impulse

Have you considered upping your donation?

Interesting what Kevin O'Leary had to say on CNN Friday... And so, that's what this case is all about. And by the way, forget about Trump. Every single real estate developer everywhere on earth does this. They always talk about their asset being worth a lot, and the bank says no. That's just the way it is. So, in this case, what I'm trying to figure out, and I'm not pro or con, I don't care about the politics, who lost money? Nobody. The bank got paid back the construction finance loan and a new building was built. And if you're going to sue this case and win, you've got to sue every real estate developer everywhere. This is all they do. This is what they do all day long, every day. So, I don't think this thing will ever survive appeal, regardless of what the fine is. This doesn't even make sense. The interview is all over the right wing blogosphere. Being of a cynical nature, I looked on CNN to confirm that's what the guy actually said. I dare anyone to try to find it on CNN. They buried it. Crickets. I finally found it buried in their "transcripts" section. Had to Bing "Mr Wonderful" to find it. But I guarantee, no CNN viewer will ever know about it. Doesn't fit their narrative. https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lcl/date/2024-01-11/segment/01

It's an intractable problem, because the very people who could solve it are the ones benefitting from the way things are. IMO, the solutions are term limits, campaign finance reforms, and stop shielding the real people that are behind corporate malfeasance. But good luck with that. Too much money going the other way.

But felons can't vote.

So you don't think there's already bots cruising the interwebs looking for keywords and phrases, and listening into our smartphones, and perusing CCTV cameras all over the world? Measuring how many miles you're moving, where you're going, and at what speed? The more benign use (on a personal level) would be to sell us stuff by putting ads in front of us to match what they think we may be willing to pay for. Which is spooky enough. Less benign uses would be to squelch free discussion and shut out views they don't like. And, I suspect, compile lists of "friendlies" and "unfriendlies". Which opens a whole Pandora's box of ways to control us. So yeah. I believe the thought police are already here. And the technology is getting scarier and scarier.

Whaddaya mean "will be"? Already here.

On that, we agree. That's one reason I don't get all excited when the market goes up.

I believe their raw data. And for that reason, I appreciate when TGJIBKK posts it. I still try to check the raw data with other sources to see if it jibes. Their analysis, conclusions and recommendations, not so much. And they'll have to hold a gun to my head to get a 3rd jab in me. My quality of life took a nosedive after Pfizer #2 and still hasn't recovered. Sadly, like a lot of folks, that reluctance has transferred to other vaccines as well.

In my defense, I'd add that, up until about 3 or 4 months ago, I needed a Covid test to board my flights to and from China. And last month, they actually tested us at the airport in China. Nasal swab, but I don't know what for. May have been for weed for all I know...

My bad. I saw the Jan 13 and thought it was today... I wonder how it even popped up so I'd see it. Still, I never hesitate to call the airline with any questions regarding boarding requirements, whether they be Covid or visa related. Too much bad info on the interweb and in forums.

I'm curious what that guarantee includes. Will they just refresh the coating, or is that an agreement to repaint the car if the coating doesn't protect it and the paint fades or peels?

If anyone's still seething over something that happened over 150 years before they were born, they've been indoctrinated into a victim mindset. Someone's indoctrinating them for their own selfish purpose and is robbing the "victims" of their potential. I refuse to feel guilty about what happened in the USA when my ancestors were poor dirt farmers in what is now Belarus, and I vehemently reject any claim that I owe anybody any reparations or special treatment for something that happened 50-100 years before my genetic material set foot in the USA. It's very telling that this story is about a settlement that apparently collapsed 1000 years before Columbus and the first serious replies are about how Europeans caused the collapse of so much in S. America.

Can please you provide a link to the claims that habitation in this newly discovered city was brought about by diseases from Europe? This thread's posts from John Drake and mfd101 both discuss the effects of Euro diseases on S. American cultures. I was pointing out that this location died out long before that. And, how quickly the discussion turns to the bad white man, even when they had nothing to do with the collapse. We've been indoctrinated into guilt. Which keeps the reparation $$$ flowing...

So apparently one of those advanced cultures was behind on their human sacrifices to appease the Volcano Gods?

