Actually, it is very much about religion. At its core, Daesh is a religious movement for control of Islam. The Koran backs much of what they do. Islam never had a reformation like Christianity and Judaism. The latter have effectively jettisoned those parts of "scripture" which are just plain wicked. In essence, humanity has triumphed over religion in those two cases (i.e., the Greeks won). Islam has never had a reformation. And it doesn't appear likely it will anytime soon because anyone attempting it is usually killed as being apostate. It is the triumph of the Mullahs and Imams, two classes of the least responsible people to lead a religion. They answer to no one, even Allah. The reason, Allah is so other He cannot be bothered to talk to Man personally, even Muhammad was talked to by Gabriel, an angel. Well, if hearing voiced makes you holy, then we have many holy people walking around today, we also have many institutionalized. Ever talk to the mentally ill, they are frequently very religious. Muhammad goes off to the mountains in his thirties and hears voices, so it must be Gabriel...late stage schizophrenia, classic case.

Ever read closely what the current crop of Islamic nutjobs spout? Read the Harvard Guide to Psychiatry to properly place their mental illnesses. It is very revealing.

Ever listen to what NSA and CIA say in front of Congress and the Press? The last thing they claim is omnipotence. Rather they emphasize how much they do not know. Maybe you could go back to your TV, you aren't ready for the real world.

Rand Paul has no heart, he's a libertarian.

Really? Then how come Macs have a reputation for holding their value and are generally considered well built?

The store's attorneys will just claim you faked the recording and invite you to spend the next 3 years trying to get your $1000 back.

"Why anyone would buy a pre-built machines these days is beyond me." So, we can count you in the 1% who find a problem with this. MS knows they can get away with it. The only thing that will screw MS is for computing to move on from the PC. But business is still in MS's pocket, wants PCs, and wants someone to return the box to or get service on, so the HPs, Dells, etc. of the world will continue to support MS, they lost their souls long ago.

I don't think we need to bring Putin into this discussion.

Mr. Apple meet Mr. Orange...what??? You two cannot compare each other? Imagine that.

I agree. "Science" isn't one giant blob of the black arts. And it isn't a black art. Many believe so but for different reasons.

As someone above mentioned, there are no more scientists working than ever before. Any pop. of humans will have its proportion of hucksters. Given the 24 hour news cycle, new organizations willing to generate news, everyone and their brother's dog with a web site thinking their opinion is somehow information, etc., and it would appear from the outside that science is being drowned by bad scientists. The left wing uses science for political ends, so does the right wing. Neither have honorable intentions or the backgrounds necessary to work in science...but listen to them, they claim their opinion matters.

Ever look at the trade surplus China has with the U.S? Your flip comment of "How dare they exploit us back!" has no relevance.

If you are going to lapse into Esperanto, just stop right there, I can only puke so much after lunch.

Hmm...when I hear the William Tell Overture decoded from a star's signal in stunning surround sound, then I'll believe in aliens. Until then, it is just the Greek guy with the electric hair peeing in the wind again.

Well, I know this sounds weird, but during a conflict the U.S. Military and Russia's and China's are not going to be relying on commercial weather satellites. Something about they possibly being pwned by the enemy. Militaries worry about these sorts of things, clearly you have never been in one.

Yeah, yer right, why would the Air Force and Navy need weather satellites.

Hmmm...so those 50,000 people marching through Moscow's government district in memory of the pol, and braving Putin's secret police and other semi-evolved Simians, are doing what, exactly? Going to a picnic?