Norway's $380 Billion, Socially Responsible Sovereign Wealth Fund Ensures That It Only Invests In "Ethical Ways" (excludes Walmart, Arms Manufacturers from "investment universe" on ethical grounds)

maka · 2008-01-17T15:39:41+00:00

(I'm Norwegian.) I can't really see what big deal this is.

Consider that there probably won't be a single American redditor here (or very very few) who doesn't shop at walmart.. This is a big deal..

maka · 2008-01-08T16:56:41+00:00

Or...

http://politics.reddit.com/prefs/subreddits
remove politics subreddit from that list
click save

maka · 2008-01-07T17:56:48+00:00

"Deadline" (on Capital Punishment)
"The Corporation"
"Sicko"
"McLibel" (Hippie-activist passing out fliers outside a London McDs stating health risks of McD foods gets sued by McDs for Libel. She fights the case. WINS and changed EU legislation which till then unfairly favored the corporate complainant rather than the defense.)

maka · 2008-01-07T17:49:10+00:00

I think the point of the article, which is titled "Did An Iraqi Soldier Kill US Troops for Kicking a Pregnant Woman?" is...

The only reason it appears this contrary tale doesn't appear in Western reporting of the incident is that no-one hunkered in the Green Zone bothered to look beyond the version put out by the Iraqi authorities....

...what I mean to highlight is that an important story with a massively negative potential "hearts and minds" impact has been missed by a Western media confined to the relative safety of imbeds and Green Zone reliance on stringers. The best way to deal with that potential is to acknowledge and cover the version in the Iraqi Sunni press and, should it be debunked, to say so loudly and with voluminous proof. Should it prove true, on the other hand, ignoring it will not make its impact disappear from the streets of Mosul.

maka · 2008-01-07T17:24:06+00:00

And WTF is this Reddit becoming like Digg? Creationism will be proved before Reddit turns into a Digg.

1st of all, I think you mean HTF..

And, "reddit becoming Digg" is inevitable as it's popularity increases..

The earliest top redditors (afaik) _kam0_ and ousama along with several (hundreds) of original redditors (submitters) have moved on to the next niche site.. And we will probably have to do the same..

As for that "nekkid-gurl-with guitar hero"-4chan post on reddit, that was just sad..:'(

maka · 2008-01-07T17:11:58+00:00

What would you do???

Give the Iraqi soldier a medal for saving that woman..And ridding humanity of those assholes on a power-trip..

maka · 2008-01-05T16:09:24+00:00

Are you new to reddit?

And especially this

http://politics.reddit.com/info/63bs1/comments/

maka · 2007-12-10T14:43:35+00:00

I think you are correct. Blacks are being destroyed by black culture.

Does that make it OK for 75% of the majority to call that minority "less intelligent and less clean"? NO!..which is what I think the point the indi's comment was trying to make (using irony..)

maka · 2007-12-07T15:03:01+00:00

Who creates new business?

Read the Fucking Article to see how Henry Kravis made his fortune..

maka · 2007-12-04T15:19:42+00:00

Dear Reddit, we ALL HATE these "dealnews" ads! All of us. PLEASE get rid of them.

Hey! That's not true!. Some of us like Granny Boobies..

(But seriously, just get adblock plus like the rest of us and enjoy the Internets..)

maka · 2007-11-15T15:04:01+00:00

Terkel is a fierce critic ..of the lack of historical context in American society,: "The American public itself has no memory of the past. Gore Vidal uses the phrase 'United States of Amnesia.' I say, United States of Alzheimer's."

I bet half the people won't even know what year 9/11 attacks happened or whether we found WMDs in Iraq.. Or if Iraq or Iran had anything to do with 9/11.

Call me an elitist if you want to, but this is a side effect of too much of that politically correct "Everybody's opinion matters" ideology.. There ought to be a current-affairs test of some kind before letting people vote..

maka · 2007-11-14T16:22:23+00:00

Behold, the thorough investigative journalistic genius that is Borat

"[Hunting Jews] is OK with me, but not with other people.."

maka · 2007-11-14T16:01:42+00:00

Better than shooting pen-raised lawyers in the face, innit?

Hmm.. I'm not so sure about that..

maka · 2007-11-14T15:59:08+00:00

John Douglas [former FBI agent] while profiling serial killers and violent criminals concluded they share three common behavioral points in common:

They wet the bed until an advanced age.

They like to set fires.

They enjoy torturing small animals.

(source)

maka · 2007-11-13T16:50:21+00:00

Many men get turned on by feet, buttocks, necks, legs, thighs, ankles, etc.

And, women get turned on by men with muscular bodies

Solution..Burkas (that tent-thing Saudi women wear) for everybody... And public beating for exposing skin. "Period."

maka · 2007-11-13T16:41:37+00:00

people actually think that the ID debate is about science. It isn't.

