anonAndOn

This is what the beginning of economic stagnation looks like and how regime change is forced upon Russia (again). It could be worse, though. You could have a nuclear power rolling tanks through your neighborhood trying to decapitate your government and install a puppet.

Russia is a petrostate with a few extremely wealthy insiders who have been skimming off the nation's profits for a couple decades instead of building a giant economy. What else besides oil and gas does Russia really provide to the world? Thankfully, there are many levers to pull to ease the shocks of cutting off fungible Russian energy.

Russia is run by mobsters who operate using fear and intimidation. Fortunately, there is an even bigger bully just hanging out off the coasts of Russia ready to hit hard if provoked. The world wouldn't end, but the Russian regime would.

Locals often know every street, every building, every alley of their neighborhood. That information asymmetry is a huge advantage in the locals' favor.

Anybody who has spent some time with simple model rockets knows that even they do not always go where they are expected. I have seen model rockets do some pretty remarkable "surprise" trajectories. It is very easy to understand how a far more complicated SAM launched in an urban environment could fly off course and into a building.

In the US, public agencies are typically required to accept cash in any denomination. This occasionally makes the national media when a disgruntled citizen decides to pay their substantial tax or fee in bucketloads of pennies ($0.01). Private organizations, however, are not required to do so.[0]

[0]https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Currency/Pages...

>Japan is rather lax about CSAM possession

Quite the opposite, in fact. CSAM is a pillar of the manga industry. Enjo kosai (compensated dating) is a cultural norm.

Too bad they don't teach the crying technique before you visit! The young man I'm familiar with was locked up in holding (not sent to prison) for six months then put on a plane to his home country and told never to come back. That was a REALLY expensive joint.

Taxes can be a profitable way to encourage the results you want to see. If you want to encourage SFH ownership, make it more expensive to rent a SFH than to own.

Coincidentally, increasing rental turnover is a great way to discourage small-time landlords as a vacancy for 1-2 months can often wipe out any hope of profit or even just covering the mortgage for the year. Most small time investors would see buying a rental property as a money losing investment.

Also, why would everyone want to be a homeowner all the time? Renting is preferable for many at different stages of life. 70% is probably the most it should be.

No loan underwriter to delay or veto the offer. Underwriters can put a hold on financing until X,Y & Z are fixed. Cash can take the house as-is.

Some cities levy a tax on rental properties. If the city wants to encourage home owners instead of home renters, just levy a rental tax and/or property tax that makes it cheaper to own a single family home than to rent or leave vacant. REITs and their ilk will cut their losses and move on.

No kidding. Brick foundation, exterior plumbing, knob and tube wiring with 1 electrical outlet and 1 ceiling light bulb per room, zero insulation, single pane glass windows, dirt driveway... all features of my "charming, historically accurate" previous residence.

Homestead exemption. If it's your primary residence you get a tax exemption on the first $[geographically_appropriate_median_goes_here].

I detect the voice of Elon in this: "Attacking a company like Tesla that has done so much good for California should not be the overriding aim of a state agency with prosecutorial authority," Tesla wrote.

"Message received" redux, perhaps? [0]

[0]https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1259638112688304129

My limited experience with Habitat is they will train you on the job for whatever they're doing that day. If you can drive a nail or use a miter saw, you'll be greatly appreciated.

You're going to need to figure out what trades you want to do and what ones you'll need/want to hire out. Volunteer to work on other people's projects for free (or beer) to see what you enjoy working on. For example, Habitat for Humanity and other home building charities often need bodies and can be a good way to sample different aspects of a build.

Then, start small and try your hand at something simple like a shed. Once you've shelled out for all of the tools you'll need to build a shed, you're well on your way to the investment in tools you'll need to build a home and can decide from there whether to proceed.

A hot tub is easily super insulated, brominated and locked up but I'm pretty sure a heated outdoor pool in the mountains is going to end up costing him far more time and money than he budgeted for, especially if there are no pool services in the area.

PSA: Whether bare knuckle boxing or global hacking, always remember the first rule of Fight Club.

As with any false labeling in the US, this seems ripe for a class action suit.

>the female figure induces a instinctual physiological and psychological responses in men

Yikes. That's some incestuous ideology. Thankfully, there are many men who do not suffer from such instincts.

The cost cutting for some of my local music stations has achieved new lows. I'm pretty sure a DJ (can you even call them that at this point?) records a series of 5-10 second clips that are randomly mixed throughout an oft-repeated playlist. An entire station could probably be run from somebody's laptop with a bunch of voice clips and a Spotify account.

The bits of food makes me think it's the garbage disposal. Is there an obstruction in the hose to the garbage disposal and/or some obstruction in the garbage disposal itself? Got any kids? Maybe you'll find a missing Lego piece!

I don't know if this is still true, but years ago if you wanted to board your plane in La Paz, Bolivia everyone had to hand the police officer at the gate $20 USD cash (no substitutions) to board the plane. It didn't matter your nationality or where the plane was headed, just hand over $20 bucks or GTFO.

Davis is a gem of an opportunity for myriad reasons. The target market for new housing is not more students, it's more young (and young at heart) professionals. A modern mid-rise within walking distance of downtown would likely sell out before it's even built.

Exactly. Those 100 point inspections that are used to "certify" a pre-owned vehicle may include such challenging tests as:

- Car starts

- Windshield wipers present

- Door locks work

- Key fobs work

...etc

What's the point of a cake if they can't eat it?

Mon dieu! Don't tell the Académie Française!

[0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acad%C3%A9mie_Fran%C3%A7aise

How to dodge transaction fees and internet sleuths in one pass: Put a bitcoin in a wallet and sell the wallet.

> auto-generated 50 pages of Lorem Ipsum

This seems like a fantastic specialized tool to have in the mental tool box.

4. Any variations in temperature in the mirror array affect geometry/optics