We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
In 1890, rail was the dominant form of land transport. Now, it's a niche market and the passenger component is, alas, subsidy-dependent. I love trains, but (subsidized) highways, cars, trucks and airplanes won the battle for the future.
When I read the other day that food stamps are being used to buy pop tarts, cookies, honey buns, candy bars, corn dogs, taffy, and cheesecake, it finally clicked: liberal economic and social policies reward stoners.
...the same self-righteous progressive error—of the sense that the Republicans are offering radical individualism and a cold and selfish you’re-on-your-own philosophy of government. And to this extent it was answered by a very revealing display of the left’s tendency to collapse all of society—all that stands between the individual and the state—into the state. Different speakers this week took this up in different ways (starting with the opening video in which one of the speakers said that government is the only thing we all belong to), and Obama’s way was to say that his party’s alternative to the every man for himself philosophy of the Right is an idea of citizenship. “We believe in citizenship,” he said, “a word at the very heart of our founding, at the very essence of our democracy.” It’s an odd claim, as the word “citizenship” doesn’t appear in any founding document (and to the extent that “citizen” does it describes a legal resident, and never seems to be assigned much significance)...
This is bad news about PA - there is ample ground to sway, seeing how the coal miners have gotten a raw deal from the EPA, and the grassroots movements has begun to 'clean the rats outta Harrisburg' - Romney\GOP would do well to at least make contact, and to at least cooperate between them.
But, alas, the GOP 'elders' are a morose group, often afraid of their own shadow. Decisive, bold actions will only counter the Democratic 'dead pool', ballot box stuffing, and other election dirty tricks.
High speed rail is a showoff of government spending. In every country that has it the subsidies required to keep it going exceed the utility of the system by 1000%. It is more akin to building the highest skyscraper then it is about public transportation. We would benefit from improvements in our rail passenger service but high speed rail would simply be another government money pit.
But this time our rail project is going to go where no one wants to go right off the bat rather than end up passing by development on their way to no where after 40 or 50 years.
Trains are consolidation and concentration. Which, I'm sure it is just a coincidence, is that overweening government regulation causes in business. A dynamic adaptable economy is atomized into small units, oddly just like an adaptable transportation network. Wait, I think I see a trend.
If we have adaptive electronics in cars to allow everyone to close up and draft each other, gas mileage goes up. But I can see huge (HUGE) lawsuits in store for the first one that goes wrong in the front or middle of the pack. Lawyers will accept zero tolerance for errors/malfunctions.
Well, as someone who has done muscle car high speed drafting when he was young and stupid and didn't know any better, it is nerve racking and tension filled - in particular when you get over 120 mph or so. It's not so much the speed it's the control - the cars get really twitchy in full on draft mode - even on the relatively smooth surface of an interstate. I could see somebody getting nervous, taking control and smasheroonie.
If they can figure out how to smooth out the ride so people don't get nervous, it might work.
Lot of those old school muscle cars weren't all that aerodynamic; might not be that hard to smooth it out on aerodynamics alone. Alas, that might mean even blander, more boring car designs.
I drove a Porsche for the first time a couple years ago; a mid-'80s 911. Belongs to a friend of mine. Pegged it up over 110 before I knew it; ride was rock solid - or well it was "sporty" but under control, not with that sort of queasy where-is-the-road feeling I think you're talking about. Knew where the road was in that Porsche - it was hanging on like the road was velcro.
I never got the Porsche thing until then; figured it was mostly status symbol. Didn't realize how stripped down they are (or were in the '80s!!) and how much fun they are. If you like to drive sporty I can certainly see the appeal.
"Then again, when a woman wants to know how she can best achieve her goal of a long term relationship leading to marriage—like it or not, that is most women’s goal—then it is dishonest to tell her that it makes no difference whether she has sex sooner or later."
Now, tell me agin how horrible men are about objectifying women. Sounds like it's the women who have the "objectives." Is it any wonder they get "objectified" in return?
Kaliningrad is an exclave of Russia. The most interesting example of an exclave anywhere in the world is the village of Nahwa, which is part of the UAE. Nahwa is an exclave of the UAE and an enclave within the territory of Madha, which belongs to Oman. Madha is an exclave of Oman and an enclave within the UAE. Sufficiently confused? Check it out on Google maps.
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Tracked: Sep 07, 23:24