talking at congress in a televised media event is not the same thing as talking with anyone.

as to the budget... both houses need to pass it or it doesn't happen. And congress has not been passing budgets for some time. They've been passing little extension budgets that are short term and the president is not going to veto one of those because they didn't include his pet line item.

So... no and wrong.

... and he has zero pull there... so... he can write executive orders and talk to foreign leaders and engage in 'police action' wars... but... he cannot pass tax policy.

If he ACTUALLY... seriously... wants to pas a tax bill... then he has to talk to congress first. And... he hasn't done that in awhile.

WB350F

It is a regular pocket camera that can connect to wifi and email photos. It might work for you. Have the people pick the camera up, take a picture of the menu, press the email button, and then have the website poll the email account every 10 minutes for a picture sent by the address associated with the camera.

A little messy but I think that is the way to go. It does require people pick the camera up and do that every day. But is that a problem?

Also possible but that bait and switch will get around.

the tech should facilitate. if it is not doing that then get rid of it.

I'll say this... being a cyberwarrior is probably the best job if you can get it. I mean... the worst that can happen is some LEET HAXOR could PWND you... :P

So instead of your head popping like a ripe melon because some sniper shot a lead slug through your face... you just get a little nerd rage at the enemy, take another sip of your caffeinated beverage of choice and carry on.

1. it was a joke.
2. well that's another way to deal with rape allegations I guess.

No captain strawman. I didn't say people don't rape people. I said quite clearly that they do and that is bad. I said instead that a certain amount of rape just like a certain amount of murder is unavoidable. People are going to do bad things to each other on occasion.

In the event you're talking about my sexual segregation idea which was a joke... in that case the sexes would be segregated... so men could rape men and women could rape women but neither sex could practically rape the other.

Seriously, anyone know of a town that is 100 percent female all the time? Just curious. I know there are some all male towns. Again... remote mining and lumber camps. But I am curious if there are any all female towns anywhere in the world. I think it might be anthropologically interesting to see how an all female community is structured. And if none exists anywhere, then that would be additionally interesting.

Doubtless it is the patriarchy... damn patriarchy. :)

I know it is political. I'm just saying perhaps we need to appreciate that the NIMBYism is not going away and find some part of the country that no one can claim is in their backyard. For example... a federal territory might be an idea. If it isn't a state then their ability to complain in congress will be reduced.

... I'd give them pet names. Like "Mr Muggles" or "smeegle"... just calling people ahole... come on. That's what kids say their name is in RPGs when they don't care... which is always.

A more interesting subject... when you're playing a single player RPG do you ever care what your name is? I mean... half the time I put in nonsense names but it is never meaningful. I might as well be entering in "asshole"...

They learned the importance of cyber warfare in Afghanistan? My head hurts.

Well, theoretically she'd only be raped by family members or whomever her arranged husband was... but I'm assuming getting raped by random cab drivers is less practical under Sharia law. Because they're escorted by men all the time. Right?

Look, my point was that under any circumstances there are going to be rapes. ONE rape is not cause to change anything. If you get a pattern that is statistically excessive then you have a problem. But if it is the normal rapey background noise then how is that the company's fault?

Again... if you want it to go to zero, then you have to segregate the sexes. Which I'm all for if only because I think it would be funny. I'd love to see a town that was 100 percent women all the time. I think it would be an interesting anthropological experiment. There are already 100 percent male towns. Typically remote mining towns and lumber towns. But they do exist. I don't know of a single all female town anywhere in the world. I know of some female matriarchies. I know there is one in south america. I forget where. But they have men... they're just not in charge.

Anyway, so long as the sexes mix... occasionally a dude is going to rape a chick. it is going to happen. Just do your best to make it infrequent and punish the perp.

from wikipedia:

""Examples

        A microwave oven utilises a Faraday cage, which can be partly seen covering the transparent window, to contain the electromagnetic energy within the oven and to shield the exterior from radiation.

        Elevators and other rooms with metallic conducting frames simulate a Faraday cage effect, leading to a loss of signal and "dead zones" for users of cellular phones, radios, and other electronic devices that require external electromagnetic signals. Small, physical Faraday cages are used by electronics engineers during testing to simulate such an environment to make sure that the device gracefully handles these conditions.

        The shield of a screened cable, such as USB cables or the coaxial cable used for cable television, protects the internal conductors from external electrical noise and prevents the RF signals from leaking out.

