That's the point Hawking is trying to make I think, anyway Heinlein said it better: "The Earth is just too small and fragile a basket for the human race to keep all its eggs in. " There's no real reason for us to stay planet bound, on this or any other planet. By the way, I checked out Dr. Katherine Freese's homepage, and it turns out she's a real hotty, as well as smart: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~ktfreese/.

Well the US is run by corporations now. The politicians will just pass laws to suit whoever pays them. In this case it'll be a Software company, but it could just as easily be an oil company, or an entertainment company, or whatever.

Hang on a minute! What do you mean the Pope's not infallible?

How can you have disregard for the views of Darl McBride? A fine upstanding businessman. I'm shocked, shocked I tell you!

Really? I wonder what there're doing about a company called Parallel Importers who are selling ipads here in New Zealand before they're available from Apple.

I read your post, and I feel compelled to reply, but I'm not sure what to say really. You sound like a reasonable person just trying to make your way in the world, but there is a certain despair in that post. It might be time to think about emigrating from the US. People like you probably have no hope left there, as your prayer is destined to remain unanswered I think. Your political structures are all corrupt and even the pretense of Democracy seems gone. I live in New Zealand, and we welcome skilled migrants. Especially ones with good english language, and a bit of capital. Seriously, you should think about it.

I think the best point you make is near the end of your post, "While taking a good chunk of telecom money". It seems to me that the divide between Representatives, Senators etc and lobbyists has blurred to the point where US politicians' votes are for sale to the highest bidder. Its time for another Revolution guys. Your Govt needs reform, and the guys cashing in won't do it on your behalf.

Why would you totally respect their position? They don't know if there are burial grounds there. From the Article: "would disturb spiritual sun greetings and possibly ancestral artifacts and burial grounds on the seabed. The ocean floor was once exposed land before the sea level rose thousands of years ago." So, thousands of years ago, some people may or may not have lived on some land that is now under sea. We'll probably never know, and the Wampanoag people don't either. Now everyone come back at me with claims about how accurate non-literate cultures' tribal histories are. Anyway, what the fuck is a "spiritual sun greeting", and why is this any less dumb than ancient carpenter worship?

I'm gald you responded, as the Troll was so funny. It really brightened up my day.

There is a third way too. It tends to involve guns and people getting killed, but eventually it will probably have to happen for the United States to get back towards some sort of Democratic government.

I would agree with ClearOS. Super easy to set up, then you get everything required and more.

According to this link: http://www.m86security.com/trace/spam_statistics.asp the US is the biggest spamming country. Are Spammers not criminals?

I don't buy it. There are inconsistancies in the article, eg: "With initial negotiations and surveys already complete, " then "The exact routes have yet to be determined." Well which is it? You can't do a survey if you don't know the route. Also there's no way India approached China for anything. The Indians don't like the Chinese (at least at Govt level). This sounds really cool, but I'll bet a dollar its not going to happen.

Try New Zealand. We have a system of points where the amount of money you bring in to invest, your level of education, English lanuguage ability and job skills all add up to a number that will allow you to get residency. The place is not perfect, but its not too bad. We have Socialized medicine here, funded by taxes and it works ok. The climate is not too exteme, (although the bottom of the South Island is pretty cold in the winter), and the people are usually very friendly. The down side is that our national sports are Rugby and cricket, and the rules are pretty complicated for those not bought up in a culture where they're played. A German friend of mine has given up on learning about Test Cricket, it just takes too much effort.

Maybe we could spell Care Bear correctly instead.