Disqus - Latest Comments for fostert

Re: The Trump Doctrine: Bash Our Friends, Cozy Up to Our Enemies

fostert — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 13:51:41 -0000

Booker used it as a clever tactic to get more time. He didn't really criticize the deal.

Re: There’s a Disturbing Reason Europe Has Stayed So Peaceful For So Long

fostert — Sat, 14 Jul 2018 17:06:57 -0000

And yet, it still does not say what it is. I assume it's some theoretical cultural boundaries from the early 20th century. It isn't political boundaries from any time. Or even linguistic boundaries. I'd love to know the source.

Re: Raw Data: Kids and Their Cars

fostert — Sat, 12 May 2018 14:30:03 -0000

This strikes me as one of those things that should be true, but apparently isn't. Uber alone should greatly reduce car ownership, especially among millennials who are more likely to embrace new concepts. Add in the declining status of car ownership, better public transportation, and a stronger desire for fitness, car ownership really should be dropping noticeably. I guess we just still love our cars.

Re: Are Today’s Young Men Slackers and Chumps?

fostert — Thu, 03 May 2018 11:07:15 -0000

The decline in median income for young men is hardly their fault. It's that the old men aren't paying them what they are worth.

Re: Raw Data: Southwest Border Apprehensions

fostert — Sun, 01 Apr 2018 13:44:14 -0000

I'd like to see a comparison chart that shows people caught using shipping containers to get in. They might be going up. Unless ICE isn't trying.

Re: Here’s a Textbook Criticism of Econometrics Gone Bad

fostert — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 11:19:24 -0000

Just wondering. Did the original study publish correlation coefficients? That's usually the quickest way to determine if you should ignore a study.

Re: Let’s Please Calm Down For a Few Days Over the Uber Car Crash

fostert — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 14:31:00 -0000

That was my first thought. Elevator lawsuits are fairly common, so there is plenty of legal precedent.

Re: Why Did No One Notice Yosemite’s Horsetail “Firefall Effect” Before 1973?

fostert — Sat, 10 Mar 2018 19:16:25 -0000

I remember seeing a print of this in a gallery and wondering why Adams didn't have a color version of it. Yes, Ansel Adams did dabble in color photography. The more interesting question is why his notes never mentioned it. Then again, a lot of his notes are lost, so maybe he did mention it.

Re: Why Did No One Notice Yosemite’s Horsetail “Firefall Effect” Before 1973?

fostert — Sat, 10 Mar 2018 18:01:07 -0000

Look at the Ansel Adams shot, he certainly took it when the setting sun was catching the waterfall. The photograph is black and white, so we cannot say what color the waterfall was, but Adams caught that same light.

Re: Clean, Endless Fusion Power Now Only 15 Years Away. Maybe.

fostert — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 15:21:26 -0000

I remember the thirty years or so when HDTV was only ten years away. Guess what? It did come, and it's on you phone now. I'll remain skeptical, but I don't think we are waiting for Gedot.

Re: Holocaust Museum Revokes Award to Aung San Suu Kyi

fostert — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 14:50:29 -0000

Actually being persecuted makes it more likely that you will persecute others when you get power.

Re: Donald Trump Finally Makes His Stupid Tariff Announcement

fostert — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 18:21:51 -0000

Well, the good news is that Canada and Mexico are exempted. This means we can buy all the foreign steel we need through them without tariffs. It won't help the US steel industry at all because there is a loophole big enough to pilot a container ship through. I don't mind, the steel workers backed Trump and deserve to get burned for it. As long as I can get the steel I need from Mexico and Canada, I don't care, and neither does anyone else who makes things out of steel.

Re: Republican Party Finance Chairman Accused of “Decades-Long Pattern of Sexual Misconduct”

fostert — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 14:40:27 -0000

He's the perfect guy for finance chairman. The Republicans certainly need someone with experience at paying off women.

Re: In the Era of Trump, Everybody Hates Us

fostert — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 01:34:35 -0000

What happened in 2011?

Re: Conservatives Are Sick and Tired of…Something or Other

fostert — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 19:50:20 -0000

These Republicans investigated Clinton's adultery for years and now suddenly think it's acceptable behavior. Hell, they impeached Clinton over adultery.

Re: Split Up All the Big States? Why Not Just Reform the Senate Instead?

fostert — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 14:35:49 -0000

The last time a state split, it took an issue as monumental as slavery. Maine split from Massachusetts under the Missouri Compromise. I just don't see an issue that is as important today. Maybe abortion, but the Republicans can already ban it at the federal level and it might survive the Supreme Court. It would definitely survive the Supreme Court if they assassinated Justice Kennedy and rammed through a new justice before they lose the Senate. They don't need another state when they can overrule all of them.

Re: California Is Doing Fine, Thank You Very Much

fostert — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 18:02:33 -0000

In fairness, his house in Austin is old and near downtown. You want old in Texas because the trees are tall enough to provide shade. He probably paid an extra $150k for shade. But if you ever lived through a Texas summer, you appreciate the value of shade and will pay for it.

Re: California Is Doing Fine, Thank You Very Much

fostert — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 17:55:51 -0000

Both three bedroom houses with almost no yard. Same two parents, same two kids. About 1300 sq ft. So yeah, now a little under $1 million in Austin.

Re: California Is Doing Fine, Thank You Very Much

fostert — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 16:02:48 -0000

As for housing prices, I have a friend who moved from Berkeley, CA to Austin, TX several years ago, and his housing costs went up by 30%. And given that Texas has no income tax and relies on property taxes, his overall taxes (property + income) actually went up too. He's even more financially squeezed in Texas than he was in California.

Re: California Is Doing Fine, Thank You Very Much

fostert — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 15:55:13 -0000

At least they gave up on beating up Massachusetts. We rank 26th in median tax rates, so the "Taxachuesstes" thing really doesn't fly. Want to challenge us on crime or education? Ha! How about teen pregnancy? Sorry. They need someone new to beat up, and Minnesota surely won't work. Damn you liberals! You keep running states better than we can!

Re: America Needs a Troglodyte/Eat-the-Rich Party

fostert — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 19:22:58 -0000

In fairness, some flavor comes from salt and sugar. But yeah, if you're not sure, you should probably add more butter.

Re: America Needs a Troglodyte/Eat-the-Rich Party

fostert — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 18:43:12 -0000

Look at Maine. The only thing a third party does is guarantee that the Republicans win. They hate LePage, but elected him. Twice. Both times with a minority of the vote. The most right wing candidate that can get 34% of the vote wins a three way race every time. And the liberals always fall for it.

Re: NATO Defense Spending Started Increasing Three Years Ago

fostert — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 15:43:32 -0000

Obama doesn't really deserve the credit. Much of the increase is Scandinavian countries that genuinely fear a Russian invasion. Who's next after Ukraine? Those are the countries that are really boosting their defense spending.

Re: What’s Really Causing the Decline in US Life Expectancy? It’s Not Opioid Overdoses.

fostert — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 14:03:38 -0000

There has been a dramatic increase in death during childbirth. Those are often two deaths, and one of them is very young.

Re: Pentagon Ignores Trump, Will Allow Transgender Enlistments

fostert — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 13:44:53 -0000

It appears to be an order by a federal judge.