impulse

Zebra crossings in much of the world just convey permission to cross with no fear of a jaywalking violation. They don't convey right of way. The traffic signals do that. Or they don't, if there's no signal there. There's quite a few zebras in Bangkok that have signals. Do you figure traffic would ever move if there were no signals to regulate pedestrians at intersections like this? Edit: Reminds me of some protests in So California where I lived in the '90s (where zebra crossings do convey right of way). Protestors completely gridlocked traffic by simply walking back and forth across the zebras.

You conveniently left out the quote from Erik Prince, former SEAL and founder of Blackwater. We need to bring that war to a close because all Ukraine is doing right now is destroying itself demographically. They’re chewing up the next generation of manpower that they really can’t really replace right now. One more time, here's the CNN map of the region from last February (2023). Tell me, what gains has Ukraine made in the past year that justify the tens of thousands of lives and $ tens of billions of treasure squandered? It's time to stop the killing and start the rebuilding. It'll be an ugly peace, but there is no other viable end point other than forever war.

You mean the country that has 4% of the world's population and over 15% of the world's Covid deaths? That country with the "best healthcare in the world"? About a year ago, I went to the ER for a toothache around midnight, just to get some pain meds to tide me over until the dentist's office opened the next day. The bill was over $1,500 for a 10 minute discussion with a nurse practitioner, nothing else. She offered me an oxycontin, but only if I'd take it in front of her, which I declined because I drove myself. She wouldn't give me a single pill to take home with me. But she did give me a script to fill when the pharmacies opened the next morning at 8:00. So, effectively, $1,500 for a Tylenol. Best healthcare in the world, indeed.

It's great that both Meta and Google have tipped their hand early in the rollout, before they got a chance to hide their true intentions behind a better crafted disguise. Garbage in will always result in garbage out, regardless of how much they will cloak it as neutral and authoritative.

You mean like Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater? Erik Prince: “We need to bring that war to a close because all Ukraine is doing right now is destroying itself demographically. They’re chewing up the next generation of manpower that they really can’t really replace right now. They don’t have enough manpower. The Western defense base is pathetic. And you’re not going to out-conventional war the Russian Bear. And I would say an ugly peace is better than whatever their idea of an ideal war is. Patrick Bet David: Well, what is an ugly peace though? Erik Prince: Meaning, freeze the lines, straighten the lines… Let them keep Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, whatever. It’s not the American taxpayer’s obligation to spend another hundred billion dollars in Ukraine when there’s been significant corruption and really nothing to show for it.” Or Elon? Elon Musk agrees with Erik Prince. Unfortunately, that is true — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 2, 2024 https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/blackwater-founder-erik-prince-ukraine-we-need-bring/

I'd use a 12" cut-off saw, after wrapping tape over the intended cut. Cut as slow and gentle as you can stand it for the smoothest edge, then use the side of the blade to chamfer the edge. Again, minimal pressure for the smoothest results. Don't just reef on it. And if you don't have a 12" cut off saw, I suggest anyone with the space to buy one. They are extremely handy for so many jobs around the house. About 1400 baht on Lazada. I'd spring for the 1750 baht Maktec because I always had good luck with Makita's economy brand of power tools.

Interesting doings in RT about a leaked German military discussion about how to take out the Crimean bridge. It's RT, so I take it with a grain of salt. But knowing what the other side is thinking is never a bad idea. It'll be more interesting to see how the Germans spin the leaked call. So far, their response hasn't been a denial. Just a promise to find out how the information leaked. It's all on RT for those who are not curiosity challenged...

Excellent, unbiased reporting of the facts there. Here's another thought... Why not quit throwing money and lives into an already lost cause, admit that US meddling in the region has failed to produce the desired results (just like it has all over the world) and offer up the funding to rebuild what's left of Ukraine instead of forcing Putin to take the rest of the country that he really doesn't want? As a consolation, they could give preference to Raytheon, KBR, etc. when it comes to rebuilding money. Here's the map from a year ago (CNN). What, exactly have the tens of $billions squandered and the tens (hundreds?) of thousands of lives wasted accomplished in the last 12 months?

Oh God, yawn yawn yawn. So where do you think they're going to make up the shortfall when 20, 30, or 40% of the vehicles on the road aren't paying their fair share of the road fuel taxes to maintain the roads? While at the same time, those heavier EVs are tearing up the roads faster than the people who are paying?

No. It was a Uniparty bill.

Wait until they snap to the fact that all those EVs aren't paying road fuel taxes and they're tearing up the roads twice as much, due to sheer weight. I don't know where they're going to make up the shortfall, but someone's gonna be paying more... These increases are going to look like chump change.

They don't seem to conclude which is the cause, and which is the result... Maybe unhealthy people more likely to turn to mind altering substances? Or the same phenomena that create poor health also increase the odds of using weed? Of course, there's a "right" answer, but I don't trust the American health care system to tell us what it is. Not with 4% of the world's population, more spending on health care than any other country (by far), and yet over 15% of the world's Covid deaths...