Do what you want, obviously. But if I just gave QA a wad of money for a R/T ticket, I wouldn't feel a bit guilty about spending 2 minutes on the phone with their customer service to make sure they'll let me on the plane.

If it were me, I'd call the airline a few days before the flight, enough time to get the test(s) done if still required, but as close to flight day as possible in case something changes last minute. Too often, info on the interwebs is either not up to date, or one site conflicts with another. DM'ing works if they respond in a timely manner, but I wouldn't count on that if it's my time and money at risk. I wanna talk to a live person with skin in the game. The airline has a financial incentive to not let you on the flight if you're going to encounter an immigration problem along the way. I'd also write down the name of the person I spoke to, so there's a little bit of recourse (if only guilting them) if he/she gave me wrong info.

Maybe on aptitude tests. But you can't teach a kid social skills without peers around. And that includes negotiation, which is the skill most likely to make people rich. I'd go along with home schooling supplemented by a big dose of social interaction outside the classroom, but that's a tough one.

In a global economy, is it better to just let Ireland get all those companies and jobs with their super-low tax rate, or would it be better to reduce US corporate tax rates to incent companies to move those jobs back to the USA? I don't claim to know the truth, (we're bombarded with propaganda from both sides, often masquerading as scholarly studies) but many of the studies I've seen show that lower corporate tax rates result in more jobs, more products being made in the USA, better trade balance, and ultimately, more tax revenue. Hopefully, they target those tax breaks toward productive enterprises and not to the importers, the banksters and the money changers. And it wouldn't hurt my feelings at all if they imposed stiff tariffs on goods and services from, for example, Ireland who are gaming the system. Just to level the field.

Perhaps that's in recognition that some enterprising soul will sell an app to fake all the "paperless documents" you'd need to enter at (choose your airport). With 1 or 2 grams of paper, they can change up the color, or the font, or some other identifier to show that it's for real, and current that day. Doesn't seem like a significant carbon load after burning a hundred tons of fuel on the way.

That's how mine looked, before I discovered beer.

Was that during Trump's first term? But seriously, I love how Europeans (and their descendants) get blamed for every bad thing that ever happened, anywhere and anytime. Seems like native people were pretty skilled at killing the heck out of each other, and didn't mind a little ethnic cleansing, even genocide. Long before the white guys arrived. It's not as if sea routes didn't pre-date Chris Columbus.

That works. Until it doesn't. I've been asked a couple of times for my paper boarding pass when I forgot, and I've also seen IO's chew people out for even pulling out their cell phone in the queue. I've also had rare occasion where that little luggage tag stuck onto my paper boarding pass was required to exit the luggage carousel (I figured they must have had a rash of luggage thefts- it happens) Why risk it? Like the signs say, I present my boarding pass and I don't use my cell phone... I don't want to end up like the OP, accidently giving them an excuse to make life hard on me.

Serious question here... Other than schools that cater to expat kids, are there many with A/C? I've always seen the ones with the windows open and you can hear the kids inside yelling from 5 blocks away.

I'll let the Dems do that... https://dailycaller.com/2024/01/11/this-is-illegal-biden-takes-heat-from-fellow-dems-after-greenlighting-houthi-strike/ “@POTUS can’t launch airstrikes in Yemen without congressional approval,” Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This is illegal and violates Article I of the Constitution. The people do not want more of our taxpayer dollars going to endless war and the killing of civilians. Stop the bombing and do better by us.”

I am 100% behind universal care, funded by public money. Everyone gets it. (Edit: Every legal resident) But limited to non-elective treatment. No boob jobs. No liposuction. No boner pills. No hair plugs. If you want those, buy supplementary coverage or come out of your own piggy bank. But... 1) It'll never happen because corporate money won't let it. Big business is too happy that their employees can't quit and pursue their dreams because they can't afford healthcare outside of employee benefits. Big Pharma won't let it happen because they'll have to actually negotiate prices. 2) I don't trust our gub'ment to manage the program. We'll end up with a mess where it takes a year for an appointment and kids will be entitled to free sex changes. With the current state of things, I know families that are bankrupt because they didn't qualify for ACA but don't make near enough to afford insurance and eat the same week. That well and truly stinks. We're not as far apart as I often make it sound...