adriantc

I have to disagree with you. He doesn't look like he has a rough life driving a Ferrari. Not to mention he isn't actually fit to drive... and not because of the skills or knowledge of the regulations, but because he can barely reach the pedals. He is physically unable to safely drive. Just imagine that in a certain situation your life (as another driver on the road) may depend on his decision or reflexes. Would you drive with him on the same road in this situation? Would you trust him with your life? I'm sure you wouldn't. It's a well known fact that the main danger of driving does not come from the way you drive yourself, but from the others driving on the road. Driving is not that dangerous. Driving with other kind of drivers is extremely dangerous.

First of all I don't think that such events should get such huge amounts of news coverage. It may be cynical but all these terrorist acts are nothing more then publicity stunts. All they want is prime time to spread their twisted ideas and make everybody scared. And of course they get glory in the eyes of those thinking like themselves. They should be denied all that and maybe (just maybe) some of them will think twice before blowing themselves and others apart. Terrorist attacks should be reported and, of course, generally know, but they should get as much prime time as any other piece of news. On the topic of news covering such events I want to discuss the way they coverage sport events in Europe. For example a few years ago there were a lot of individuals routinely interrupting an event by running into the field with a banner or just simply naked. For the same publicity even if infinitely more harmless to everybody involved. So now whenever someone does such an act they never get him on the screen... they don't even mention them. And since they are not getting what they are looking for, they stopped doing it (not entirely, but those events are not a lot more rare). As for the terrorists themselves... I think it is wrong to apply our logic to them. I do not want to generalize to all Muslims (because this is a real danger whenever such an attack happens), but some have the same attitude as in the 14th century, but with the weapons of the 21st century. And, again, I don't want to generalize that or make us, the Westerners, look all civilized... I can look no further then 70 years ago to the Nazis and the Holocaust to find out the same disregard for life (if not more horrible) then now. Religion in this case is just the bullet, eduction (lack of or twisted one) is the weapon, but the main trigger is the disregard of life in all its forms. I am sure that over 50% of us would do just the same if we were grown up with the same twisted eduction and propaganda, not questioning what we are told, taking everything for granted. But if you don't respect all forms of life (and human life in particular) with the right conditions you can do anything and you can find reasons for everything. So don't just blame them... that is an easy way out, but blame the society, their civilization that has yet to grow up, the education that they must receive and their weak minds (because I think there is a strong genetic component) and principals. And since we have opened this discussion there is another point that must be said. The US foreign policy up to this now has been terribly wrong. Its single purpose for 40-50 years has been to make the US the number one world power and more recently (after the USSR broke up) to maintain the status quo. Nothing is too much in order to achieve this objective. And such a policy won't be of any help in making any friends. If you ask me the budget of the CIA is way too big. Instead of making the US number one in scientific developments or in space exploration, money is being wasted on a flawed foreign policy (with interests protected by covered operations, coup-d'etat and other such events). I can remember how over 20 years ago the CIA armed the talibans because back then the USSR was the enemy and of course the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But this kind of friends, 20+ years later use your weapons to kill your soldiers citizens. Button line... while these terrorist attacks cannot be blamed solely on US foreign policy but I'm sure that doesn't help at all. Unfortunately I don't see any end of the terrorists attack on the short term... You cannot fast forward the East to the current century, people minds and habits don't change fast enough. Maybe in 2-3 generations they will be well on that path. Meanwhile the US could act more like a teacher and less like a dictator for the rest of the world. Events such as Arab spring should be encouraged by all means, but (and that is a big but) the CIA should stop trying to push them in a direction or another.

