Can you recommend a good model/setup? Also for my information, what country/state are you in and who is your tv provider?

Ixquick deletes logged data within 48 hours and does not record your IP address.

I also found this link interesting (from 2007).

In Blizzard's defense, I assume they are trying to keep the game fair, so that your character's progress, eq and abilities are based on merit (i.e. time spent playing) instead of RL money. It is certainly a noble goal, if difficult to achieve.

I see some potential in your statement. If I may (changes in bold):

No one needs war.

I hope you used email rather than snail mail. Yes, a physical letter (especially handwritten) carries more weight, however nowadays it typically takes 3 months for a snail mail to reach the president. Thus for best results, use email :)

I have no idea why you got modded up and GP down. He was obviously referring only to Somalia with his remark about laissez faire capitalism. There are FAIAP /no/ laws there.

I am also confused by your last sentence, which seems to imply that the UN has direct influence on Somalian law and/or government.

Jesus, pessimist much? Campaign finance is imho the single biggest problem with American government today and it would be best for starters if people had a more positive attitude in working toward solutions. It's frustrating when I see a lot of people just say "god our system/government/president sucks", throw their arms up and walk away.

Important to note however is our one key advantage over the entrenched powers that be: strength in numbers. We can out-petition them, out-protest them. Make our voice strong. We can out-muscle them if it came to that. But most importantly we can out-vote them. All we have to do (admittedly probably not simple nor easy) is unify and organize ourselves, and change will come.

Why do you say that? If anything I think it is the opposite. But the reason it might appear that way when converting from the American political scale to the European version is that Americans, particularly conservatives, do not realize how much space there is to the left of what they consider the "left". So in actuality it is not the world moving to the right, but the space to the left opening up in the minds of Americans.

Then how about a Beowulf cluster of meter maids? (with walkie talkies of course)

You, sir, are a fool and a contributor to the worrisome trend in this country of increasing powerlessness. That you conclude that no political/economic philosophy can work in practice is deeply saddening. To me it is on par with a suicidal person saying "life's not worth living."

Our government here in the U.S. really isn't all the bad (or at least could be worse, jokes aside) but could make huge strides toward its ideal form with, for example, the following three simple yet groundbreaking reforms:

1.) Ban corporate contributions to political campaigns. This places power over campaigns where it belongs - to individual Citizens. (Note: must close loopholes for "personal" donations from CEOs, etc.)

2.) Eliminate the current "winner-take-all" electoral voting system. Replace with a Congressional District Method or something similar. This would allow 3rd parties to actually have a chance at getting even a small number of representatives on Congress, which is practically impossible under the current duopoly.

3.) Legalize all drugs. "A 2008 study by Harvard economist Jeffrey A. Miron has estimated that legalizing drugs would inject $76.8 billion a year into the U.S. economy." It would also dramatically reduce or eliminate gang/cartel-related violence by allowing these people to settle disputes and report crimes through legal means, e.g. the courts.

The most important thing to remember is we are the only ones who can take the power back from the corporations and political groups who took it from us.

You are the first person I have seen to ever use the term "Biblical morality" in a negative sense. Seriously, bravo.

At least you are honest about it.

I don't understand why people, particularly here in the U.S., are so callous about the unnecessary killing of animals for food. Why would any other life form be worth any less than a human? Killing living things is murder, simple as that. How would you like it if some other superior species came along and raised you just to eat you? I guess it is just one more of those areas like poverty that people are oblivious to because they are fortunate to be far removed from it (e.g. slaughterhouses).

Obligatory Simpsons quote:
“I’m a level 5 vegan-I don’t eat anything that casts a shadow.”

Apparently no one here has seen Armageddon. Asteroids (and comets) are a real threat. It has even happened before. It is only a matter of time before it happens again. And unlike other threats to the well being of earth humans (e.g. disease pandemic, robot revolution, world war, etc.), asteroid impact is the one possible catastrophe which we are grossly underprepared for.

People here are talking an awful lot about colonies and while that might be something to think about in the future, I for one would like to have earth around (and habitable) until the it is consumed by our dying sun.

Other than that, a space elevator would make all other space endeavors at least one order of magnitude cheaper.

Note: This post does not account for the Singularity.

That's true; I got a little off track. I was trying to make the point that if drugs were legalized it would eliminate a big chunk of crime.

Yes but how many of those violent crimes are committed for gang- (read: drug-) related reasons?