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[2013-12-16 15:20:00] - and once again, as I mused about earlier on here, I remain amazed how often progressives get idioitically paranoid about free market happening by trotting out these really silly nightmare scenarios that have no real possibility of happening. - mig
[2013-12-16 15:11:56] - paul: It would seem intuitively obvious that Uber would probably have to compensate their drivers more to provide service in adverse conditions. There's a legitamate debate that maybe they "surged" prices too high in this particular instance, but to say they shouldn't do it all under these circumstances is kind of silly. - mig
[2013-12-16 14:59:24] - http://valleywag.gawker.com/the-weekend-uber-tried-to-rip-everyone-off-1484140137?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium= Wondering what people here think of the surge pricing that Uber apparently used during a snow storm. Price gouging? Good economics? Other? -Paul
[2013-12-16 09:16:10] - aaron: There was some comment on his twitter feed that I thought was hilarious (and a little sad). Basically, it was by some black woman who said something like, "I wish I was white so I could play jokes on the cops without worrying about getting shot"
-Paul[2013-12-13 15:47:11] - "Says I have a warrant for unpaid parking tickets?" lol, idiot. ~a
[2013-12-13 14:57:49] - http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/396662-randy-liedtke-bakes-iphone-cookies-gets-pulled-over-on-purpose-and-gets-thrown-in-jail/ a comedian baked some iphone cookies, and drove around trying to bait cops into ticketing him for driving while talking on his phone... pretty funny how it turned out - aaron
[2013-12-13 11:21:43] - Yeah, FT is really restrictive with their 'free' content. I can't fault them too much, but it's one of the most annoying paywalls I run into frequently. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-13 11:19:27] - the patent is from 1999, and the original text is a joke. the patent will likely not include one of the aspects of bitcoin that make it revolutionary: no central control. jpmorgan/visa/mc/paypal etc will have huge issues with a system that they have no control over. you need a google to take advantage of a system like that. (google has been involved) ~a
[2013-12-13 11:15:22] - mig: i actually signed up to read the article. mailinator.com is your friend (assuming bugmenot.com fails, which it did in this case). ~a
[2013-12-13 11:14:24] - xpovos: so that's basically the misleading part? They're patenting something *similiar* to bitcoin, but it's not going to threaten bitcoin (in legal terms, at least)? - mig
[2013-12-13 11:09:16] - mig: JP Morgan Chase is attempting to building a crypto-currency based on their own prior tech and stealing ideas from bitcoin. They're upset with VISA/MC/Paypal etc, but the move is going to strain their relation with the Fed. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-13 10:17:29] - i apparently cannot see the article since there's some weird pop asshattery that just bumps me to their front page, can i get a tl:dr? - mig
[2013-12-13 09:08:44] - a: Yeah, the headline excited me. But the body of the article... nearly infuriated me. I really felt that FT had completely mislead me, not to mention all the negative thoughts at JP Morgan. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-12 23:52:31] - xpovos: yes, and i have lots to say about it, but you can probably guess that i'm not impressed. ~a
[2013-12-12 22:10:21] - Paul: Interesting. I scored 6/10 too. I got an answer from context, and lost one because I thought I saw context where there wasn't (my initial answer was right) so I'll call that a wash. I'm disappointed, but not terribly so. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-12 22:04:45] - a: Seen this? http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/e230307a-61c4-11e3-aa02-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2n8b81PTa (Bitcoin) -- Xpovos
[2013-12-12 16:56:13] - Hmmm, I might be giving away some answers by saying too much... -Paul
[2013-12-12 16:55:41] - mig: It's odd, I was too pessimistic early on (I think I started like 1/4) but then hit a streak of questions where I either knew the answer (percent of people living in poverty) or for some reason was just more optimistic. -Paul
[2013-12-12 16:52:07] - 4/10. I did somewhat take a liberal worldview mentaility when answering some of the questions so I was I guess pleasantly surprised by reality in a few instances. - mig
[2013-12-12 16:01:55] - http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/10/world/gapminder-us-ignorance-survey/ Thought this was a pretty interesting quiz. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable but got an embarrassingly high number wrong (I ended up with 6/10 right). -Paul
[2013-12-12 13:30:33] - interesting. ~a
