Haven't seen this one in circulation yet:

Dear Chancellor Merkel,

The never-ending austerity that Europe is force-feeding the Greek people is simply not working. Now Greece has loudly said no more.

As most of the world knew it would, austerity has crushed the Greek economy, led to mass unemployment, a collapse of the banking system, made the external debt crisis far worse, with the debt problem escalating to an unpayable 175% of GDP. The economy now lies broken with tax receipts nose-diving, output and employment depressed, and businesses starved of capital.

The humanitarian impact has been colossal – 40% of children now live in poverty, infant mortality is sky-rocketing and youth unemployment is close to 50%. Corruption, tax evasion and bad accounting by previous Greek governments helped create the debt problem. But the series of so-called adjustment programs has served only to make a Great Depression the likes of which have been unseen in Europe since 1929-1933. The medicine prescribed by the German Finance Ministry and Brussels has bled the patient, not cured the disease.

Together we urge you to lead Europe to a course correction before it is too late for Greece and for the Eurozone. Right now, the Greek government is being asked to put a gun to its head and pull the trigger. Sadly, the bullet will not only kill off Greece’s future in Europe. The collateral damage will kill the Eurozone as a beacon of hope, prosperity, and democracy, and could lead to far-reaching economic consequences across the world.

In the 1950s Europe was founded on the forgiveness of past debts, notably Germany’s, which generated a massive contribution to post-war economic growth, peace, and democracy. Today we need to restructure and reduce Greek debt, give the economy breathing room to recover, and allow Greece to pay off a reduced burden of debt over a long period of time. Now is the time for a humane rethink of the punitive and failed programme of austerity of recent years and to agree to a major reduction of Greece’s debts in conjunction with much needed reforms in Greece.

We urge you to take this vital action of leadership for Greece and Germany, and also for the world. History will remember you for your actions this week. We expect and count on you to provide the bold and generous steps towards Greece that will serve Europe for generations to come.

Yours sincerely,

Heiner Flassbeck, former State Secretary in the German Federal Ministry of Finance;

Thomas Piketty, Professor of Economics at the Paris School of Economics;

Jeffrey D. Sachs, Professor of Sustainable Development, Professor of Health Policy and Management, and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University;

Dani Rodrik, Albert O. Hirschman Professor of Social Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton;

Simon Wren-Lewis, Professor of economics, Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Nice links. I like this particular section very much:

As for accountability of teachers and administrators, Sahlberg shrugs. "There's no word for accountability in Finnish," he later told an audience at the Teachers College of Columbia University. "Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted."

For Sahlberg what matters is that in Finland all teachers and administrators are given prestige, decent pay, and a lot of responsibility. A master's degree is required to enter the profession, and teacher training programs are among the most selective professional schools in the country. If a teacher is bad, it is the principal's responsibility to notice and deal with it.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'Szabolcs Marka, columbia university, mosquitoe, forcefield, laser' to 'Szabolcs Marka, columbia university, mosquito, forcefield, laser' - edited by calvados

"in the past 6 years, scientists have discovered that the substance retains some amazing properties. Some say that it will be heralded as one of the materials that will literally change our lives in the 21st century. Not only is graphene the thinnest possible material that is feasible, but it's also about 200 times stronger than steel and conducts electricity better than any material known to man—at room temperature. Researchers at Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering who proved that graphene is the strongest material ever measured said that "It would take an elephant, balanced on a pencil, to break through a sheet of graphene the thickness of Saran Wrap."

"

Funny, she says "we didn't try to ban them from speaking" (so it's not freedom of speech issue), as if preventing him from speaking by storming the stage is somehow better.

This reminds me of university student mobs described on Pinker's "Blank Slate." One biology researcher (Herrnstein) was misquoted in pro-racist literature and then found that he could no longer speak about his research specialty, learning in pigeons, because wherever he went the lecture halls were filled with chanting mobs.

Even Ahmadinejad was able to give his speech uninterrupted at Columbia university, is this guy so much worse?

Curiosity is fine, but it is not wise to take every perspective seriously without checking how sound it is.

Look at what we are dealing with here:

"David Albert, a philosopher of physics and professor at Columbia University, who according to a Popular Science article, is "outraged at the final product," because the filmmakers interviewed him about quantum mechanics unrelated to consciousness or spirituality, and then edited the material in such a way that he feels misrepresented his views"

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2004-10/cult-science


You want to learn about quantum physics, then consult with PHYSICISTS, not a woman who thinks she is 3500 years old and makes a film to promote her cult.

You cant stop asking questions? then study real science and philosophy, from actual philosophers, and from reliable science sources. This video and the movie, and the movement behind it, are not reliable.

This is the same thing as that movie called the Secret. you gain absolutely nothing from it. Just because these films make you wonder and feel good, does not mean you have gained any truth or have expanded your perspectives. How can you expand it form something that is false and misleading?

Admitting one's ignorance about reality is great and should be applauded, but there is a reason why philosophers use the Socratic method, and scientists use the scientific method whenever a new idea comes along. The ideas presented here do not pass either of those tests.

Don't take this as an attack, I'm just trying to show you that this is not the content to stimulate your curiosity of things.

You should do standup.

In reply to this comment by deathcow:
oh she's pretty but if you google image search for "natalie portman fake" you'll be shocked at all the porn she has done.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

fivethirtyeight had this to say about what we'll know when the polls close at 7PM Eastern time:


Andrew Gelman of Columbia University has taken a recent set of our simulations to look at what may happen conditional on the outcomes of the first states to close their polls at 6 and 7 PM. The bottom line? If those states go roughly as expected (meaning, say, an Obama win in Virginia and a close race in Indiana), we can conclude with almost literal 100 percent certainty that Obama will win the election


(emphasis mine)

You are so full of shit it's sad. Typical of the American Con, you completely ignore what is relevant and embrace whatever triffle you think proves your point.

