Sir Bandelot

Well I did already raise the possibility that happiness is only relative to what you know, and that might be why people in China and North Korea consider themselves happier than people in America. But within the context of this study, westernized nations, and by the criteria they used, should level the playing field, at least for western nations. So that data raises the question. As for Americans not getting out much, that was just speculation since the rumour is that American people don't learn much about other countries when they're going to school. But the other reason I said that is that I think it came from the POTUS himself a few years ago, suggesting that Americans should stay in America, and spend their vacation money at home. For economic reasons, yes... but it's still a message to not go elsewhere, and it adds to the feeling of distrust of people from foreign lands. With such a strong sense of patriotism, leaving your own country is somewhat akin to leaving your mama.

Galloway is.

There was NBA finals??

That bias is exactly why I am cynical that we can ever solve anything, at all. Too many selfish assholes seeking to promote their agenda, and to many deluded dum dums easily motivated by fear. So my new philosophy is, just party on brothers! Heh heh heh

I always admire how WIP stands up and tries to point out what we are doing is wrong. Keep speaking truth to power! However in this case please forgive me for allowing my cynicism to come through. Good, because we're on a rocket ride to hell and there's not one of us who can stop it. So let nature take its course. The great equalizer. Here is Darwinism on a grand scale, taking out the top predator! Since there is nothing else that can kill us, we have to do it ourselves. And we will, intentional or not. Then the meek shall inherit the earth. As a guy who always roots for the under-dog, I love that kind of justice...

It's not entirely new and is used frequently in corporate methods of "change management".

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/photoshopped-stop-harper-sign-stanley-cup-finals-signals-204028946.html

Sounds like he's been funneling money, every time.

Didn't the AG know about this before the election? If so, why was it not disclosed... as though I don't know the answer!

Perhaps, but what Don Cherry said about armor plated shoulder pads. For once I find myself agreeing with the old boy.

Agreed, as a defenseman myself they made some really poor plays.

Follow up to what I just said- Dr. Gates now embraces Einstein's expression, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." He has found knowledge to be finite, while imagination pushes the boundaries of possibility. To him mathematics is an "extrasensory perception organ" that allows him to perceive the world in ways beyond our conventional senses. "The universe is an incredibly ordered structure and mathematics is how we understand that order," Gates says. He likens it to musicians in a world without instruments who can only speak about sheet music to one another. While nonmusicians do not understand the conversation, musicians hear the notes and melodies in their head. http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2003_11_21/noDOI.14388540961401175455 The general public who are not musicians can only appreciate the "score" by listening to its sounds.

Some ideas cannot be conveyed without the use of metaphor. And this is true in science as well. I'm talking about science's narrative on cosmology, which we laypersons cannot possibly comprehend without scientists use of metaphor to give us some idea of what they're talking about. And although we average people don't get it, we accept those metaphors carte-blanche. A form of "faith". Check out his comments, in particular starting at 14 minutes in.

LOL

Just watched Bonnar vs Soszynski. Interesting match, until the last minute. Fifty unanswered head-shots before the ref stepped in. Now there's an inspiring sport, for alcohol soaked couch potatoes.

I wasn't really trying to pick on the US specifically, other than that our countries are so similar in many ways, yet this poll shows there is such a big difference. I wanted to understand the reasons why. But it seems most here don't want to talk about that. I wonder why that is? Oh well. Now back to 40 posts on "why do people shave differently..."

Yeah I bet those 12 million illegal Mexicans know all about Canada... And we here in Canada prefer to keep it that way!

Millions, out of 300 million? Your numbers, my numbers, someone elses numbers. Maybe numbers don't lie, but for the way people use them.

I've heard that Americans do not learn much about other countries. That could be a factor. As said in my previous post you don't know how bad you've got it in comparison to others, unless you've walked a mile in their shoes. I suspect the reason that Americans stay home anyway, despite their unhappiness is because of ingrained patriotism, which we Canadians have comparatively little of. And Americans might be just afraid to move to Canada.

Not only that, when they showed him during a break, he was wearing a Boston shirt! :angry:

Yes, reports such as these can be politicized. One report can be thought of as a "pro-western" report, the other perhaps "pro-eastern". Can we trust such a report, or is it slanted towards one particular world view or definition of happiness? One culture may define happiness completely differently than another. Happiness may be relative to what you know and understand. We can only gauge what life is like for us within the framework of our personal experiences, and not having lived elsewhere, may never know what else is out there. But still, we can look at these results within the context of each report. IE. separately, not by comparing the two. The western report is based on people's responses to a survey under the criteria listed above. The North Korean report does not give any information on how the data was collected. No information was provided on what the criteria were for assessing 'happiness'. So there is no way to criticize it beyond this.

I know what you are referring to, but I never saw the movie. I am one of those people who does not like to watch movies, or TV shows. I do not read fiction either. I like real stuff though, news and sports, and science and technology. The effect that entertainment has on our brains, especially modern forms of entertainment is another thing that I believe people do not fully understand. For some reason I believe it is detrimental to the development of a complete person to their utmost abilities. In a previous post the comment was made that religion fills the gaps in our understanding of nature, or reality. That is not all it does. Religion, or rather spiritual belief is a powerful tool and a weapon in our minds. There are things people are willing to do when they believe in something, that otherwise would be virtually impossible. Virtually, I say. I know there are people who call themselves atheist who also have great courage, but for the average person, simple people, religion gives them the hope to continue when all else in life seems worthless. In other words, when you've hit the bottom, it is a vehicle to help you out of the hole. In other cases when there is a tremendous challenge put before you, and to succeed requires much pain and suffering, ind fortitude religion is the bridge. For more information refer to "Muhammad Ali".

The kid moved out of my house last week. He now has an apartment in our area. I don't know how his story will turn out, but hope that he at least learned something from our example, that there's a better life if he wants it, and that the world is not a totally cold place. During his time here he underwent a bit of a transformation. People who know him remarked that he looked much better. Likely the regular meals (he ate alot...) and sleep helped him quite a bit. His cat grew much healthier looking too. At one point he asked to have his hair cut short, and ended up looking alot like me. I thought that was a positive sign. I've asked him to maintain contact with us, but overall I'm not satisfied that this has accomplished much of any lasting value. It's too short a time compared to years of neglect. Of course, I didn't expect that much would be achieved and in the end, I don't feel responsible or obligated towards him. His life has been a hard go, and each of us has our burdens to bear. If he can rise above the misfortune that befell him, it would be a truly heroic thing. But sadly, based on the comments of many here, I doubt it's likely.

It's not a "new one". Hinduism is thousands of years old. See? You're learning things now. That is entirely possible. Now, instead of focusing on the immediacy of such things as "God's not real, HE'S just a myth" etc. it would be helpful to study and try to understand what it really means. You might start with asking "Why do people want to believe in something greater than ourselves", and what does that do for us, what actions can that result in. The ideas translate into actions.