a very great concern that this provision would allow parents to pull their kids out of *required* science classes which mention evolution. Various MPs and Ministers were absolutely inundated with calls and the Government hastily (and not very satisfactorily) issued all sorts of clarifying statements that the provision only involved prescribed curriculum, so teachers would still be able to facilitate wide-ranging discussions. As for the evolution concern, I went through the curriculum guides and, as it turns out, evolution doesn't get a whole lot of mention, which is a much greater concern, of course.

My experience here is that telephone calls to elected representatives sometimes can have an effect, particularly if people actually get talking the issue up and a good number of calls get made. I'm not sure how effective it would be there, but it doesn't cost much to make the call.

A disturbing French TV documentary has tried to demonstrate how well-meaning people can be manipulated into becoming torturers or even executioners.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8573755.stm

Astonishing in a number of different ways!!

I disapprove of this very strongly.

Firstly, it's old news. Serious scientific work has been done on the subject; the reactions of ordinary people to this kind of situation are well documented. The subjects of this programme were reacting in a way many of us would react under the same pressures, and will find themselves being demonised.

There's an interesting lecture on the subject by a man called Phil Zombardo who ran the "Stamford Experiment" back in the sixties:

http://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil.html

The real bullies, in my opinion, were the television exectives who staged the stunt.

It's basically The Milgram Experiment. Derren Brown also did it as part of 'The Heist'.

Amazed at all the fuss about it.

Firstly, the number of plebs posting about it thinking that it was a real quiz and people were getting electrocuted - that shows how people merely react to half a story rather than getting the full facts.

It's also timely as this sort of provable manipulation of people needs highlighting far more these days.

Unfortunately, the media and knee-jerk reaction people have made it look like it was real or that the shows producers were manipulating people...well they were but only to show how easy it is to do.

Budget speech leaked: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/edmundconway/7466597/How-about-a-Budget-with-a-bit-of-honesty.html

RF

Posts 8271 -8273 "Roll on one"

One of my instructors once expained to me, anyone can be taught to kill, with the right training and discipline. It is how they deal with it afterwards that is the problem.

Many of us learn to live comfortably with the demons from our past, we are not unique or special. We are not the first, neither will we be the last. It is inherantly in human nature, though our desensitised attitude can be abhorrant to those who have never had to experience it. Gallows humour is a typical mechanism which illustrates, unfortunately too well, ones past.
It is all too easy to seize the moral high ground and pontificate, as many do. They need to consider that someone has to do the dirty work to maintain their democratic right to maitain that stance. Don't judge me!

I agree, almost any person can be induced to do almost any thing. The interpretation of a societies values can be described as how it assists those who make the unpalatable decisions to cope.

The latest form of historic revisionism:
'Dresden Denial'.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8574157.stm

I was born that night and have all my life watched as the 'numbers' climbed. Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse Five) was there and he gave the number as about a quarter of a million. This figure is often quoted when comparing Hiroshima and Nagasaki death tolls (which are usually inflated or played down depending on the writer's philosophical agenda).

But eventually the 'popular' number of Dresden deaths had creeped up to half a million.

So it is with a certain incredulity that I now see the German government getting into official Dresden Denial with this new lowball figure of 25,ooo.

The only lessons to be learned here are, history can be rewritten, never trust a government and don't get caught being a Dresden Denier.


~jwf~

It is invariably the remit of the victors to write history to justify their actions, cast their own combatants as heroes and the enemy as gross villains. Trust me I know, there are villains and heroes on both sides and in every individual when the adrenaline of fight and kill is running high.

The real villains are the mealy mouthed politicians, who have their own agenda in spin and propoganda. Ask "What does the German government have to gain in political brownie points" Therein lies the truth.

The remainder of us (UK armed forces) were patriots who's only true loyalty lies in getting a job done as quickly and effectively as possible, achieving objectives, regardless of the human cost to either side, for our commanders and Her Majesty.

I have no regrets!

What a moron!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8575717.stm

US general's claim that Dutch forces failed at Srebrenica because of poor morale over openly gay soldiers.

The Spartans never had any problem! Why should we in these supposedly enlightened times And that comes from a confirmed hetrosexual like me!!!!