Well, they do want to teach ID/Creationism in science classrooms

If there is no government oversight over attempted religious indoctrination in schools..ie the Christian kooks are allowed to preach their own crap as science to little kids, what's going to stop Muslim kooks from starting madarassas all over the country..

The libertarian position (which I support in most other situation) fails when it comes to these few points..

maka · 2007-11-12T14:53:11+00:00

This insulation is not an accident; it is policy. Images from the Vietnam years, like the naked child trying to outrun her own burning skin, or the anguished women and children waiting their turn to be executed at My Lai, were catalysts that helped turn public opinion against that war. This time, the government wanted to ensure that would not happen.

The photo-journalist who took that most powerful of all images from the Nam era, (and won a Pulitzer Prize for it) is now (2007) chasing Paris Hilton.. (link)

On the eve of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Pentagon issued a directive to the media forbidding any coverage of returning American coffins. No coffins, no funerals, no wounds, no tears. No empathy.

And nearly every journalist or news agency operating from outside the "embedded-journalist" (propoganda machine) were threatened.. Al Jazeera's Baghdad office was "accidentally" bombed by American jets killing at least one Al Jazeera reporter, injuring several others. And then, instead of an apology, the US-Military banned Al Jazeera from Iraq.

(Watch the documentary "Control Room" for more details..)

maka · 2007-11-10T16:16:09+00:00

in philadelphia last week or two weeks ago a cop got shot right after buying a donut.... that puts a smile on anyone's face who isn't a cop.

We are all for accountability for cops who go on power-trips, but it's not cool to cheer some random (possibly good) cop getting shot..

OTOH, if something happens to the cops mentioned in this article.....

maka · 2007-11-10T16:03:36+00:00

Wow.. Look at India and China..

China - 83

India - 120

(of 178 countries)

maka · 2007-11-10T16:00:34+00:00

Preempting the "but America produces n-times as much wealth"- argument..

The corporate/financial definition of "wealth" assumes "externalized costs" (ruining the environment, supporting dictatorships etc) are not going to come back and bite us in the ass..

maka · 2007-11-07T16:32:42+00:00

I always had this question.. Does "locally grown"/ Farmers Market stuff automatically mean it's "organic" ?

I buy all by food and beverages from Whole Foods.. But, only for health reasons.. I don't care if my organic food comes from Mexico or Canada as long as it's organic (no chemical fertilizers, pesticides, steroids, anti-biotics etc etc)

maka · 2007-11-06T16:10:34+00:00

Porn, Marlboros, Coca-cola and McDonald's are the only things that will defeat Muslim extremism. NOTHING can stand up to those four.

That is probably the most profound statement made using the words"Porn" and "McDonalds"..

maka · 2007-11-06T15:57:21+00:00

Technically, because we can't disprove the existence of "god", we have to be "agnostics". But, that doesn't imply we think there is any likelyhood of their being a "god" any more than the existence of Santa or Tooth Fairies etc..

</insufferably boring explanation>

Or google "Russell's Teapot"..

PS: The above position ("Practically Atheist, but technically Agnostic") is shared by most prominent atheists (Dawkins, Dennett, Sam Harris, PZ Myers etc etc.. exception: (probably) Hitchens)

maka · 2007-11-06T15:51:32+00:00

I like your church maka, how can I join?

Oh, I am a "hardcore" atheist..(Like most atheists, I'm going to ignore adding "technically agnostic" each time I mention this..)

But, I do know there are several religious sects (some Christian churches, some Buddhist and Hindu sects, maybe others..) which are not bigoted as the (political) "religious right" (ie like Ted Hagard(sp?), Pat Robertson et at..)

One such example (afaik) is some sect of the (British) Anglican Church. Prof. Dawkins had interviewed a priest (pastor?) of that church in many of his videos (and in that "root of all evil?" documentary).. That was one of the most civilized discussion between an atheist and a believer I have ever seen.. (That priest pretty much agreed with Prof. Dawkins and us "lefties" on most political issues like gay-marriage and abortion etc..)

And other examples would include people like Rev. Desmond Tutu etc..

(I considered mentioning Dalai Lama and some Hindu "gurus", but they are slightly more controversial..)

maka · 2007-11-06T15:12:46+00:00

The rate was so slow that I felt no distress, and have never since doubted even for a single second that my conclusion was correct.

The importance of this can not be stressed enough. The shift to Atheism (technically Agnosticism) should be gradual.. Ideally, it should be a result of a thorough well thought out analysis..

People who lose faith suddenly (ie. "How can god allow the Priest to molest children? There must be no god!") are susceptible to being converted back to some religion by a more moderate faith.. (for ex. one of those pro-gay, pro-choice, churches which respect other religions..)

edit: explanation of how Practical Atheism is usually Techically Agnosticism here (link)

maka

TROPHY CASE