The post doesn't even pretend to be balanced, which is a shame as this may possibly be /.'s one and only Scottish Independence post.

Of course there are risks involved and uncertainty, but the English Tories, champions of the NO vote (do not split) are the ones demanding a split from Europe, using the same arguments that the YES campaign (for an independent Scotland) are using to rally their cause! They're also the ones who decry "dependency" and act as if the entrepreneurial spirit is chief among all human traits, while trying to shut down such blooming attitudes in the Scottish people who wish to set out on their own and make a go of things.

The Right wing English part of the NO campaign seem to want soverignty above all else for themselves (with regard to Europe), while telling everyone else (the Scottish 'splittists') that's a bad idea!

Here, let me pour some gasoline over your strawman and strike a match.

When have people from Africa appeared at the borders of any country "cap-in-hand [...] demanding their 'rights'"?

People do try to escape violent, torturing, oppressive, corrupt murderous regimes though. We call them asylum seekers; fleeing to escape persecution from their fucked-up governments. Maybe that's what you're thinking of? Or maybe knee-jerk xenophobia is more your cup of tea?

Oh yeah, I did this with one guy. I played him for about half an hour just making stuff up - I wasn't at my computer at all - and then I turned on him and asked him how he slept at night and what his mother would think if she knew how he spent his days stealing from little old ladies, etc.

He did not like that. Hung up on me and then, still enraged I guess, rang me back and tried to have a go (which didn't work, naturally). I hope what I said got to him.

>You do not grow food for human consumption on human feces, because the risk of contamination is too high.

Who are you, Jon Snow? You know nothing.

As long as the faeces is properly composted/treated to break down pathogens, its perfectly safe to use for food crops.

DVB-S is the satellite equivalent of DVB-T which is Mpeg2.

DVB-S2 is the equivalent of DVB-T2 which is Mpeg 4.

The only difference is that nowhere in the UK is mpeg2 used for HD terrestrial broadcasts, whereas satellite broadcasting still frequently uses mpeg2 for HD content.

DVB-T (Mpeg2) is used for SD broadcasts in the UK. DVB-T2 (MPeg4) is used for all the HD channels (terrestrially).

Francis Maude (the minister setting this up) - "Through the excellent work of GCHQ, in partnership with other government departments, the private sector and academia, we are able to counter threats and ensure together we are stronger and more aware."

And if the spy agencies are the threat? Who will protect us from those who wish to protect us?

Perhaps the course will be teaching people how to evade the mass surveillance of GCHQ and their pals at the NSA? Seems unlikely!

This is the one thing we didn't want to happen

... "seperate"

The government has files on everyone (or nearly everyone); people never suspected of, or implicated in, any crime.

How is this different from what the Stasi did?

The founders of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights had, at the time, just faced down a global fascist hegemony, which made those rights seem just and proper and self-evident for great peace and wellbeing.

Now those founding states are becoming a global fascists hegemony ... they're not so keen on them.

Quelle suprise! :)

The whole G+ real-name crap kept me away but it did teach me something I wouldn't have otherwise known if I *had* started using the service:

I can get along perfectly fine without Google +.

©ne Ring to Rule Them All

So, pretty clearly, there is a huge problem with SSNs being used in the USA as both identifier and authenticator. And this has been know for years, and many people have suffered as a result of this really really stupid system, whose flaws are obvious to everyone using the system.

So how long will it take to get something changed?

Thanks. Its contributions like yours thant make /. a still tolerable place.