Larry Kuperman

Proud To Be American in Current Events JoeUser Forums

The United States has rushed to the aid of earthquake victims in Iran. While we may end up at war with the government of Iran in the near future, I think that it shows the humanity of Americans that we have rushed to help the Iranian people. The death toll after the recent earthquake in the city of Bam now stands at 28,000. Without food, blankets and medical supplies, more people would have died. So far, the United States has rushed over 168.5 tons of supplies to the region. No

Reply to aethiests of the world unite in Philosophy JoeUser Forums

"there aren't any intelligent people who don't believe in God?" Famous atheists: http://www.visi.com/~markg/atheists.html

Reply to NFL thread in WinCustomize Talk WinCustomize Forums

Kansas City is fun to watch, Dick Vermeil is a great (strange, but great) coach. But they have no defense. The 49'ers didn't look like much without Owens in their last game. Since it is doubtful that T.O. will be coming back next year, I hear that they may try to get Jerry Rice back. Good luck. As for the Eagles' odds, please see http://www.vegas.com/gaming/futures/superbowl.html It can assumed that the Las Vegas bookies know a little something and they have the Eagles at 4 to

Reply to NFL thread in WinCustomize Talk WinCustomize Forums

Can you believe the Vikings losing to Arizona the way that they did? Talk about a choke! And how 'bout them Lions spoiling the Rams party? Kona, I don't think that the Eagles will go far, too many injuries, but they played an heroic season. The NFC looks kinda weak this year. I'm gonna go with my heart not my head and say that the Packers ride Favre's heart (not his arm) and meet the Pats in the Superbowl.

Reply to Don't misunderstand the American character in Politics JoeUser Forums

Saddam Hussein's rise to power (courtesy of PBS): http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/iraq/war/player1.html The Revolutionary Command Council was not a pro-US group. Nationalizing the oil production was not pro-US. The Scud missles used during the 1990 war were Russian designed and of Chinese construction. Facts on who benefited from keeping Saddam Hussein in power: http://www.heritage.org/Research/MiddleEast/wm217.cfm The largest supplie

Reply to Avoid Israeli Women, Foreign Workers Told in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Wahkonta Anathema, with all due respect, its not genocide. If you said "racial purity" laws, I would agree. Racial purity laws are equaly repugnant to me, but not the same as genocide. No race is being murdered. Using the term "genocide" in anything but a literal sense, to me it denigrates what happened in Rwanda, what happened to Jews and the Roma during World War II and other places. Just a point of sensitivity on my part. Please also note that in my earlier post, I questioned the val

Reply to Elemental: War of Magic Version 1.1 Released in Press Room JoeUser Forums

Both Liberals and Conservatives tar with an equally wide brush. The opening statement of this post is a perfect example. "Many Liberals and Sophists around the world have come to the ill conceived conclusion that George W Bush is a Roman emperor." The remark is attributed to Liberals, but did any Liberal actually say that? A quick Google search shows that President Bush was referred to as "Caesar Bush" by La Razon, a right-wing Spanish paper. The comment was made in reference to the President's

Reply to The Capture of Saddam Hussein - A Non American Perspective in Politics JoeUser Forums

The capture of Saddam Huessin was important to the future stability of the region, if for no other reason than removing him as a rallying point. But if you believe in justice, then his capture certainly was important to the families of those who were buried in the mass graves. Why was Eichmann's capture and trial so important? It was long after WWII, he wasn't going to build new concentration camps after all. But it was important to those of us that believe mass murderers should be punished.

Reply to Core difference between Left and Right wingers in Politics JoeUser Forums

"yet the economy hummed along so well because of the continuing success of Reaganomics" American Presidents tend to receive more credit than is their due when the economy goes well and more blame than is their due when the economy goes poorly, IMHO. That is true for both the Clinton and Reagan administrations. In large measure what the President can do is to effect consumer confidence, which effects spending and the stock market. Tax breaks to stimulate the economy and government spendi

Reply to Avoid Israeli Women, Foreign Workers Told in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Several points need to be made here. Israel is a multi-racial society. Jews and Israeli are not necessarily "white" however you care to define that. Most American Jews are Ashkenazi, meaning of Eastern European descent. So that is the picture that most Americans and Europeans have. But Judaism is a religion and culture, not a race. According to the Bible, the Jewish people are descended from Abraham through Isaac, as the Arab race is descended from Abraham through Ishmael, both peoples

The Earthquake In Iran in Current Events JoeUser Forums

An earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck the city of Barn in Iran on Saturday. Casualty estimates vary from 5,000 to 20,000 dead. Eighty percent of the historic city was destroyed and the truth is that no one knows how many are dead in the rubble. The government of Iran has appealed for international aid and US and European aid teams are expected to arrive beginning today. It is freezing cold in the city and many people only have the clothes that they were wearing when the quake hit. The c

Three Books For Winter Reading in Books JoeUser Forums

I go to my local library a lot, but usually I know what I want. I recently has some time when I was early for an appointment, visited the local branch and came out with three diverse titles that were all really enjoyable. The first that I read was William Gibson's Pattern Recognition. I am a big Gibson fan, going back to Neuromancer. This book, while still classified as Science Fiction, is very close to today's current events. It is a wonderful commentary on today's art and culture, par

Reply to Subscription Drive hits 500 on Christmas day! in WinCustomize News WinCustomize Forums

Sorry, Jafo, but I can't resist. That should be "sown" as in planted, not "sewn" as in thread. Merry Christmas and thanks to everyone that helped!

