SirSpanky

I'll take it from an environmentalists point of view: For many many years we didn't pay the value of what oil, and its burning, and its polluting cost. If we're going to burn fossil fuels, the price should be such that any damage we cause by using them has funds available to fix it with. Whether or not the government will use the funds to fix it is their responsability. I don't have any figures save those in my textbooks (if you guys want them I could type them out), but I'm pretty sure when I was paying $0.50 for a liter, I was getting a bargain.

In a previous thread you just said I was ignorant; a little bit of doublespeak going on?? You keep missing my points. Pride is not standing up during a song, or wearing clothes with red and white, or hanging our flag; those are symptoms of a love for your country. If you have love for it, you'll want to improve it, defend it etc. By discussing things in places like this, we are improving it. There are a great many ways to express pride. I'm not calling you ignorant for being proud. I'm saying you could do with a heavy dose of knowledge in most things political, and a heavier dose of empathy and understanding other views.

Definately give him points for going against the grain. You really think hes the one benevolant dictator in history though? Perhaps check out wikepedia before you sing his praises too much. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea

Define pride for me. Is it just hanging a flag in your window? Thats all it takes? We're not allowed to question things, or tell our leaders we don't agree with them? More than hanging a piece of cloth in your window I think thinking about issues, and expressing your opinion demonstrates pride. No offense my friend, but too much pride can be a bad thing. Closing your mind and thinking that we are always right because we are Canadian is ignorant. It rings of nationalism, which I think causes more harm than good. Her point was lost on you I think. She was merely saying she doesn't need to take things too seriously.

Don't speak their name aloud!!!

Mikey: Amen to that brother. We still owe it to ourselves to keep trying for better though. Canadian conservative: I think the fact that Kimmy is here, posting intelligent things about a great many Canadian issues, demonstrates her "pride" in this country.

You'll get no argument that Kim Jong is a dink from me. Perhaps the biggest dink. A dictator in my mind, is someone in charge, with the capacity and desire to enforce his will on the population (be it noble or not). Kim Jong was just the first one that popped into my little head. I don't trust a general to dole out justice and good administrative decisions though.

Not nearly as many though. The reason we are able to have so many service jobs, like cashiers in home depot is because of our super labour effiecient manufacturing industry. And how long will it be until these checkout machines are made by a production line, with 10 supervisors producing 100 machines?

Nobody I guess. I just think it would've been a dangerous precedant to set. The fact that if a general yells loud enough he gets to do whatever he wants. Whats the difference between a person like that, and Kim Jong? Also, the from the hip attitude of using the most dangerous weapons we've yet created (at the time).

Wasn't commenting on the US plan. Just saying it MIGHT work in the summer.

His interest is seeing his troops not die. I didn't mean anything more grand than that. If you have military men on the ground making decisions with political ramifications, you're in bad shape. If the generals had their way in Korea, the US would have used nukes.

I don't disagree, but what are you referring to?

Debateable. When they open that thing up before the fancy new filter is in place, we'll still be getting the worst of the crap in that lake. All the bacteria, and micro-organisms will mess up our waterways pretty quick.

Army guy: No change in heart. I don't think we should be there simply because the general said so. His expertise is blowing things up, hunting down baddies etc. All I was saying is that I'll take his opinion on social matters as though he is a biased observer, with interests there. Its hard to be objective when your buddies are getting shot at around you.

As shoop said, I'd like to hear some data on the subject. We have long days in summer, it makes sense that it would work then. Energy useage in Ontario is through the roof, if all we have to do is change the time to save some $$, lets go.

As soon as the general shows me his PHD in Afghanistani sociology, I'll start to listen.

To take a nation such as this, and put people in it of the caliber that we are sending? Could be one of the great deeds a middle power such as us can accomplish. I see no better use for our troops. I just hope the media is in there consistantly to let us know how its all going.

Theres a reason why we have an abundance of all things.....the uber competitive nature of our economy. This proposal is just a mildly modified plan of our current welfare handouts, which is argueably unsustainable, but un-argueably a huge drain on resources that could be put to better uses.

The most interesting part I saw of the coverage; They did an interview with the "captain's" family. Their apartment was about the size of my cubicle, and they had a TV that was probably about 13". I just find it interesting that so skilled a person could live in such conditions over there.

In other words, think critically.

That leaves things in bad shape. The courts need to squash this thing somehow, before it gets ridiculous.

Thats funny you say that I should build one, I plan to do my thesis on a control system for manufacturing equipment, including presision 3D motion devices Thats great that its the only arm up there. My point was that if we didn't do it, the Americans would. Its one of our token contributions. I think the only real reason to even be touching these space programs, is to keep our satalites in orbit. As far as anything more grand, let others waste their money.

Alright, I'll play devils advocate; I don't have any links, but my company (a utility with aprox 5000 employees) did a study on attention while driving. They found that it was only marginally more dangerous to drive whilst talking, a difference less than the statistical error of the study. I've also heard similar studies from various sources; I'll try to find a link or something.

Why do you say the best system? What points are you referring to?

As of this second, there is no need to go anywhere in space. I definately would like to see Canada not supporting NASA going back to the moon. Robotics are robotics are robotics. We could easily turn our expertise to earthly ventures and be successful, however the arm does advertise very well. The engineering isn't all that difficult for the arm, and I'm really not sure why everyone is so uppety about it. Perhaps because its our highest profile contribution, and it takes a good picture. Probably if anyone, we should stick with NASA, just for the economic benefits, and the press.