Recent posts

#21

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 08:19:26 AM

He thinks the masses will rise up against the rich once they have a better understanding of their wealth. I think that view is flawed. Those who care already know, and those that don't care (most) will continue not to care.

The premise is that lack of care is due to a lack of understanding, and if the language is changed, the understanding will increase

#22

Off the Record / Re: What are your favorite Chr...

Last post by Josquius - Today at 08:09:37 AM

I don't think I'd listen to a Christmas album. At Christmas I'm generally listening to very much non Christmassy songs as since Halloween I've heard more than enough Christmas songs.
There are some decent Xmas tracks that don't get radio play though I will listen to on occasion.

#23

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Josquius - Today at 08:04:22 AM

Yes. That's the point.  Why would you think it would change how much they have?
What sounds more to an innumerate person.
1 billion or a thousand million. Clearly spelling out how many millions it is puts it in perspective, a million is basically 0% of a billion and all that.

I do not think it would change how much they have.  That's why I wrote "the wealth of current billionaires will not change."

Squeeze old boy you're not making a lick of sense.

Language matters.
Lots of research out there that people have trouble with large numbers and quite how much they are.
Seems a pretty decent theory that breaking down a billion into more down to earth chunks of what we are comparing it to would help cognition.

#24

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by HVC - Today at 08:01:43 AM

He thinks the masses will rise up against the rich once they have a better understanding of their wealth. I think that view is flawed. Those who care already know, and those that don't care (most) will continue not to care.

#25

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Admiral Yi - Today at 07:58:16 AM

Yes. That's the point.  Why would you think it would change how much they have?
What sounds more to an innumerate person.
1 billion or a thousand million. Clearly spelling out how many millions it is puts it in perspective, a million is basically 0% of a billion and all that.

I do not think it would change how much they have.  That's why I wrote "the wealth of current billionaires will not change."

Squeeze old boy you're not making a lick of sense.

#26

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Josquius - Today at 07:48:04 AM

A proposal - the English language should switch back to traditional long form billions.
A billion is not 1000 million but a million million.
This will help people properly grasp how amazingly rich billionaires are.

The wealth of current billionaires will not change.  There will be fewer of them.

Yes. That's the point.  Why would you think it would change how much they have?
What sounds more to an innumerate person.
1 billion or a thousand million. Clearly spelling out how many millions it is puts it in perspective, a million is basically 0% of a billion and all that.

[Berlin denounces US sanctions against German anti-hate speech group]

#27

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Syt - Today at 07:46:26 AM

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/berlin-denounces-us-sanctions-against-111024556.html

Berlin denounces US sanctions against German anti-hate speech group
DPA
Wed, December 24, 2025 at 12:10 PM GMT+1

The German government on Wednesday denounced sanctions imposed by the United States against the heads of HateAid, a German organization that supports victims of online hate.

The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed entry bans on HateAid's managing directors, Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, and three other Europeans, accusing them of censorship of US-based online platforms.

HateAid, founded in 2018, is regarded as Germany's first nationwide counselling centre for people affected by online abuse. Von Hodenberg was awarded Germany's Federal Order of Merit in October in recognition of her work against digital violence.

"HateAid supports victims of unlawful digital hate speech. The organization makes an important contribution to ensuring that personal rights are protected in the digital sphere," German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said.

"Anyone who calls this censorship is misrepresenting our constitutional system," she added.

Hubig stressed that HateAid supports victims but cannot itself ban expressions of opinion.

"The rules by which we want to live in the digital sphere in Germany and Europe are not decided in Washington," Hubig said.

In a jab at big US tech firms, she added that the measures taken by Washington "show that civil society engagement is inconvenient for powerful platforms."

The managing directors of HateAid "have our support and solidarity," she said.

Ballon and von Hodenberg called the US decision an "act of repression."

The entry ban also targetted former French EU commissioner Thierry Breton, one of the architects of the EU's Digital Services Act, legislation that regulates online platforms.

Imran Ahmed, founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate US/UK, and Clare Melford, founder of the UK-based Global Disinformation Index, were also sanctioned.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul criticized the US entry bans as unacceptable. Referring to the Digital Services Act, Wadephul said the legislation ensures that "anything illegal offline is also illegal online."

The Digital Services Act was democratically adopted by the European Union for application within the bloc and does not have extraterritorial effect, Wadephul wrote on X.

Differing views should be addressed through "trans-Atlantic dialogue in order to strengthen the partnership," he added.

#28

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by mongers - Today at 07:34:59 AM

Why are people still capitalizing trump, does he deserve even that amount of respect?


Incidentally had to cancel my WP sub, as pretty much every other article involves trump.

#29

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by mongers - Today at 07:27:50 AM

A proposal - the English language should switch back to traditional long form billions.
A billion is not 1000 million but a million million.
This will help people properly grasp how amazingly rich billionaires are.

The wealth of current billionaires will not change.  There will be fewer of them.

Indeed, maybe only one or two of them left.

Really Tyr, needs to go the other way, perhaps redefine wealth in terms of how many coal pits or traditional pubs they could aford to buy.

#30

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Tamas - Today at 04:59:21 AM

How do we know it was in the files?

IIRC the department of justice said its actually fake and they are going to remove it.

With the amount of docs and the focus on ctrl-F-ing on "Trump" before the publish deadline, I can give them the benefit of the doubt that no investigator since the initial collection of these files had noticed somebody somehow slipped this fake one into the pile, but it also fits perfectly the agenda of just discrediting everything that's in there, in case a page with Trump on it somehow slips through or gets leaked.