As I see there are two issues regarding this story (which by the way I also noticed on our news channel... half-way around the globe). Of course the first would be why a responsible parent would let their kid drive a car... let alone drive with his younger brother as a passenger. I wouldn't let my child drive the car at 10 years old wherever he may do it (residential area or not). At 10 years old he cannot possibly make any sound decision if any situations may arise. On the other hand there is the connected issue on how such a irresponsible parent managed to make such a fortune to allow him to give a Ferrari to his 10 year old. You can only wonder how someone that made such a fortune, maybe with a great idea, work and knowledge...Of course in this cases it's pretty obvious how the parent managed to get where he is. When you work the money, you will know their value and would not give such an expensive car to a kid. You might even teach him it is a good thing to obey the laws. But this is the way it works in countries still no civilized... such as India or my very own Romania. Here is is pretty common to have somebodies rich (and of course politically connected) kid have a car accident or even try to run over someone (there really was such a case) and get away with it. If he were my kid I would take care to stay as much as possible in prison. The laws in our countries are something of a guideline to the rich but are strictly enforced to the poor. America has many problems, but this is not one of them. The laws are enforced for all citizens no matter their fortune (or at least this is how it looks to the general public).

As an old member I am also a fan of the old name Xisto if the name is to change. Some might say it would be like going back to the origins. But I find the current name as a very happy choice. It is harder to write, but it expresses the spirit of this forum very well. If it has to change and Xisto is not an option ForumsUnleashed is a nice option (although a little too commercial) or TalkSense.net which is easier to write. I fully support the reorganizing of the main forum and the sub-forums. Some parts do really need to be expended... Like the news section - since it contains recent developments it will include some of the most discussed topics... they really need to be better organized - a few sub-forums for that would do the trick. On the other hand there are parts which should be contracted... like spirituality and consciousness or entertainment. (of course that is just my opinion as I do post quite a lot in the news section and I think I never posted in the spirituality and consciousness topic) To be as objective as possible any change should be done considering how active that sub-forum is. As for the Lo-Fi version that will become mini-sites... Hope you won't be mad on me OpaQue for this - I do appreciate the effort (both in time and money) you put into this (I am also an open-source developer and I know some of the sacrifices), but I can't really understand why there is such a feature. I am sure it is hard to maintain for you, and more so with the mini-sites and I think your time is too precious to spend on such complicated feature that is only going to be seen by new (unregistered) users. I know you want to use it to attract new users, but I think there are other ways to do that... I have to admit that what got me into (what was named back then) Xisto was the free hosting... and the quality of the hosting... now that you can also buy domain names with MyCents it is even better. That should attract new users. But what kept me coming back was not the hosting, but the quality of the discussion, the exchanging of ideas, even the possibility to express myself in English. I would like make a suggestion for the upcoming changes. It is an update to the MyCents system. I start from the basic idea that the forum has value if it has active users, so I would change the MyCents system in order to better reward day to day posting rather then many postings done once a month or once every two months. It doesn't have to change the current working system, but just to give something extra to the people posting every day while still keeping with the quality of the posts and everything else. On the other hand people posting a lot very rarely should take a loss. I would loose from such a change since I do not post every day, but it would be an incentive for me and other users to do so. Once again with the rules of quality in full force.

I too wish you all the best for the New Year. May it bring you health and good luck, may it be without disasters or "end of the worlds". May it find you with the loved ones or, why not, may you find your loved one this New Year. In a word, may 2013 be better, much better then 2012. And to Xisto (still part Xisto for some of us) I wish to be once again a huge active community, spreading news and ideas. Welcome back to Xisto mrdee. I am glad to see old members coming back. I am sorry for the year you had, hope 2013 will be a lot better for you, starting with your health which is the most important.

