Random Thoughts XI: Listen to the Whispers

[EgonSpengler]

This was something that came into my mind too, after I posted above. Republican efforts to criminalize and disenfranchise poor people is really a straight line, A-to-B. You don't have to be a genius to see it. In the Florida case, a majority of voters agreed that people who've served their time should be allowed to vote, but Republican politicians press on anyway, f the voters. (Is now a good time to mention that Matt Gaetz is a Florida congressman?) My memory is hazy, but I think it was a Florida city a couple of years ago that completed a trial run of some kind of jobs and housing placement program for released felons and found that it lowered recidivism by an outrageous amount. It wasn't 100%, but I think it was something like an 85% reduction, or something crazy like that. Of course, reducing recidivism is the last thing you want if you make money from a for-profit prison or any associated contractors or vendors. Some days, I think our entire criminal justice system is just one towering pile of donkey-doo. ("Some" days being any day I think about it. )

Found something about "Operation New Hope" in Jacksonville. This says Florida's overall recividism rate is 25.7% and 'graduates' of Operation New Hope have a recidivism rate of 8.64%, and graduates of Operation New Hope's Ready4Work program get jobs averaging $11 an hour (a quick Google search shows Florida's minimum wage is $8.05).

WUSF, 7 Feb 2020 - "Gov. DeSantis Aims To Reduce Florida’s Recidivism Rate With New Foundation"

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Florida voted to raise minimum wage to $15 back in November, but it's probably being phased in.

Funny, here in LA I have seen billboards from Rick Scott (when he was in office) bragging about how minimum wage in Florida was just $7.15 at the time and thus every business should quit California and move to Florida.

How do these people keep getting re-elected even when they go so hard against what their own people want? Tribalism is crazy.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Florida voted to raise minimum wage to $15 back in November, but it's probably being phased in.

Funny, here in LA I have seen billboards from Rick Scott (when he was in office) bragging about how minimum wage in Florida was just $7.15 at the time and thus every business should quit California and move to Florida.

How do these people keep getting re-elected even when they go so hard against what their own people want? Tribalism is crazy.

Gerrymandering is a big part of it. Also, lying.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Anyone doing Buck Rogers today would want to call it "Buck Rogers." I imagine we could expect to see "fan service" in the form of of cameos by cast members from the 1979 show. Michael Ansara and Tim O'Connor have passed away, but Gil Gerard, Erin Gray and Pamela Hensley are all still kicking, although it appears Hensley retired from acting in the '80s.

The last thing I saw Erin Gray in was a Star Trek Continues fan film titled "Lolani". It's consistently ranked among the top 3 of the STC fan film series, and Erin Gray played Commodore Gray - a Starfleet commodore who had to deal with a sticky diplomatic situation the Enterprise found itself in. Lou Ferrigno is also one of the guest stars in this episode.

 

[The_J]

The rise of electric cars will ruin post-apocalyptic movies.
Can you imagine Mad Max 5, where people scramble to get enough solar cells together to charge their Teslas and Prius'?
Having spiky eSmarts, and molotovs being thrown from electric MiniCoopers?
At least Elon Musk will make a formidable cult leader in an old GigaFactory. He can also keep working on leaving the planet in a rocket, which will then make even more sense.
Having solar energy available a long time after the big war will at least be more realistic.

 

[Samson]

The thing is, is made no sense anyway. In a post apocalyptic world where petrol is a scarce commodity no one would have been driving around in supercharged V8's, or have non-aerodynamic spikes on their cars. Most would be on little 50cc mopeds with pedals for backup, the boss may have a 1 liter nissan micra.

 

[The_J]

The apocalypse will be so boring and un-cool .

 

[Traitorfish]

The thing is, is made no sense anyway. In a post apocalyptic world where petrol is a scarce commodity no one would have been driving around in supercharged V8's, or have non-aerodynamic spikes on their cars. Most would be on little 50cc mopeds with pedals for backup, the boss may have a 1 liter nissan micra.

I always interpreted it as a form of conspicuous consumption. The power of these post-apocalyptic warlords is based on the personal aura of power they cultivate, so they're expending resources to maintain that aura as much as to get from A to B.

That said, there are probably diminishing returns in the oil-to-mystique exchange that become non-viable at some point prior to welding a Cadillac onto a monster truck.

 

[yung.carl.jung]

I always interpreted it as a form of conspicuous consumption. The power of these post-apocalyptic warlords is based on the personal aura of power they cultivate, so they're expending resources to maintain that aura as much as to get from A to B.

That said, there are probably diminishing returns in the oil-to-mystique exchange that become non-viable at some point prior to welding a Cadillac onto a monster truck.

Yes, this is what Mad Max: Fury Road was trying to say imho.

 

[choxorn]

Of course, the real reason is the Rule of Cool.

 

[Takhisis]

The apocalypse will be so boring and un-cool .

But, there'll be, like, fire, and dragons and spirits, and possibly rock and roll. It's in the book!

 

[Kyriakos]

Hi (fellow) plebs. I now sent a message to Varoufakis.
I will inform you if (unlikely) he replies.

 

[Takhisis]

If he does reply then that is the sign of the Apocalypse we've been awaiting.

 

[Kyriakos]

If he does reply then that is the sign of the Apocalypse we've been awaiting.

 

[Ajidica]

Working on my car this afternoon (swapping tires, oil change, new brake fluid and brake pads), I have come to the conclusion the only appropriate music to play in the background is classic rock.

 

[The_J]

The holidays here don't make any sense.
In France (apparently also Italy) Easter Friday is not a public holiday.
But Easter Monday is.
On Easter Friday Jesus got crucified.
On Easter Monday... absolutely nothing happened. We have Easter Monday as holiday, because Easter Sunday is always on a Sunday (duh).
So... why the hell keep the Monday, but not the Friday o_O?

 

[Sofista]

On Easter Monday, an angel met the women on their way to the sepulcher, revealing the resurrection. Easter is meant to celebrate the resurrection. Conversely, Holy Friday and Saturday are supposed to be days of fasting for Catholics.

Also, Easter Monday is more widespread than that... (notice the Vatican and San Marino also observe it. Map maker's mistake).

 

[The_J]

I was aware that Easter Monday is celebrated in a lot of nations, but not of the rest, thanks .

 

[EgonSpengler]

So one website says ~26% of Americans are conversationally fluent in a second language, and another website says ~22% of Americans speak a language other than English at home. Presumably, those speaking something other than English at home either learned English as a 2nd language and still use their 1st language a lot, or they live with relatives whose primary language is something else. That is, ~22% of Americans have some cultural or familial connection to that other language. Which means a mighty 4% of Americans bother to learn a second language that they aren't somehow born into.

 

[The_J]

I was thinking these numbers might not be comparable, or one might be a subset of each other.
Had a look:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_commonly_learned_foreign_languages_in_the_United_States
Roughly 10 million people are currently learning a second language in the US, which indeed, makes if 330 million as population are assumed, somewhere around 3%.

But these are the people who are currently learning though, so the total amount should be higher.
Also not everyone who wants to learn, or does learn, will end up being fluent in it.