Finally, a cat owner acknowledges his role in the human/cat relationship!

I would agree. I think by banning words from common use, we create a sort of Streisand effect. The n-word is not often uttered in public anymore, but the web is full of it. People clearly still want to say these things, so it's not like banning the words stamps out the intention behind it. Banning the word gives it more power, due to its taboo-ness. Who hasn't been called a (n-word) or (semite) in an online game?
Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino had the right idea. Racial slurs are aplenty in that film, but used jokingly as a term of endearment. That takes power away from the word, more effectively than banning it from use (though hatred will still prevail, so another word will likely be invented to replace the old one).

Have you tried this bad boy? We use it here at work for initiation of new guys. An amount the size of half a pea is enough to start you sweating and hyperventilating (and in some cases, panic, it would seem. Whoops.) Claims to be 6m scoville. I dunno about that, but it's definitely not something I could ever use as a condiment.
Right now I am having a disappointing pasta salad, made happy by this guy. Nice kick, garlic taste, lovely stuff.

I disagree, I think it is entirely possible to want to program for the sake of it. You need a goal, something you are making, but the motivation for doing it doesn't just need to be "I want that thing, so I'm gonna code it together!". It could simply be "I like programming, so I'm gonna build my own thing!"
It's the same reason you had Legos as a kid. Did you make functional things out of Lego, that improved your quality of life? Or did you just like building things?

Well, unless they are stretching fibre to my front door, it won't make any difference. :(

Woosh!

Yeah when I move into my fibre house, I will bite the bullet and pony up £35pm for the full (50mb) package (100mb is not offered here, presumably because they know we cannot consume it with our FTTC infrastructure). It's just about tolerable a price (though I won't get any other services like phone or TV. Not that I use those things anyway). Also, I doubt I would ever hit the upload throttling limit, unless I am backing up large files to my website or a storage locker, in which case I could do that during a time it isn't throttled.

Hmm, at least here in the UK we get unlimited SMS (subject to Fair Use Policy, usually 2500 per month)

Forces you to go with their XXL package of 50mb. I don't have fibre right now but I will soon. I will need to get the 50mb package, to avoid throttling (they still throttle P2P but there is no download threshold like the other packages), even though I cannot actually get 50mb speed (probably tops out at around 40). Thats the only way unfortunately. It used to be 20mb was the highest and that was unlimited. Traditionally, VM's best package is the only unthrottled one.

Even the famous phrase goes "a well armed militia being necessary for the preservation of a free state, the right for the people to bear arms shall not be infringed" (i may have slightly paraphrased, but that's almost it). This implies that firearms aren't just for organised militamen, rather, the citizens themselves *are* the militia, and therefore everyone shall be allowed to own firearms.

The quickest and best way for us non-USians to protect ourselves is simply to disallow all connections coming from the US to our websites.

I was called a cracker once, on the subway in New York. I don't think the intended meaning was the same.

Rich people have their own pools in which to pee, which really removes the social empathy aspect of the situation.

Hmm. I didn't include snowboard boots or sandals, because they are kind of specialty footwear to me. I have lots more if we're counting all kinds of footwear.

One pair of smart-casuals for work. One pair of smart shoes for formal/suit. One pair of low-cut all-weather boots as my go-to everyday shoes. One pair of high, rugged, combat/safety boots. One pair of wellies/rain boots. One pair of loafers/skate shoes, for quick step-in and around the house.