You're an asshole, man. I'd appreciate it if you'd keep this shit to the posts instead of dirtying my profile with your stupidity.

In reply to this comment by deedub81:
You didn't supply a summary of Palin's achievements. If you remove the summary of what Obama has done since being elected it turns into this:

Palin served two terms on the Wasilla, Alaska City Council from 1992 to 1996, and was elected mayor of Wasilla in 1996. In 2002, she was elected Governor of Alaska.

Obama was elected to, and seved in the Illinois State Senate from 1997-2004. He was elected to serve in the US House of Representatives in 2000.

In short: Palin has exactly 5 more years of experience in government, and 6 more years of experience in an executive position. It comes across a lot differently when you write it out in non-propoganda format.






In reply to this comment by rougy:
There is really no comparison between Palin's experience and Obama's.

I cut this from the center of Metafilter, but I think it's pretty accurate:

From wikipedia:

Palin's experience: After being selected as the runner up in the 1984 Miss Alaska contest, Palin served two terms on the Wasilla, Alaska City Council from 1992 to 1996, was elected mayor of Wasilla in 1996, and ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor in 2002.

After charging ethical violations by state Republican Party leaders, she won election in 2006 by first defeating the incumbent governor in the Republican primary, then a former Democratic Alaskan governor in the general election.

Obama's experience: A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he served as president of the Harvard Law Review, Obama worked as a community organizer and practiced as a civil rights attorney before serving in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, he announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate in January 2003. After a primary victory in March 2004, Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. He was elected to the Senate in November 2004 with 70% of the vote.

As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, he helped create legislation to control conventional weapons and to promote greater public accountability in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. During the 110th Congress, he helped create legislation regarding lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military personnel. After announcing his presidential campaign in February 2007, Obama emphasized withdrawing American troops from Iraq, energy independence, decreasing the influence of lobbyists, and promoting universal health care as top national priorities.

Who sounds more qualified to be President?

There is really no comparison between Palin's experience and Obama's.

I cut this from the center of Metafilter, but I think it's pretty accurate:

From wikipedia:

Palin's experience: After being selected as the runner up in the 1984 Miss Alaska contest, Palin served two terms on the Wasilla, Alaska City Council from 1992 to 1996, was elected mayor of Wasilla in 1996, and ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor in 2002.

After charging ethical violations by state Republican Party leaders, she won election in 2006 by first defeating the incumbent governor in the Republican primary, then a former Democratic Alaskan governor in the general election.

Obama's experience: A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he served as president of the Harvard Law Review, Obama worked as a community organizer and practiced as a civil rights attorney before serving in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, he announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate in January 2003. After a primary victory in March 2004, Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. He was elected to the Senate in November 2004 with 70% of the vote.

As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, he helped create legislation to control conventional weapons and to promote greater public accountability in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. During the 110th Congress, he helped create legislation regarding lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military personnel. After announcing his presidential campaign in February 2007, Obama emphasized withdrawing American troops from Iraq, energy independence, decreasing the influence of lobbyists, and promoting universal health care as top national priorities.

Who sounds more qualified to be President?

CFR:
-William Bundy credited the CFR's study groups with helping to lay the framework of thinking that led to the Marshall Plan and NATO.

-The Council served as a "breeding ground" for important American policies such as mutual deterrence, arms control, and nuclear non-proliferation.

-Dwight D. Eisenhower chaired a CFR study group while he served as President of Columbia University.


and

-The John Birch Society believes that the CFR plans a one-world government.



So you've got Alex Jones, Ron Paul and a bunch of Birchers, all pissing and moaning because of 1)The Marshall Plan & NATO 2) Nuclear Non-proliferation 3)The guy who warned us all against the "military industrial complex".


Puke.

You guys should go back to your "WTC7 was a timed demolition!!"

And now a special on the mysterious triangle between womens legs...

George Shafer of Columbia Universities Tech department states: No such phenomena were observed, it's probably an urban myth folks...

Pics or it didnt happen!

In reply to this comment by MarineGunrock:
Tits or GTFO!

^Go bathe.I hear cold water and shouting in a mirror does wonders.

See diagram from Neatorama, mapping the ownership of media.
See Columbia university for the next generation of suicide jumpers in positions of(anti)power.

Obama has issued a decree: Mexicans need not learn English-Americans must learn Spanish-(this just in, 200 million dollars for homeless Veterans needed(Obama written) for troops retuning to wives that have been fucking their best friends, and preparing a place for them back home.

^ Out of curiosity, why--and in what way--do you dislike him?...

Let me try tofumar-

Political Nobody
Senator since 05'
Nefarious association with fringe Liberation Theology church (God+political activism+Marxist class-struggle bullshit) pastored by afro-centric blow-hard.
NAFTA and NAU dickless, will fast-forward the process rather than address those issues, which trump the concerns of health care and the war in Iraq with the MAJORITY of Americans.


His appeal with most of the 20-somethings seems to be his articulation and command of the English language and semantics, and his youthful and energetic appearance...and his skin color, all a welcome change of course, from the otolaryngologically-challenged, lying, elitist good-ol-boy of the past 8 years...

other than that, same old same old...
Harvard Law Grad, Columbia University Grad, got some blood running through his veins that have run through all president's veins since Washington-(blood kin with Bush and Cheney, unless you have forgotten)

He's a goddamn insider-implant, exactly like Clinton, like all presidents are. Welcome to Amerimexicanada.