I work for a consulting company and I mentioned this idea to my middle management and the eye-rolling was universal. A change to hours will need to come from the top, or driven by collective bargaining units, and those companies that charge by the day/hour will have to change rates, but most middle managers won't / don't support it.

I still have my tapes from 1981-1993, and they sound great. Pretty much as good as when they were new. I don't know what you are using to listen to cassette tapes withj, but it does matter. Someone did take my Let's Dance tape sometime in the late 80's. Still pissed about that! Also, making a Mix Tape is awesome. I still have several, and they are wonderful. Have you not seen Red Dwarf? This is the future. Mind you, I hardly listen to them now, but I have been shopping for a new / old cassette deck again. I foolishly gave mine away during my divorce (I was distracted!)

Umm, the call centres are fake? No, the call centres are real. The owners and employees are engaged in fraud, deception, intimidation, and theft. Gangster style.

This is not cynical... really.

As someone currently going through a divorce (mostly amicable), I have come to the conclusion that starting at the end can be very instructional. Sit down and write your separation agreement. Who gets what part of the pension/401k/RRSPs etc. Who gets the house, does the house get sold? Who gets spousal support and with whom will the children live. Set aside $20,000 for lawyers if you have a small agreement and set aside $50,000 and 4 years for big disagreements. And yes, this is money that you will never see again, and gains you very little.

Write down moving restrictions around children, this means that you probably can't easily leave the city you separate in because it is unlikely that your children will want your near, and you will want to be near your children.

Set aside an extra $20,000 dollars for extra transportation since you won't be sharing a vehicle any longer.

If you make more than your spouse, how much will you pay in spousal support. Look forward to a dramatically reduced lifestyle, since about 1/2 of your pay will no longer be yours for at least the first year of separation and couple of years of spousal support.

Set aside money for your mid-life crisis. It really doesn't matter how much, but make sure it is a percentage of your current gross, and expect you both to spend it between your 34th and 44th years.. say 10% of gross for four years. This is valid for those getting a divorce or not.

Set aside now, $4000/year for couples/your counseling to help you deal with the grief of the failed relationship/ job/ life you will experience.

And finally, write up a prenuptial agreement with a lawyer now. Both of you. Pay a lawyer to help you both write it. Marriages are expenses, divorces are an endless expense, know the risks.

Oh.. and Congratulations!! *throws rice*

p.s. If you read this and say "oh.. this doesn't apply to us" think again.

just war
You had me up to this point. The fallacy of the "Just War" in the western world is just that. A story that people in the West don't connect the dots from American projecting their influence through financial or military force into the lives and governments of billions around the world. In turn causing the death and mutilation of 100,000s of innocent people, in Iraq alone.
The fact that only the Islamics have been successful in bring the war back to American shores amplifies the fact that the worlds super-power does a very good job of keeping the worlds population under its control.