March 31, 2014

How argumentative are you ?

This should be fun.

March 31, 2014

Nation by nation, speak your mind about... Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venezuela

Venezuela (Listeni/ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə/ VEN-ə-ZWAYL-ə, Spanish pronunciation: [be.neˈswela]), officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela[1] (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela [reˈpu.?lika ?oli?aˈɾjana ðe ?eneˈswela]), is a country on the northern coast of South America. Venezuela's territory covers around 916,445 square kilometres (353,841 sq mi) with an estimated population of approximately 29,100,000. Venezuela is considered a state with extremely high biodiversity, with habitats ranging from the Andes mountains in the west to the Amazon Basin rainforest in the south, via extensive llanos plains and Caribbean coast in the center and the Orinoco River Delta in the east.

Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522 despite resistance from indigenous peoples. It became one of the first Spanish American colonies to declare independence (in 1811) but did not securely establish independence until 1821 (as a department of the federal republic of Gran Colombia, gaining full independence in 1830). During the 19th century Venezuela suffered political turmoil and dictatorship, and it was dominated by regional caudillos (military strongmen) well into the 20th century. The country has had democratic governments since 1958; before that, like most countries of Latin America, it suffered some coups and military dictatorships. Economic shocks in the 1980s and 1990s led to a political crisis causing hundreds of deaths in the Caracazo riots of 1989, two attempted coups in 1992, and the impeachment of President Carlos Andrés Pérez for embezzlement of public funds in 1993. A collapse in confidence in the existing parties saw the 1998 election of former career officer Hugo Chávez and the launch of the Bolivarian Revolution, beginning with a 1999 Constituent Assembly to write a new Constitution of Venezuela.

Venezuela is a federal presidential republic consisting of 23 states, the Capital District (covering Caracas), and Federal Dependencies (covering Venezuela's offshore islands). Venezuela also claims all Guyanese territory west of the Essequibo River; this 159,500 square kilometres (61,583 sq mi) tract was dubbed Guayana Esequiba or the Zona en Reclamación (the "zone being reclaimed&quot .[5]

Venezuela is among the most urbanized countries in Latin America;[6][7] the vast majority of Venezuelans live in the cities of the north, especially in the capital, Caracas, which is also the largest city in Venezuela. Since the discovery of oil in the early 20th century, Venezuela has been one of the world's leading exporters of oil and has the largest oil reserves. Previously an underdeveloped exporter of agricultural commodities such as coffee and cocoa, oil quickly came to dominate exports and government revenues. The 1980s oil glut led to an external debt crisis and a long-running economic crisis, which saw inflation peak at 100% in 1996 and poverty rates rise to 66% in 1995[8] as (by 1998) per capita GDP fell to the same level as 1963, down a third from its 1978 peak.[9]

The recovery of oil prices after 2001 boosted the Venezuelan economy and facilitated social spending, although the fallout of the 2008 global financial crisis saw a renewed economic downturn. By late 2010 Venezuela's economy had some growth,[10] though this has been sluggish and accompanied by high inflation and shortages.[11] In February 2013, Venezuela devalued its currency due to the rising shortages in the country.[12] Shortages of items included toilet paper, milk, flour and other necessities.[13] As of November 2013, Venezuela's inflation has also greatly increased to 54%.

Never been there, would love to go.

March 31, 2014

How valuable is Facebook for Democrats ?

I have absolutely no idea. I no longer use FB. I got bored with it. If it advances the "Democratic cause" substantially, then that's a great thing !

Steve

March 31, 2014

BPS.AdwarePolice = a new nasty to me

https://www.emsisoft.com/en/malware/Adware.Win32.BPSAdwarePolice-remove.aspx

I have no idea how I got this, and I'm very careful.

FYI.

March 31, 2014

-89 F at Dome C, Antarctica right now

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=-75.12100220,123.37400055&sp=89828

You think YOU'RE cold ?????

March 31, 2014

"What's it like to play basketball with President Obama?"

(President Obama): My hair's getting grayer, but I'd like to think I've still got a decent jump shot.

And whenever I play pickup games with my staff or friends and family, I make sure they know not to go easy on me. A couple of years ago, I got elbowed in the lip pretty hard and needed 12 stitches, so even the President isn't immune to injuries.