        A booster bag (shopping bag lined with aluminium foil) acts as a Faraday cage. It is often used by shoplifters to steal RFID-tagged items.[3]
                Similar containers are used to resist RFID skimming.

A home-made Faraday cage at the University of Arizona in Dr. Michael Heien's Lab

        Plastic bags that are impregnated with metal are used to enclose electronic toll collection devices during shipment to the customer, so that a toll charge is not registered if the delivery truck carrying the item passes through a toll booth.[citation needed]

        Some electrical linemen wear Faraday suits, which allow them to work on live, high voltage power lines without risk of electrocution. The suit prevents electrical current from flowing through the body, and has no theoretical voltage limit. Linemen have successfully worked even the highest voltage (Kazakhstan's Ekibastuzâ"Kokshetau line 1150 kV) lines safely.[citation needed]
        The scan room of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine is designed as a Faraday cage. This prevents external RF (radio frequency) signals from being added to data collected from the patient, which would affect the resulting image. Radiographers are trained to identify the characteristic artifacts created on images should the Faraday cage be damaged.
        Faraday cages are routinely used in analytical chemistry to reduce noise while making sensitive measurements.
        A Faraday cage was used in 2013 by the Vatican to shield the Sistine Chapel from electronic eavesdropping during the secret papal conclave to elect the next pope.[4]
        Automobile and airplane passenger compartments are essentially Faraday cages, protecting passengers from electric charges, such as lightning during a thunderstorm.
""

Seems like it isn't a problem.

Sounds like women shouldn't be accepted as customers... Easy solution.

Here is my point. Rapists exist. If some guy is forging documents etc then it is quite likely that you are going to get through a low security employee screening system. Would you get through a high security screening system? No. But we're talking about f'ing cab drivers here... not nuclear scientists.

If you're requiring a high level of screening, then I have to ask are people doing that throughout the rest of Indian society? Is every business putting their employees through a comparably harsh screening process? Because that certainly doesn't happen in the US or Europe. And if you want to talk about cab drivers, then hey... our dodgy cab drivers have become a running joke in the US.

But maybe India has much higher standards for employment in a cab company then in the US. I really wouldn't know. I rather doubt it but it is possible.

Is it a tragedy this woman was raped? Yep. Same with people that get murdered or robbed or assaulted in anyway. Always a tragedy. But if the company does due diligence in keeping with local practices and best practices AS IS REASONABLE... then they are not liable. That falls under the heading of "shit happening".

Now your allegation here is that their screening process was lax and yet you admit that the guy forged documents. You're saying forging documents shouldn't work but forging documents actually frequently does work. A good forgery can pass inspection in most cases. Prior to digital checks good forgeries could be effective for decades. And even with digital checks, a lot of identity theft happens in the US where illegal immigrants will steal someone's identity, take out loans, etc. And they do it with forgeries and other assorted fraud. There are a lot of businesses in the US that are required to have citizenship checks to hire people. And guess what... illegal immigrants work for them all the time because the IDs can be stolen and faked if you know how the system works.

So you're saying this guy had some forged documents? That right there makes it very hard to verify his identity or background unless you do a really serious check of the kind that I really doubt many businesses in India ever do.

What makes me further dubious about this whole thing is that Uber is a direct threat to the existing cab companies. We've seen a rash of false law suits etc be thrown at Uber over the last year or so mostly by these cab companies. I'm sorry... a lot of people have cried wolf. And that has a price. I am now skeptical by default as a result when I hear this stuff. It all is very convenient for the existing cab companies which I really doubt have superior screening protocols.

This could have happened to this person anywhere from any service.

The only solution so far as I can see is to ban all women from using any service without a trusted male chaperone.

I'm kidding but... what possible means of preventing this sort of thing is there besides just going full Sharia law with it?

Ladies, part of going outside without a male protector is at some level taking some responsibility and protecting yourself.

AND I AM NOT victim blaming. What happened to her is terrible. Rape is wrong. Rape is wrong. Rape. Is. Wrong. It is a terrible crime and anyone that is convicted of it can expect no mercy from me.

That said, if you get raped at a taco bell... that isn't taco bell's fault so long as they followed best practices for hiring and screening employees. What are they supposed to do?

Look, if you want to throw the book at someone, throw the book at the rapist.

Simply going after Uber just looks like going after someone with deep pockets because you want money. And that is nearly as disgusting as the rape itself. That is right. People that use rape to make money are terrible people too.

I don't see how Uber is responsible for the crime. Nail the rapist. Enough with the pathetic attempts to get cash.