This is a very complicated subject considering the latest happenings in India... The story of the young woman who died after being gang-raped and beaten on a bus is truly horrible and so fresh on everyones mind - it makes me loose faith in human kind when things like this happen. In my country we also have problems and I'm sure every country has its very own kind of animals (because you simply cannot label such individuals as *person* sapiens - wise men), but usually the problems not from the laws, but from the way they are imposed. From what I have read in articles and from the news, in India the problem is bigger since the laws themselves seem to not be harsh enough to discourage such behavior. And, sadly, from what I have read this is pretty common event. As I have heard India still has the death penalty, which I consider necessary for some crimes (like murders, rapes and so on) when the evidence is strong enough to justify the harshest penalty a civilized society can impose (some may say a society which still imposes the death penalty is not so civilized after-all, but I can't stop remembering the face on Anders Breivik when he got twenty something years in prison for the 2011 Norway attacks - with 3 warm meals a day, warm bed and entertainment). Of course in the case of this poor girl (a very mediated one) it is very important to send the right signal for the rest of society. If after such a horrible attack those animals walk out as if nothing has happened (from what I have heard the policemen tried to make a deal between the two parties... maybe getting the poor girl to merry one of those animals) imagine what kind of signal people with such a conscience get. Maybe after the protests somebody might consider doing something about it, other then giving those eye-watering statements. But enough of an outsides view on this... What do Indians think? Where is the problem? Why this things happen so often in India?

In my country you can get a gun with a permit, but that is kind of hard to get. Most of the guns here are not lethal... guns with rubber bullets and so on. Even bad people don't usually have guns. While you might feel better (safer) owning a gun, most of the thieves also don't have access to guns. So there is kind of a balance.Also we must not forget there are already law enforcing institutions that are paid to do just that... make sure nobody comes into our homes. I don't think arming everybody is the answer... because if you can get a gun, I'm sure the one forcing his way into your home is also going to have a gun and I'm pretty sure he is going to be more prepared to use it. Maybe the police force should be increased, better laws passed, prison conditions shouldn't be so easy. If everybody starts arming like it's the doomsday and starts shooting it's just like anarchy. I don't think a society reacting to a school massacre by arming itself and the teachers is heading in the right direction. And while they are becoming more frequent and deadlier, lessons could be learned for that trend. It may mean the current policy (whether it's gun policy, society education, etc) is not effective.

Same here... Thank you very much Velma & OpaQue for all your effort, specially considering it is during the New Year holiday. As always I sure will keep you busy with my questions and feedback. Sorry for that.

Seems they started thinking about a "better" solution to the problem... It seems someone had the "smart" idea to arm... guess who... the teachers . That's one way to deal with the problem. And if you don't trust me here is the source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/14/connecticut-shooting-armed-teachers-gun-advocate_n_2304654.html and https://thinkprogress.org/gop-rep-suggests-teachers-should-be-armed-with-assault-rifles-96c1aab7b2e1?mobile=nc&gi=bd219fb00df9 If that is not plain stupid, I don't know what is. It's like trying to kill an ant with a bazooka. You can't fight fire with fire in this issue.

You are, of course, right that there is always a certain percentage of population with some deeply disturbed minds, but my question for you is... Do you think he could have done the awful thing without the help of a gun, a gun so conveniently placed for him. (complete with all that ammo as if his mother was getting ready for World War III) Of course everything is illegal, that is out of the question. He might have killed his mother and one or two more people, but I am sure killing so many innocent is out of the question. You have to admit things like this don't happen everywhere and I am sure there is another reason for this other then just saying there are more disturbed individuals in the US. I can't agree with you on the fact that guns lower crime rate... Europe for example, where gun possession, is strictly controlled has very low crime rate (at least for the south, north and west part) - it is half of that of North America (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate) I admire the way your police force treats gun use... here he must be nuts to use the gun - all the paperwork and inquiries and all... not to mention to shoot somebody. They take they gun and shoot in the air, but almost never do they actually shoot somebody. And threating with the gun is just as rare. I also realize it's not really a thing of choice the way your police use their gun, but the result of the fact that everyone can have a gun of their own. Don't get me wrong I completely agree with the fact that you can shoot anybody that trespasses your property, but the fact that anyone can all big guns capable of doing so much damage, with so many rounds and all... that sounds wrong. I think there is a difference between what you need for self-defense and what you need for offense. And I'm sure you agree with me when I say that what that boy had was not self-defense weaponry.