But in all seriousness, nearly 2 million Americans went to the emergency room last year because of a sports-related injury, so I can't overstate how important it is for everyone -- and especially athletes -- to make sure they've got health insurance.

A recent study shows that a broken arm could cost the average person nearly $7,700 if they're uninsured. A sprained ankle could cost you $2,290 without insurance. So, this is a big deal if you take a hard hit.

If you or someone you know needs health insurance, go to HealthCare.gov to check out your options and enroll in a health insurance plan that makes sense for you and your family. A lot of folks qualify for lower-cost coverage: six in ten uninsured Americans may get covered for $100 a month or less, and even more people qualify for tax subsidies.

Again, the deadline to enroll for this year is March 31st, so make sure you check it out this week. You've got just six days left.

http://www.quora.com/Whats-it-like-to-play-basketball-with-President-Obama

Register to get full benefits of the site.

March 31, 2014

Hettinger, ND set a record low temperature of 10 for Mar 31

http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KHEI/2014/03/31/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA

March 31, 2014

Which Browser Is Most Secure On Your Old Windows XP System?

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/browser-secure-old-windows-xp-system/

Hope this helps a few. DO NOT USE INTERNET EXPLORER, unless you absolutely have to.

March 31, 2014

Post your rig (your hardware setup)

Case = Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower

Motherboard = GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3

CPU= AMD FX-8350 Black Edition Vishera 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W

GPU = 2x Sapphire Nvidia GTX 560

PSU = CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V

Memory (RAM) = G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

CPU cooler = stock

GPU cooler = None

Hardware RAID card = 3ware 9650SE-4LPML

SSD's = 4 x Mushkin 40GB SATA II MLC

Headset = Logitech G930 USB Connector Circumaural Wireless Gaming Headset

Cable Modem = MOTOROLA SB6121 SURFboard

Scanner = EPSON Perfection V30 B11B193141 4800 dpi 48bit USB 2.0

Thumb drive = Mushkin Enhanced Mulholland 16GB USB 2.0

USB Hub = GWC HU2SA0 USB 2.0 10-Port Hub

Router = Linksys WRT54GL Wireless Broadband Router 802.11b/g

Keyboard = Saitek Eclipse II Illuminated

Mouse = Logitech MX 518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 1800 dpi

OS = Windows 8.1 x64

Before I get chastised (this is DU after all), this is my HOBBY. Some people spend money on golf, some on cars, some on boats. This is my hobby. Nuff said.

March 31, 2014

off-topic anecdote about AA

In about 1984, when I was young and naive and in grad school, I called up the local AA support line to find a meeting I could go to for my research requirement for a class. The guy on the phone told me, go to location X. Ok, I thanked him and went to location X at the prescribed time.

I went into the meeting room and it was filled with all men. Coffee pot, steel folding chairs, filled to capacity pretty much. Location X is in a semi-tony suburb of my birth town, so there was every stratum of humanity there. I don't remember seeing a single woman there.

The meeting got under way and the men began to say the archetypal "Hi, I'm Joe and I'm an alcoholic" type of introduction, and then tell their story. This went on for about 30 minutes or so, so I heard several stories. Of course, I could not tell you today who they were even if they shook my hand.

The leader of the meeting looked around and spied me in the back. I was obviously a newcomer. He called on me and asked me if I wished to speak. I said " Hi, I'm Steve and I'm not an alcoholic but I'm here to do a bit of research. I'd like to talk to some of you." Words to that effect.

A hush fell over the room. I was hustled out of there faster than you can say HUZZAH. It was a polite hustling, though. A couple of men said, um, you were given a CLOSED meeting, and not an open meeting where everyone can come and ask questions. I was very embarrassed, apologized profusely and promised gravely not to compromise anyone's confidentiality. Satisfied with that reassurance, they bid me good luck and went back into the meeting.

MORAL OF THE STORY: All AA meetings are NOT alike. MOST of them are closed to alcoholics or people who may think they are alcoholics. If you simply want information, go to an OPEN meeting. Make sure you make that 10000% obvious to the person on the phone if you call them. It's obvious the guy on the phone did not understand what I wanted, or it's also possible I was not clear enough.

Steve