The New Peter Pan in Movies & TV & Books JoeUser Forums

I took my nine-year old daughter, Lauren, to see the new Peter Pan today. A really enjoyable film, I must say. I am referring to the latest version of Peter Pan, from Universal Studios. The movie stars Jeremy Sumpter, Jason Isaacs, Lynn Redgrave, Ludivine Sagnier and Olivia Williams. Except of course for Lynn Redgrave, I was not familiar with any of the cast members. But the quality of the acting was quite good and, in the context of this being a children's fantasy film, they created

Successful Management in Business JoeUser Forums

I've been in business for about 25 years, as a middle or senior manager for about 20 of those years. I've worked for some pretty successful organizations and some unsuccessful ones. Successful organizations have a number of qualities in common, whether in healthcare, finance, telecommunications or technology. When I worked for Henry Ford Health Systems, managers received training in the Edward Deming method of Total Quality Management or TQM for short. I've been through a lot of trainin

Reply to Board Sections due to users! in WinCustomize Talk WinCustomize Forums

I'll probably get my kilt flamed for this, but who am i to care. Thats an image to carry me through the holidays! Voo, I told you we light CANDLES not KILTS! But you are so right.

Reply to Happy Hanukkah! in Movies & TV & Books JoeUser Forums

I am not sure that I can respond to this in any way that would not be considered a flame, but I will try. The Old Testament contained many prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah. Jesus is not considered to have met these by Jews. Mathew reinterpreted them to show that Jesus had. See http://jeromekahn123.tripod.com/newtestament/id21.html for a discussion in detail. To me, it is a point that can be debated. My own belief is that it is not important, as long as you live your life w

Reply to Happy Hanukkah! in WinCustomize Talk WinCustomize Forums

I thought it was pretty funny, but what do I know? [Message Edited]

Happy Hanukkah! in Movies & TV & Books JoeUser Forums

Tonight marks the start of the Hanukkah holiday, a festival lasting eight nights. Each night an additional candle is lit on the Mennorah, Hanukkah being the festival of lights. Most non-Jews know that it is a holiday, but not what it is about. Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. In 168 BCE (Before the Common Era) an army of Hellenistic Syrians invaded and conquered Israel. The Syrian king, Antiochus, decreed that everyone had to adopt the customs of Greece.

Happy Hanukkah to All! in WinCustomize Talk WinCustomize Forums

Tonight marks the start of the Hanukkah holiday, a festival lasting eight nights. Each night an additional candle is lit on the Mennorah, Hanukkah being the festival of lights. Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. In 168 BCE (Before the Common Era) an army of Hellenistic Syrians invaded and conquered Israel. The Syrian king, Antiochus, decreed that everyone had to adopt the customs of Greece. He outlawed the practice of Jewish rituals, even the observance of

Wal-Mart Launches On-Line Music Store in Business JoeUser Forums

Yesterday, Wal-Mart launched its on-line music store. Offering songs for download at $.88, below the $.99 price of iTunes, Wal-Mart is hoping to lure customers by offering cutomers "Value. Selection. Simplicity." When the world's largest retailer enters a market, you have to take notice. Some quick comparisons lead me to call the Wal-Mart store the "budget" store for on-line music purchases. Lacking a user interfce as slick as Apples, Wal-Mart instead relies on customers having Microsof

Reply to What's In A Word? in Politics JoeUser Forums

Well.............thank you! I am a little overawed at the praise, but thanks.

What's In A Word? in Politics JoeUser Forums

The guiding principle of General Semantics is that "The map is not the territory." Maps, like words, are symbolic representations. That is to say, what we call a thing doesn't change that thing. But in politics, the words we use sure do change the perceptions of people and things. When a word is used too often and too abstractly, it loses all meaning. It can mean anything and also nothing. Liberal and Conservative are perfect examples. They mean so many things, describe so many position

Reply to The Democratic Party- Wha' Happened? in Politics JoeUser Forums

Yesterday, Time Magazine featured an article that echoed my sentiments about a lack of position in the Dean campaign. The Time article can be seen at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101031222-561439,00.html A quote from this article goes as follows: "the former Vermont Governor confronts a new and substantial challenge: having got this far by telling Democrats what he is against, he must start telling them what he is for. Dean needs to step up and define himself" or th

Reply to Stardock's Affiliate Program in WinCustomize Talk WinCustomize Forums

Nikos, a Merry Christmas to you as well.