[2013-12-12 12:54:31] - a: Cover story? http://usat.ly/1dnVOPz -- Xpovos
[2013-12-12 11:49:58] - a: Of course, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, but I just thought it was interesting since I learned something I didn't know. -Paul
[2013-12-12 11:49:14] - a: I figured the "terrorist" people were just a bunch of racist ignorant people who were trying to get attention, but there's at least some data to support that Mandela advocated violent means to confront apartheid. -Paul
[2013-12-12 11:48:01] - a: Sure, and I understand your point. I guess I was just a little surprised. I had heard there was some backlash at all the Mandela tributes from people who accused him of being a communist (which appears to be somewhat true) and a terrorist. -Paul
[2013-12-12 11:42:31] - http://www.usatoday.com/ wtf? why is their logo the ฿ symbol? ~a
[2013-12-12 11:40:46] - paul: "his past was a lot more checkered than that". i guess you could also call the american revolution "checkered", but i would not. ~a
[2013-12-12 11:08:35] - like him). But they're incorporating his change into a in-game christmas event, temporarily removing him from the game and having a new game mode that is meant to "resurrect" him into his new form. Kind of a clever way to deal with it. - mig
[2013-12-12 11:06:59] - ah the funness of IP laws. So Valve had to make a few changes to some heroes that look a little too much like their counterparts in Warcraft (pre-emptively, i'm guessing, since I'm not aware of any threats made by Blizzard). So they're changing one more hero, Skeleton King, probably because in the original DotA he was referred to as Leoric (and he does kind of look
[2013-12-12 10:09:46] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umkhonto_we_Sizwe So, I fully admit that my knowledge of Nelson Mandela is woefully inadequate, but I always kinda figured he was another one of those peaceful, non-violent types like Ghandi. Apparently his past was a lot more checkered than that. -Paul
[2013-12-11 16:35:43] - a: Done. -Paul
[2013-12-11 15:50:39] - no. if you create a location i'll update it though. ~a
[2013-12-11 15:45:41] - a: Is there a central repository for the frisbee list? -Paul
[2013-12-11 15:44:07] - paul: hmmmm. you can plan. i might be out this weekend. ~a
[2013-12-11 15:41:44] - a: Frisbee this weekend? -Paul
[2013-12-11 13:00:13] - mig: I saw. Honestly, I didn't even make the Godwin law connection until he hung a lamp on it. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-11 12:57:30] - or he's just being trolly. Probably that. - mig
[2013-12-11 12:57:11] - xpovos: he even mentions in the comments in the article he regrets making the Goebbels referencing, saying he should have opted for Franco or Mugabe. I guess thats .... better somehow? - mig
[2013-12-11 12:55:40] - mig: Man, zero to Godwin's law in his own article. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-11 11:58:12] - http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2010/may/20/us-politics-libertarianism-is-kookoo "Intellectual consistency can be overrated" ... well that's a new one. Disappointingly, the rest of the article doesn't really delve into newer ground, just the usual anti-libertarian rubbish arguments (for the last time, libertarians != anarchist). - mig
[2013-12-11 11:13:37] - paul: yeah, regardless of it being in dc, i don't think it's your scene: it can get pretty loud and crowded. ~a
[2013-12-11 10:30:33] - xpovos: yeah that'll work. definitely not on here otherwise it'll flood the board. -mig
[2013-12-11 10:29:08] - mig: E-mail? -- Xpovos
[2013-12-11 10:13:12] - xpovos: i will need to discuss general deck building at some point. - mig
[2013-12-11 09:25:18] - a: Cool. I've always wanted to go there, but it's in DC... -Paul
[2013-12-10 18:27:37] - aaron: my coworkers and i go to the board room right next to reason's dc office. the upstairs is pretty sweet i guess. i wish the tables were taller. ~a
[2013-12-10 17:47:08] - http://www.diamondbackonline.com/news/local/article_ef4ca916-6091-11e3-8a13-001a4bcf6878.html someone's opening up a board game cafe in college park, md... still way too far!! but maybe some day we'll have one closer out towards fairfax - aaron
[2013-12-10 13:58:59] - The analytics guys a Blizzard have determined that going first is still an advantage even if the second player gets the card and coin. So there's been community talk about nerfing the coin, but that seems unlikely, though a complete re-work is possible. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-10 13:58:12] - The advantage in going first is tempo, just like MtG, and usually means you hit the critical mana points a turn earlier as well. Turn 8 is very important for several powerful classes right now, so hitting 8 mana first is almost a bigger deal than going first is. Generally I prefer the card and coin too, but that's partially my play style, and I'm not top tier.
