EdEarl

The idea I have about veganism is it is good for people. I don't object to killing one's food and still get hungry for a Chick Filet once in a while. Though, the longer I eat vegan, the less I care about meat. What ideological position am I supposed to have?

In fact, Capitalism in the US, at least, is efficient at making money for stockholders. However, its inefficiency in delivering goods and services is often atrociously bad because of crony capitalism. For example, health care. Drug companies, insurance companies, and corporate hospitals maximize profits and force people to become bankrupt. It is now possible for sensors with USB or radio communications to a smartphone to monitor a person's health with ultrasound, otoscope, spectroscope, camera, microphone, and perhaps an odor sensor. An AI can process the collected data and diagnose many illnesses. Existing AI medical applications can already diagnose some things, including cancer, better than doctors. Thus, a medically enhanced smartphone and corresponding AI could, I believe, eliminate periodic visits to a doctor to learn you are healthy. Moreover, such a system can call an ambulance in an emergency and tell you to see a doctor if it finds you are not well. Of course, the things being developed rapidly are intended to reduce corporate costs, not personal costs. Eventually reduced corporate costs are passed on to consumers, but patents and trade secrets sometimes allow them to charge high prices for years, before competition reduces costs to customers. Another obvious inefficiency of capitalism is the distribution of food. There is enough for everyone to be fed, yet people go hungry. Capitalism encourages Scrooge MacDucks to do horrible things to people in the name of profit. Thus, capitalists need to be controlled. However, I don't target capitalism specifically. Some people will game any kind of -ism for their own selfish benefit. Anti socialist, communist, capitalist, ... propaganda is nonsense. It is the people running a government that decide how it interacts with people and countries. Empathetic people do not like dealing with Machiavellians, but it is necessary.

Earlier this year the Koch brothers threatened Republicans that they would not fund their campaigns if the tax cut bill, the one that would give Koch enterprises $50B. Some pundits say that tax cut will not happen. I hope that PAC money is withheld. The fossil fuel industry must be hustling to react in light of China's move toward EVs, production of low cost solar arrays, and against the petrodollar.

I agree, their recent moves are good for the world at this time. Best of all, it's like kicking Trump for abandoning the Paris Climate Accord. LMAO I'm too old to roll on the floor.

They seem destined to be the next super power. Unfortunately, power corrupts. What will the future bring?

I think tags such as communist and democratic for a country are misleading. For example, many people think the US is democratic; however, it is not. From the beginning it has been a republic. However, the 1% now own the Congress and Senate, effectively making an oligarchy. The US uses its military power to terrorize some people, including its own population--highest rate of incarceration in the world. According to the Guardian, "US police kill more in days than other countries do in years." Mao was communist, but modern China is complicated. They are more Capitalist than Communist at this time, and are more pragmatic than dogmatic.

True. China recently started writing contracts for oil, which previously has been done only in US currency, and called petrodollars. Not long before that, China started selling solar panel installations to power companies with cost per KWH lower than coal fired power plants. The political and economic implications of these moves by China are huge. The campaign against climate change by the Koch brothers seems destined to end as EVs begin to replace fossil fuel clunkers and solar farms replace coal power plants.

CNN Money: China is capitalizing on mistakes made by the fossil fuel feudalists who reign over both parties in the US. It puts China on moral high ground compared to the US. It signals the demise of the fossil fuel industry. And, the effects on climate change are good.

Not even the inquisition resulted in 100% conversion of people from non-Catholic to Catholic. There are reports of people burning at the stake rather than converting; though, I find it hard to believe.

According to your bio, you are 26, which makes your story about a boy in your class suspicious, as well as the so called facts about the story. Since you posted in politics, you seem to have a political motivation. What is it?

Area54's answer is correct. However, the sun generates 3.8 x 1026 joules/s. In an hour it generates 3.8 x 1023 kilowatt hours. At $0.05 per kilowatt-hour, that's $1.9 x 1022 per hour. Sorry, you cannot afford it. The good news, no one else can either.

The ambivalence of US voters concerning Medicare for All is evidence of the successful campaign the conservatives have waged against progressive ideas. Almost every country in the world has a successful government run medical services program. People are dying from lack of medical care in the US. Anyone who opposes Medicate for All is culpable. The time for it is now, not eventually.

@mad_scientist I said Buddhist tend to be non violent; in other words, there are exceptions. People are emotional and irrational sometimes, including Buddhists. Moreover, killing with compassion, for example to save more lives than one takes, is acceptable. Finally, people with bad intentions, for example mass murderers occur in populations around the world, including Buddhist populations, and spread mayhem whoever they are. Laws against murder are common throughout the world, but they do not prevent killing. Similarly, laws exist in some places that discourage cruelty to animals, but they don't prevent it. I doubt such laws have any effect on people who commit such heinous acts.

Hmm, I might be confused Moontanman. I'm not sure why you quoted me as if I didn't understand the meaning of sodomy, and cited the dictionary. Every dog I have known smells the ground, telephone poles, fence posts, trees, and other things to find out which dogs have been where. Then, when they meet another dog, they smell their rear end, and I believe, remember where they have smelled the other animal. During that ceremony, they probably learn about bitches in heat and other things; it isn't specifically associated with sodomy or sex. It is how dogs identify other dogs. They also have good eyesight, but, for example, it is sometimes difficult to identify two black labs by sight. Dogs that look alike are fairly common. I'm convinced recognition by smell is helpful to them.

Dogs sniff each others rear all the time; sodomy has little or nothing to do with it. In fact, two animals near each other, regardless of species or intent, may transfer disease to one another. Disease may cause genetic or epigenetic changes that may be inherited.

VIcente Fox is Running for President of the USA. It's almost 6 mins of video on youtube, starring Vicente Fox, President of Mexico.

Buddhists tend to avoid harming animals, including people, and has been for up to 3000 years. IDK when the practice started.

@Moontanman Probably.

What evolutionary advantage does X give to animals which choose to engage in this activity? Where X= nursing another species having sex with another species killing a perspective mate People do many things, e.g, own a pet rock, that have nothing to do with evolution. Animals are more limited in things they do that aren't related to evolution.

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Thanks. That's not my intent. After a dictionary education about the word irrational, my concern is that irrational describes too many people with a variety of conditions. Some will respond to education, some will not, and some cannot. Moreover, reason is not very effective against emotional thinking. An acquaintance's mother was murdered in a drive by; he wants revenge but doesn't know who did it. His desire for revenge has become generalized to endorse police actions unconditionally, likes Trump's wall, wants to stop immigration, etc.

There are several definitions of irrational, and at least some of them would include emotional decisions. Previously, my impression of irrational was someone out of their head, as with a illness, drugs, neurosis or psychosis. The reason it matters is one remedy doesn't fit all. A class in rational thinking will not much help those who are irrational from illness, drugs, neurosis or psychosis.

The fight or flight response is one example of emotional thinking. In addition, people's decisions can be affected by love, hate, envy, fear, hunger, thirst, etc. and combinations thereof. Pretty much all people make both rational and emotional decisions. People are overloaded with information, some of dubious value. So people make bad decisions. Also, people with valid data make bad choices sometimes; it doesn't mean they are irrational all the time. Philosophy and logic classes probably increase the number of rational decisions people make, at least some people. I haven't seen a study, so don't know. Perhaps they should be taught in lower grades.

I think you've asked the wrong question. Irrational people need psychiatric help. Most people think emotionally and some people think rationally only some of the time. Education can teach rational thought, and should. But, you cannot remove emotions or emotional thoughts.

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