tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225855.post3026194258630832916..comments2023-10-18T16:25:13.593+01:00Comments on Famous for 15 megapixels: GamblingStefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467757421113856218noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225855.post-12126698061259175712007-02-03T14:22:00.000+00:002007-02-03T14:22:00.000+00:00@Tony
"The Conspiracy Theories of the World"!
Hm...@Tony<br /><br />"The Conspiracy Theories of the World"!<br /><br />Hmmm, an interesting idea<br /><br />There's probably scope for a non-judgemental website along those lines...Stefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01467757421113856218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225855.post-34712252494891453172007-02-03T14:20:00.000+00:002007-02-03T14:20:00.000+00:00@anon re. the Poet
Thanks, I hadn't seen that ess...@anon re. the Poet<br /><br />Thanks, I hadn't seen that essay - or the poem - I love those little annotations down the side...Stefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01467757421113856218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225855.post-15772022532832613062007-02-03T01:14:00.000+00:002007-02-03T01:14:00.000+00:00Casinos, unlike the one we see in the latest James...Casinos, unlike the one we see in the latest James Bond, are depressing. To your knowledge, here in Quebec and in Canada in general, while cities still open Casinos, as part of the 'We bring you economic development' with the blessing of the provincial and federal governments, governmental agencies, or if you wish, public money, are heavily funding psycho-social and biological research on the gambling addiction phenomenon. They are not asking for accountability from researchers into this kind of research as they would ask for other research projects, which means that as long as they can tell the people that they are spending some money to help them, they don't care what will come out of this. This is pure Hypocrisy because we know very well what will come out of this: we will be told that there is a psychobiological problem behind gambling addiction. Well it may be because people who gamble have other mental illnesses most of the time but that does not justify implementing casinos everywhere. <br /><br />This works the same way as some environmental hazards that would provoke cancer for example in people who have already the gene. Would you put someone with a genetic risk for lung cancer in a smokers environement ? The government is banning cigarettes from public places and it should do the same with casinos, they are environmental hazards for the desperate and the mentally ill.Sophiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09577807573716384982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225855.post-65576693472673166402007-02-02T23:51:00.000+00:002007-02-02T23:51:00.000+00:00I think the availability of internet gambling has ...I think the availability of internet gambling has pretty much bitten off the Casino debate.<br /><br />The circus of human misery will no doubt decamp to whichever town wins the gig. The government gets the cash - and I'm sure they will put it all on black.DEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13468138772103258101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225855.post-84386815204629731422007-02-02T21:59:00.000+00:002007-02-02T21:59:00.000+00:00I forgot to say: Nice series covering "The Conspir...I forgot to say: Nice series covering "The Conspiracy Theories of the World"!Tonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17656677562262684318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225855.post-49037352696027592982007-02-02T18:10:00.000+00:002007-02-02T18:10:00.000+00:00And as to the drugs exported from Afghanistan: I t...And as to the drugs exported from Afghanistan: I think that those responsible for the NATO and US forces there either don't care about this problem or realize that they could not change anything anyway with a total of 58.000 NATA and US troops.<br /><br />After all, they are there to fight the Al-Qaeda, the head of "international terrorism".Tonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17656677562262684318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225855.post-36747932724363291822007-02-02T17:55:00.000+00:002007-02-02T17:55:00.000+00:00By now, I think that a significant portion of the ...By now, I think that a significant portion of the people working for the state are interested in only their own benefit.<br /><br />My wild guess (in the "Pull the numbers out of the ass" <a href="http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/01/atheists_in_jai.html">school of thought</a>):<br />10 % of state-employees are genuinely interested in the welfare of the public<br /><br />This is balanced off by:<br />5 % are genuine crooks<br />20 % who are mainly interested in their own benefit (reach a better position, do less work)<br />25 % used to care, but have given up<br />40 % don't have a clue at all<br /><br />The higher in the food chain, the more (criminal) energy you need to reach this level, the higher the number of crooks.<br /><br />Now, introduce some people who have genuine interest in the public welfare (but don't have a clue). Lets say these people want to fight drugs, because they think drugs are bad. So they go ahead and do the wrong things, making drugs expensive. Now there is money to be made in the drugs business, and lots of it. So other people, who have to operate outside of the law end up with lots of money, money they can use to "connect" with the significant number of crooks in the system.<br /><br />So, by now, I think what we see with regards to the drugs is just the ghost in the machine. It is a system which stabilizes itself. It was a slight imbalance in the system at the beginning, but it has become a large crack (no pun intended) by now.<br /><br />And once you end up in this machine, there is no way out. Once you have, for example, taken money, there is no way to undo this. Everybody who has made this mistake, will become a part of the machine. No exit. One is open to blackmail. The system stabilizes itself.<br /><br />I think this is a function of rules we have. To change this, we would need to change the rules of the system. But different rules mean different problems.Tonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17656677562262684318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225855.post-63831291820595380242007-02-02T10:53:00.000+00:002007-02-02T10:53:00.000+00:00The Poet and former diplomat has an interesting es...The <a href="http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~pdscott/">Poet</a> and former diplomat has an interesting essay on <a href="http://lobster-magazine.co.uk/articles/global-drug.htm">Far West</a> (he's also done a poetry <a href="http://lobster-magazine.co.uk/articles/liberation.htm">version</a>!).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com