Just a few days ago Apple's stocks went below 500$ which is quite big news. Regarding the hardware and software environment... I've had the opportunity to buy the latest iPad last week for a more then decent price, but because of their environment I said no. It is a pretty big step for me... just like with my Kindle and the Amazon environment - you must really be sure you want to be a part of that environment before starting to buy all kinds of devices running that environment. Once you put in all your data, buy all that software and make all kinds of customizations (not to mention getting used to the OS) it's costly and complicated to make a switch. So when I'll take that big step I need to be sure of it.

Of course nothing is going to happen... It is just the news agencies and Hollywood trying to make a living out of nothing. I remember the Y2K and the new millennium - everyone was hysteric as if the number 2000 has any impact on the order of the universe. Planes were going to start falling from the sky, nuclear reactors would start to melt and so on... It is just the same with 2012.Nobody knows when the world will come to an end. I am sure that way before the Universe tries to kill us with a meteor or something we will grow up to defend ourself or kill ourselves (as we are right on track for that). Anyway I am sure that the real danger is not the alignment of the planets or some imaginary Planet X on crash course with Earth, but our own species driving itself to extinction.The universe will be here, Earth will be here tomorrow. In will, unfortunately, have to go to work tomorrow...

I can't say I have much experience about this as I am fortunate to have a very stable, reliable and helpful family. (far more then most people are fortunate to have) As I have seen from your profile, you are just two years younger then myself. I don't know if you study right now or what are your career opportunities, but it seems to me the best thing for your would be to move out. I can perfectly understand your need for a stable lifestyle, not moving from room to room every time. I also appreciate stability more then anything. I am going to move out in a few weeks (and thats because I was dying to be independent) and I'll also have to make some changes in the way I spend money. And if you are still studying be sure to look for a career that not necessary making you lots and lots of money, but something you can bare doing every single day and offers you a sure paycheck. A sure paycheck this days is the most important thing. Once you have that you can rent something and live your life as you like it, not as somebody forces you to.

As you have no doubt have heard last week there has been yet another shooting in a school in Connecticut, another one in a long line of massacres that keep happening in school all over the US. This was one of the worst shootings with 20 kids and 6 of their teachers dead.The full article can be found here: http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/ What I wanted to discuss here are the measures that should be taken to prevent future tragedies like this. I remember that after the Virginia Tech shooting (which was the worst in history) there has been a pale debate whether firearms should be banned or not. And I think such a discussion should be taken more seriously. I am not an American - probably that is why I cannot understand, no matter how much I try, why it is so hard to pass a bill banning firearms. I know that a gun for every person is a part of the American way of life, but it seems there are bigger issues... It seems all kinds of insane people can easily get a gun in there hand. I know my country is no where near as large as the US, but we have never heard of a school shooting. And I have never heard of a mobster doing the shooting. There are always normal individuals with deeply disturbed minds.It seems this time too there is going to be a discussion concerning firearms ban, (an article here: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/17/nation/la-na-shooting-obama-gun-control-20121218) but as always the gun lobbyists seem to have the upper edge. What do you thinK? Should firearms be better regulated?

If most of Voyager's sensors are still online after so many years I am sure they will still be functioning for many years to come. However as I mentioned it does have a plutonium power source (known as radioisotope thermoelectric generator) which works on the principle of radioactive decay which produces heat and by the use of thermocouples generates electricity. Being a nuclear power source with a pretty high halving rate (halving every 87.7 years) it will end stop providing enough power to Voyager around 2025. Maybe by that time we will not need it to send information back to Earth... maybe some other craft from Earth with more advanced sensors will overtake it. Also I am pretty sure there aren't very many interesting things in the space between the solar systems, specially nothing interesting to photograph. What is more important about Voyager is the golden record rather then the few information it can send back. It does provide whoever finds it (hopefully an advanced civilization will find it and understand it long after we are gone) a remainder of who we were and where we were. As a trivia.... there seems to have been a big debate whether the naked image of a men and a women should be engraved on the Golden record. As if an alien civilization would giggle when they see them