If Biden didn't happen to mention that the defeated bill called for allowing 1.8 million illegals in, he was the fibber in that story. Or that, even after 1.8 million, it's up to the executive branch to actually enforce immigration laws, which nobody believes he would, based on past results. Good to see CNN is still carrying his water, though. Just confirms they'll continue swirling down the toilet...

I'm always pleased to see politicians reaping the chaos they sow. Living in the very world they created. I'd be against granting them any special security measures until they grant the same security to the people who pay their salaries. Then maybe they'll fix the issues. As long as they're insulated, they couldn't give a rat. That's why I'm also in favor of term limits, so they know they'll have to make their way in the community they created. And sooner than they'd probably like.

With no judgment on his tenure, he should have been gone 5 minutes after he locked up on camera, for the entire world to see his condition.

Always attacking the source, and not the actual data. So, show me the data from a "less biased source". BTW, fact checkers are usually more biased than the checkees.

The toughest part is going to be to gut their entire staff. Because that's what it's going to take.

Back in the early '80s, a bartender I worked with used to do dynamic pricing based on how drunk and obnoxious the customers got. And how short their skirts were. I don't recall him having a computer, and he was pretty arbitrary.

Here's a good start... At the start of 2023, the net cost of illegal immigration for the United States – at the federal, state, and local levels – was at least $150.7 billion. FAIR arrived at this number by subtracting the tax revenue paid by illegal aliens – just under $32 billion – from the gross negative economic impact of illegal immigration, $182 billion. https://www.fairus.org/issue/publications-resources/fiscal-burden-illegal-immigration-united-states-taxpayers-2023 Here's another: The left continues to press for amnesty for illegal aliens. Using figures from the National Academies of Science, the net life-time fiscal cost of current illegal aliens following amnesty would between $3.8 and $4.2 trillion (in 2022 dollars). https://www.budget.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/rector_testimony_913.pdf And here's why (from the 2nd link): I am 100% in favor of the legal immigration of properly vetted and invited talent. Just not the way it's being done.

As dystopic as it sounds, it may just work. Imagine, right after the lunch rush they made 25 too many burgers and will need to bin them after they time out. Or just before closing, when they generally bin a bunch of excess food. Put them on sale at 1/2 price and it could save them wasting a bunch of food. But that will require a lot of intervention of the local management. Who are just as likely to jack up the price when they see their nemesis pulling into the drive-in.

Speaking of Wendy's, this ought to be fun. Wendy's is trying out dynamic pricing, where the price goes up during mealtime: The fast-food chain’s unappetizing plans, set to be tested in a high-stakes rollout next year, will squeeze more money out of already inflation-battered Americans who may not have the option to eat their meals during “off-peak” hours. https://vigilantnews.com/post/wendys-to-roll-out-high-tech-menu-boards-with-prices-that-change-in-real-time/

The problem went way beyond the software bugs. Boeing hid the MCAS system from regulators and customers so the regulators didn't require retraining to fly the Max, and customers didn't realize their pilots would require retraining, or that their cost saving selection of a single sensor (as opposed to redundancy) would cause a tragedy. Had either of those crashes happened in the USA or Europe, Boeing employees would probably be going to jail, and Boeing would probably be bankrupted by the lawsuits. But they happened in the 3rd world where life can be bought. Here's some insight from a former Boeing Max executive. Key word: former I purposely scheduled myself on a non-MAX airplane. I went to the gate. I walked in, sat down and looked straight ahead, and lo and behold, there was a 737-8/737-9 safety card. So I got up and I walked off. The flight attendant didn’t want me to get off the plane. And I’m not trying to cause a scene. I just want to get off this plane, and I just don’t think it’s safe. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/02/26/former-boeing-employee-speaks-out-00142948

According to the St Louis Fed, 0ver 100% of the "new job growth" over the past 12 months has gone to foreign born workers. Because native born workers' jobs have actually gone down over the past 12 months, from 130,000,000 to 129,807,000. Foreign born workers aren't exactly tearing it up, either, going from 28,692,000 to 29,842,000 jobs in the same period. For a total gain of about a million jobs, all of them (and then some) accruing to foreign born workers. Added to the drop in average hours worked, hardly a robust job market. But it's an election year, so count on the gub'ment indicators to look rosy... Edit: BTW, with around 1 million jobs added, and over 7 million "newly arrived residents", I wonder what the other 6 million are doing for a living? That's what's going to lose Biden Newsom and the Dems 2024. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNU02073395 https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNU02073413 https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CE16OV

Gosh. It sure would be nice to hear about these events before it's too late to participate.

In a perfect world, I'd be safe walking down the street with $100 bills hanging out of my pockets, at any hour day or night. In that world, I could leave my car running to keep the A/C cold while I'm inside a restaurant eating, and I could sleep with both my front and back doors wide open for that nice cross breeze. But in the real world, those would be invitations to victimize me. Same with a lone woman (especially a tourist) walking on the streets after midnight. Sucks, I know. But that's the world I live in, where the wee hours are for sleeping. I'm also curious whether she had traveling companions who also failed her...