The Off Topic Topic

[The Brain]

Just read in The Economist that 60% of American filers pay someone to do their taxes.  That's amazing.

Paying someone to send a simple text message? America truly is the land of plenty.

[Admiral Yi]

So if we make tax law more complicated, we create jobs?

Oh hells yeah.  Same article said the man hours spent filing tax returns is equal to 3 million year round jobs.

[Zanza]

An administrative court in Germany just allowed the police to do racial profiling based on skin color when they do random identity checks on trains.

[Tamas]

An administrative court in Germany just allowed the police to do racial profiling based on skin color when they do random identity checks on trains.

That's an interesting topic.

If the statistics say, that a particular ethnicity has a disproportionate part in certain crimes, shouldn't the police be able to utilize that satistic to raise efficiency?
Yes, the reason for this disproportionate representation is iffy, and should be remedied by society, but it is not the police's job to engage in social engineering.

[Zanza]

The court said the police officers should use their "specific border police experience" and that would guarantee that it is not arbitrary. 

[Tamas]

The court said the police officers should use their "specific border police experience" and that would guarantee that it is not arbitrary. 

[Razgovory]

An administrative court in Germany just allowed the police to do racial profiling based on skin color when they do random identity checks on trains.

That's an interesting topic.

If the statistics say, that a particular ethnicity has a disproportionate part in certain crimes, shouldn't the police be able to utilize that satistic to raise efficiency?
Yes, the reason for this disproportionate representation is iffy, and should be remedied by society, but it is not the police's job to engage in social engineering.

I thought that was their job.    Social engineering is done by law and police enforce the law.

[Tamas]

An administrative court in Germany just allowed the police to do racial profiling based on skin color when they do random identity checks on trains.

That's an interesting topic.

If the statistics say, that a particular ethnicity has a disproportionate part in certain crimes, shouldn't the police be able to utilize that satistic to raise efficiency?
Yes, the reason for this disproportionate representation is iffy, and should be remedied by society, but it is not the police's job to engage in social engineering.

I thought that was their job.    Social engineering is done by law and police enforce the law.

What a weak attempt. But nice try, have a cookie and sit down.

[Duque de Bragança]

An administrative court in Germany just allowed the police to do racial profiling based on skin color when they do random identity checks on trains.

I have not been asked my id for years in German trains but then for me it would a joint Franco-German patrol around Saarbrücken.

[Syt]

An administrative court in Germany just allowed the police to do racial profiling based on skin color when they do random identity checks on trains.

Well, the decision was in reference to random ID checks by border cops on trains that were known to be used by illegal immigrants, so it's questionable whether it would be applicable on, say, the Hamburg<=>Hanover connection.

[Zanza]

I don't think there are police ID checks on trains that don't cross some border anyway. At least I've never seen any and I am a quite regular train passenger on the long-distance trains.

[Lettow77]

 After days following one another with the most minor progress, I got my applications to Japanese summer study programs sent off. It's just as well that they never find out about the shocking yukkuri of my daily affairs- it isn't very Japanese in outlook. This was a top priority matter, meaning the process of getting a passport and filling out an application took just under two months. 

Other things that can be deferred inevitably will be- I always accomplish all of the day's goals, but I never set goals that mighty be stressful or taxing. It is a gentle existence.

[Razgovory]

What a weak attempt. But nice try, have a cookie and sit down.

Please point out the weakness.

[Lettow77]

three goats in a pen
catch the eyes of passing cows
spring in Tennessee

[Tamas]

me and a few friends will be going to Poland next month, for a few days, and will be staying in a hotel in a small village. The village's wikipedia entry closes with this sentence:

The village has been know to sacrifice tourists to their local deity known as Azball'ah.