Strange you would mention that, one of the reasons I've switched to PostgreSQL (and never looked back) is because it more closesly follows the SQL standard and has many less "gotchas" and bugs than MySQL (boolean is actually an int field, reset counter on increment, etc).

When people complain about Postgres' "non-standard SQL", this usually comes from those that have only used MySQL and think it's the standard.

About the only technical advantage MySQL has over Postgres is an easier setup, and generally better performance out of the box (before any tuning).

http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2697

The French revolution is probably the worst example for arguing violent overthrow of the governement. It goes something like this:

1. Overthrow the government, kill the royal family.
2. Kill a bunch of aristocrats, a bunch of priests, desecrate tombs
3. Kill a bunch of people that don't agree with all the killing
4. Put a Corsican in charge, eventually becoming an Emperor
5. More killing, war all over Europe
6. A couple heirs to the Emperor here and there
7. Put the kings back in place from time to time

... All in all, it took over 80 years for a real, permanent republic to be put in place (3rd time's the charm it seems), and THAT was mainly after the military defeat of the 1870's.

When you hear about the Western spying programs (US, UK, France, etc) all over the news, when a country is undergoing huge changes, and when said western powers have been meddling in the region for decades, it's not completly unexpected for this sort of thing to happen.

I just feel bad for the poor stork that is still locked up.

You are describing glacial retreat caused by global warming, which is not the same thing. As temperatures rise, the ice melts and retreats higher in elevation where it is colder. Also as a result of the warming effect, plants are able to take up residence in land formerly occupied by the ice sheet. In areas with permafrost, some of it will melt, leading to sinking and fractures in infrastructure. Climate change can happen very quickly, as we are seeing.

An example of glacial rebound would be a fishing village in medieval times now being far from the coast, even though sea levels have risen since. Or of a sound being locked by rising land and turned into a lake. Rebound typically is not measurable within the frame of a single lifespan, more like hundreds to thousands of years. We are still experiencing effects from the melting of the last ice age.

There is a major difference though: the Internet's population has increased by connecting the rest of humanity to it, not only by the children of the early Internet.

A better model would be communes, where people join on the basis of religion, philosphy or purpose. In many cases the children born in these communes stay and continue the exmple set forth by their parents.

Apple seems to be losing much of the gains they made during the initial trial. Not even at appeal yet and already getting patents invalidaded.

Hopefully this is part of a trend, where these ridiculous patents get thrown out, or even better, never granted in the first place.

You must have missed the last sentence of the article:

"The team are now looking for industry partners to commercialise this ground-breaking new technology."

So they are thinking about finishing the product, and making it accessible outside the research field. I can see a company like IBM showing interest in this.

Not sure if you're trolling, but Turkey absolutely is a secular state.

I seriously doubt Turkey will be made into a bad guy. They're a NATO member and the only muslim majority country in the region with a healthy economy and political stability. They are also a needed conter-weight to Iran and are crucial in resolving the civil war in Syria. Never mind that Erdogan was democratically elected.

Coke still has sugar and not HFCS in some other countries.

France's income tax is indeed usually lower than in the US, but that's not the whole picture.

You also have to look at sales tax (VAT), which is much higher in France at 19.6% vs around 7-8% in most US states.

Then there is the taxe d'habitation, which simply doesn't exist in the U.S. for renters.

All in all, you wind up paying more in France. The value, however, is much better in France, given all the various services and aid which are provided.