[2013-12-10 13:56:55] - I'll get 150 extra gold if they reset. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-10 13:56:33] - There is 'currently no plan' for an additional reset (so soft release) but it is still beta, so they can change their minds if they need to. I'm hoping they will. If they do, money spent will be refunded in the form of an equivalent in gold. E.g. I spent $1.99 for an arena run to test, use up my Diablo 3 RMAH balance, and the bonus card...
[2013-12-10 13:54:44] - mig: That's pretty lucky. I've had multi-rare packs, but 4 is impressive. And considering that one of those 4 is an epic... very nice pack. The legendary is always tough to predict. Rough estimates are one every 50 packs or so. So one in your first 5 or so is lucky, doubly so considering your other pack. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-10 10:11:11] - and lastly, what exactly is the advantage of going first? Maybe if my draws are good, but it seems almost always I'd prefer the extra card and the coin. - mig
[2013-12-10 09:55:59] - also, since they're letting people already spend real $, is this essentially a soft release as it is or will there be a hard reset when the thing is finally officially "released"? - mig
[2013-12-10 09:48:44] - xpovos: hearthstone invite received last night. Played around and got this and this from packs very early on. Is this normal or did I just get really lucky? - mig
[2013-12-09 15:20:33] - Nope... noon MST = 2PM EST. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-09 15:19:19] - mig: 2PM PST maybe? -- Xpovos
[2013-12-09 15:13:38] - VT vs. UCLA in sun bowl confirmed 12/31 2PM. 2PM, ugh. - mig
[2013-12-09 14:41:57] - http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/12/09/Report--NSA-spying-on-virtual-worlds--online-games Thing that bothered me most about this article? Calling Halo a "Shoot'em-up". Granted, any industry has jargon and specialized vocabulary, and it's a reasonable thing to have said for a layman, as all reporters are. But that's just wrong. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-09 14:04:34] - mig: Fighting waste, fraud and abuse is a great way to show you're tough on the budget while voting for tax and spending increases. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-09 12:59:19] - might do these "bad" things. - mig
[2013-12-09 12:59:13] - The only examples that could be brought forth were areas in which the company was given a government granted monopoly (cable companies and other utiltiies). It just amazes me how we seem so quick to make laws based on this irrational fear of what private entities *might* do, even if it doesn't make much sense or we don't have much basis to believe that they actually
[2013-12-09 12:57:31] - And was/is this supposed perverse protifteering or CYA done by hospital actually happening? I remember having a discussion over the weekend about anti-trust laws and the whole big fear of natural monopolies starting to price-gouge consumers when they become the only game in town. But when has *that* actually happenned? - mig
[2013-12-09 12:52:41] - *creigh deeds, not sure why I recalled his name as chris. - mig
[2013-12-09 12:51:15] - xpovos: of course, the flip side is the risk of miscalculation and "not having enough beds" is probably a very horrible problem. While not totally applicable because likely there were other factors leading to it, but the handling of Chris Deed's son almost leaps to my mind. - mig
[2013-12-09 12:41:12] - So, the docs have incentive to fill the beds, the hospitals have incentive to fill the beds; and we all know the perverse incentives in the health care industry for the patients and the insurers. And so the gov't, being the one left holding the bag says, "no more beds". Stupid, but a logical conclusion of bad policy. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-09 12:39:58] - mig: Let me see if I can explain the too many beds bit. If a hospital has excess beds, it will order more over-night observations, because it's easy and a good way to show that they 'did something' at a malpractice suit. But if those beds aren't available because they're already full of terribly sick people, the extraneous overnight observations are curtailed. -- X
[2013-12-09 10:30:56] - paul: well this particular issue is much more egregious, because it's almost the government mandating a shortage of supply. - mig
[2013-12-09 10:25:55] - mig: I think the potential shortage of hospitals and doctors is also something that is often not discussed when it comes to health care reform. All the health insurance in the world isn't going to help if there are no doctors to see you. -Paul
