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Comment Re:Not a great man (Score 1) 227

Your statement is completely incorrect. Famine does not exist to any great extent today, 40 years after Borlaug's seeds went to Pakistan.

I don't think you meant to make that broad a statement, but I'll correct you anyway; famine does exist today. Many countries, especially in Africa and Asia face starvation. Here's two BBC articles, one from 2003 and the other from 2009, referring to famines.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/south_asia/8178636.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2635089.stm

Comment Re:Industry wins in court of law (Score 1) 1870

12% of the [UK] population share.

Here's some further evidence from Canada, taken from this Angus Reid poll (PDF), released March 12, 2009

45% of Canadians think that using BitTorrent to download free music files is "just something regular internet users should be able to do". 27% think they are doing something they shouldn't, but it's not a big deal. 25% think it's something they shouldn't be doing, and technology should be developed to stop it. Only 3% think it should be criminal and punishable.

We're appealing to the principle of wide reflective equilibrium: if your ethical theory contradicts its very purpose, it's not a good theory. Since the vast majority of the population (in Canada at least, Sweden is probably similar), disagree with this type of law, passing laws to prohibit this sort of behaviour will lead to both anger and guilt. It will encourage conflict between those who have met the law, and those who have not, leading to resentment. This contradicts the purpose of the law to make society harmonious and peaceful. Less stringent laws might actually encourage less filesharing.

Comment Clean coal doesn't seem that great. (Score 3, Informative) 464

From reading the Economist, I've the impression that clean coal isn't actually that great. Check out these two articles:

The illusion of clean coal

Trouble in store

Despite all this enthusiasm, however, there is not a single big power plant using CCS anywhere in the world. Utilities refuse to build any, since the technology is expensive and unproven. Advocates insist that the price will come down with time and experience, but it is hard to say by how much, or who should bear the extra cost in the meantime. Green pressure groups worry that captured carbon will eventually leak. In short, the world's leaders are counting on a fix for climate change that is at best uncertain and at worst unworkable.

Aside, the WSJ isn't really giving us any new information, is it? Obama was advocating CCS during the election, so is it really surprising that his secretary is now advocating it?

Comment Re:the warrant states a crime (Score 2, Insightful) 1079

If someone pretends to be you, and misrepresents themself as you for the purpose of defaming you. This is the kind of misrepresentation that can amount to fraud.

I'm pretty sure that defamation is only covered under tort law, and isn't actually a criminal offense where the police would need to get involved. Fraud on the other hand is a criminal offense, but I don't see any evidence from the warrant that would support a charge of fraud. The warrant states that he is being charged with "Obtaining computer services by fraud", though it refers to an incorrect section. Note however that this law says "the words "commercial computer service" shall mean the use of computers, computer systems, computer programs or computer networks, or the access to or copying of the data, where such use, access or copying is offered by the proprietor or operator of the computer, system, program, network or data to others on a subscription or other basis for monetary consideration." Signing up for a social networking site under a fake name wouldn't qualify, in my layman's opinion. Going on for two pages about how it was likely that the defendent created the profile/website is, in my opinion, irrelevant.

The defendent is being charged with "Unauthorized access to computer systems". This could be the "altering grades" thing, but the case for this seems pretty weak prima facie. The only evidence presented is the testimony of the guy's roommate, i.e. the person that was "outed" by the fake website. There's one line in the warrant about how this roomate saw the defendent change grades. The roommate appears to be heavily biased against the defendent, and I'm not convinced we should take his word over the defendent's. Now, I'd be slightly more convinced if the officer had obtained some evidence from the university system that grades HAD been changed.

Comment Re:It's a loan not a bailout. (Score 1) 652

The U.S. government spent over $20billion in farm subsidies in 2005. By your definition, that would be considered a "bailout".

I know many slashdot readers are liberterians and oppose any non-basic public expenditure, but can we please resist the temptation to redefine "bailout" to mean all forms of public expenditure?

Comment Re:Common Law (Score 1) 440

...with the exception of LA which uses Napoleonic code to this day

I think you're incorrect about that. It's common law, but it has codified many of it's laws. To quote wikipedia:

California's legal system is based on common law. Like all U.S. states except Louisiana, California has a reception statute providing for the "reception" of English law. California Civil Code Section 22.2 is as follows: "The common law of England, so far as it is not repugnant to or inconsistent with the Constitution of the United States, or the Constitution or laws of this State, is the rule of decision in all the courts of this State."

All statutes, regulations, and ordinances are theoretically subject to judicial review. They can be overturned by any state court of record as unconstitutional under the U.S. Constitution or the California Constitution, and can also be declared unconstitutional under the federal Constitution by a federal court.

Notwithstanding California's status as a common law jurisdiction, it has codified the law in the manner of the civil law jurisdictions. Moreover, California substantive law includes some significant civil law features, such as a system of community property in the context of marital property.

Comment Re:No,he is very clever :) (Score 1) 705

Hitler ain't gonna be able to just invade half of Europe. Those days are over.

Why? Possessing nukes only prevent a nuclear attack, not an attack conventional troops. You don't want your last resort to be your first response. You only use nukes to defend yourself... how can you defend yourself by committing suicide?

Check out this amazing Yes Prime Minister clip.

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