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Comment Re:Partly why it seems to be like game for pilots? (Score 1) 115

Saddam didn't tolerate the group from attacking him.
He actively helped them after the first war, as he was weakened and needed them not hostiles to him.
How do you think al-Zarkawi arrived in Iraq? He was there after the invasion of Afghanistan to recover from his injuries.
Overthrowing the KSA government would be stupid then and now:
1) Saddam left in power would be a huge PITA now, more if the KSA was overthrow by the US.
2) Saddam didn't exported oil then, KSA did so. Invading would disrupt the oil flux for long time.
3) Iraq people are, mind you, much more secular than the KSA people. They are much more diverse, so they have a chance to really become democratic and have a working democracy and a rule of law.
4) Just now, when it is needed, the oil production of Iraq is coming on line in large quantities. This will force the KSA to keep the production up and the prices down. Their margin will be less and they will earn less money. Less money for them, less money for the jihadists.
5) A working Iraq is a huge PITA for both KSA and IRI (and probably Syria and Turkey, also).
Iran people resent that their filthy Arab neighbors have a democracy when they are forced under a theocracy. Unable to destroy the democracy next door, Iran and KAS will start to feel the internal pressure from their people.
6) Killing scores of jihadists and criminals in combat help much to build a society will less crime and more peaceful. true in Iraq, in Iran and in KSA.
7) The US is not the only actor to spend huge sums of money in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its enemies do the same, even if they are much poorer. They money they spend there (and the men and the time and the other resources) can not be spent in other places and in other plans.

Comment Re:well, duh... (Score 1) 194

Dell'Utri, an italian Senator accused to be linked to the Mafia and ex-collaborator of Silvio Berlusconi before both entered in politics, defined "heroic" not Mangano but what he did.

The episode is this: mangano refused to testimony against Dell'Utri, when the prosecutors of the process against Dell'Utri asked him to tell them something, anything, against Dell'Utri. True or false would not be really important, but if he said something, they would let him out of jail and return to his family home. Mangano was in jail for many years and at the time and he was very ill; pratically he had to choose to die in jail or die at home with his family.

Dell'Utri, when informed of the episode, told that if he was in the place of Mangano he would had a very difficult time to refuse the same offer, so he considered the act "heroic". He always were clear that he don't consider Mangano a hero or an example for other to follow. Only his decision, near the end of his life. Mangano, for a man of the Mafia, had a twisted sense of honor.

Many others Mafia components, after the arrest, have "collaborated" with the prosecutors and testimonied in before the judges. But the quality of their testimonies is very low. For example, the last boss heard in front of the judges (after an year of "collaborations" and "revelations" to the prosecutors) was so embarassing that not even the leftist tried to spin his accuses against Berlusconi and Dell'Utri. Another example is the trial against Andreotti. They accused him of many things. Unfortunately for them, Andreotti (a major politicians in the history of Italy) kept a detailed log of all his movements, appointments, holidays, name it. He destroyed them completely.

If you think all these "collaborators" were found guilty of perjury and sentenced, you are wrong.
If you think all of them losen their advantages, you are wrong.

In Italy, too many prosecutors are from the same law school of mr. Nifong.
They are political activists in the judicial.

Comment Re:Change... (Score 1) 1073

Here the Italian Ministerial Program for the Lower Middle School (kids 11-13 years old) http://www.aetnanet.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=118#SCIENZE%20MATEMATICHE,%20CHIMICHE,%20FISICHE%20E%20NATURALI Here what they teach at "Liceo Scientifico" If you translate this from Italian with Google, you could find what the teachers are required to teach and the pupils to learn. If you look further, you could find the actual problems given as tests to the pupils at the final exams for graduation: http://www.liceocastiglione.it/esami_di_stato.htm (here the problems for the pupils from the "Liceo Scientifico" of all Italy in 2009 -2008 -2007 (pupils 19 years old) Here the problems for the final graduation exams from Technical Schools (Electronics and Systems) and proposed solutions http://web.tiscali.it/i2viu/esami/svolti.htm The final exams in Italy are called "Esame di MaturitÃ", the problems are the same for all Italy classes, for all schools. They are different only for different specializations. The texts of the exams are delivered in the same day, at the same hour, to all the school of Italy by the Police (depending directly from the Government) just before the exam. And if the student cheat they seriously risk to repeat all the exams the next year. Not exactly bubble-box exams.
Education

Obama Makes a Push To Add Time To the School Year 1073

N!NJA sends in a proposal that is sure to cause some discussion, especially among students and teachers. Obama and his education secretary say that American kids spend too little time in school, putting them at a disadvantage in comparison to other students around the globe. "'Now, I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas,' the president said earlier this year. 'Not with Malia and Sasha, not in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom.' 'Our school calendar is based upon the agrarian economy and not too many of our kids are working the fields today,' Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. ... 'Young people in other countries are going to school 25, 30 percent longer than our students here,' Duncan told the AP. 'I want to just level the playing field.' ... Kids in the US spend more hours in school (1,146 instructional hours per year) than do kids in the Asian countries that persistently outscore the US on math and science tests — Singapore (903), Taiwan (1,050), Japan (1,005) and Hong Kong (1,013). That is despite the fact that Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong have longer school years (190 to 201 days) than does the U.S. (180 days)."
Software

Submission + - Osiris Serverles Portal System (blogspot.com)

painlord2k writes: "Osiris ( http://osiris.kodeware.net/ ) is a serverless portal system.
Osiris is an engine that makes possible to build anarchic forums and portals where members directly choose rules and conventions by themselves. Osiris portals are serverless, so they spread through the members P2P network. This make the portal independent from central servers, so they are free and indestructible because they are supported from all portal members. More over, every sent contents are anonymous, this make the privacy safe and no one can overwhelm this experiment of free thought and knowledge distribution. Osiris can also build common monarchists portals for a traditional moderation.

Do anyone know other projects aimed to develop similar technologies? Could these technologies disrupt the affords of entities like RIAA and others to shut down website like The Pirate Bay and Suprnova?"

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