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#1

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

Last post by Razgovory - Today at 09:17:38 AM

In the epstein files but then removed thus confirming what we all know about the stuff that was removed.

He has real doctors hand writing but this is a letter epstein wrote to a fellow sex offender. Note the bit in the bottom right....

It appears to be a fake. That is not helping things, at all.

How exactly would a fake document get into the files?  How do they know it is fake?

The date is off, being three days after his death. The handwriting looks different.
The postmark on the envelope is Virginia, not New York. The return address is the wrong jail.
But mostly as Tonitrus said, too good to be true.

Okay, that makes sense.

#2

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

Last post by Savonarola - Today at 09:17:33 AM

The "Trump Class" is so obviously vaporwear that I am surprised even someone as dumb as Hegseth would let Trump trot that absurdity out. It features what would likely be a $20B cost, includes weapons that don't work or don't even exist, and would require a massive investment in building docks to be able to make anything that big without cancelling all the carrier builds and overhauls.  And that's not even mentioning the USN's complete incompetence in ship design that has built four failure classes in a row and hasn't developed a successful warship design since 1987.

Trump's pathological narcissism gets worse by the day.

Thanks for that, I suspected this would be the case but it is always good to get confirmation from a qualified source.

Yes, thanks Grumbler.

It's amusing that Trump wants both a Nobel Peace Prize as well as a class of battleship named after him.  Trump is obviously trying to build a legacy with this term, (the new East Wing, the Trump-Kennedy Center, The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, Trump Accounts, The Trump Gold Card.)  It's hard not to think:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

Every time he announces a new one.

#3

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Savonarola - Today at 09:07:02 AM

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.

That part makes sense.  The part that doesn't make sense is your proposal, as I understand it, is not to break it down into chunks, but rather take the word we already have--billion0--and move the decimal up one place.  That would reduce the number of people in the world you hate.  That's not what you want.

There wouldn't be any billionaires if we were to change the definition of billion to what Josq is proposing, since there are not trillionaires today.

As near as I can understand what Josq is saying is that the common person will understand how large "One thousand million" is better than they understand how large "One billion" is, even though they are both 1,000,000,000.

#4

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Admiral Yi - Today at 08:21:55 AM

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.

That part makes sense.  The part that doesn't make sense is your proposal, as I understand it, is not to break it down into chunks, but rather take the word we already have--billion0--and move the decimal up one place.  That would reduce the number of people in the world you hate.  That's not what you want.

#5

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 has changed, the understanding will increase

#6

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.

#7

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.

#8

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.

#9

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.

#10

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.