[2013-12-09 09:49:17] - I don't even understand the logic of "too many hopsital beds" leading to increased costs for patients. - mig
[2013-12-09 09:40:15] - http://reason.com/archives/2013/12/07/stupid-laws-cause-dangerous-hospital-sho this adds a wrinkle to the catholic hospital negligence case discussed previously. Sadly, the central planning arrogance and buffonery that pretty much ensured Tamesha Means's only option for care was this Catholic hospital will almost certainly never become a discussion point. - mig
[2013-12-06 16:33:04] - I dont' necessarily buy his conclusion that an uber-liberal (for lack of a better word) movement will necesarily be disatorous for democrats, much in the same way that I think it's overblown that the GOP has a "TP" problem. - mig
[2013-12-06 16:23:43] - well interesting to me, at least. - mig
[2013-12-06 16:23:26] - paul: and yeah this partricular author will usually irritate me quite a bit with his editorializing, but this was an interesting topic. - mig
[2013-12-06 16:14:59] - paul: oops, yeah that was me. - mig
[2013-12-06 16:14:50] - of third parties to become popular, which makes me sad. -Paul
[2013-12-06 16:14:34] - mig?: I had some trouble getting past the author's opinions, but I am familiar with Elizabeth Warren and I know she has some ardent fans. Obviously I disagree with her on almost everything, but a part of me does think it's nice to see some legitimate differences develop between the two political parties again. Of course, that probably hurts the possibility... -Paul
[2013-12-06 14:38:49] - Paul-like levels of popularity on reddit, as well as some of my more die-hard liberal friends on facebook. So I'm curious if there is really a possiblity of a liberal "tea party"-like movement on the horizon in a post-Obama presidency?
[2013-12-06 14:37:08] - http://www.mediaite.com/online/the-left-and-the-press-encouraging-the-creation-of-a-liberal-tea-party/ if you can get past the author's political leanings (he's very clearly a conservative who's not fond of democrats), there's some interesting stuff here. I don't know if anyone here knows about Elizabeth Warren or is a fan of hers, but it seems like she's reached Ron
[2013-12-06 13:26:36] - Paul: She was pleased with the information she got; it was obviously imperfect and limited, but she was a bio major so she got more out of it than most would. She liked it well enough to recommended their service to me. I'll send you an e-mail with some of the data (non-sensitive) it showed. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-06 12:53:30] - Xpovos: Did she like it? -Paul
[2013-12-06 12:40:32] - paul: yeah i think dee/wey posted something about it to facebook a long time ago. ~a
[2013-12-06 12:37:18] - Paul: Sorry, I would've told you if I knew you were interested. I've known about them for years. My sister-in-law even used the service. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-06 12:36:26] - https://www.23andme.com/ I really wish I had known about this service before the FDA got their hands on it. Sounds like it would've been a really cool thing to have. -Paul
[2013-12-06 12:34:44] - a: Just like how, I dunno, photographing a gay wedding doesn't really seem like it's as big of an endorsement as making a cake that says, "For the beautiful couple" or something like that. -Paul
[2013-12-06 12:33:54] - a: No, I do remember, but I feel like this is slightly different because it's a little bit more... direct? I mean, taking a picture of two men kissing seems it would be a little less offensive to some than having that person draw an icing picture of two men kissing. -Paul
[2013-12-06 12:17:14] - "it seems clear to me that at some point the wedding cake maker should be allowed to deny wedding cake requests" god, it's like you completely forgot our previous conversation. of course people can deny work. ~a
[2013-12-06 11:32:43] - paul: sure! the hardest part will be setting up android: https://developer.android.com/sdk/ if you need help setting up android, let me know (i've done it a time or twelve). ~a
[2013-12-06 11:23:23] - mig: I'm not a big fan of the freedom of speech arguments in these cases (freedom of religion a little more). I more think of it as a freedom of association thing. The only problem is that's not something protected in our current code of laws.
-Paul[2013-12-06 11:15:12] - paul: The 1st amendment argument in this case seems a little weaker to me. I guess it depends on a few things. If he was asked to just make a generic wedding cake I don't see why that would be such an issue for the baker. If he was being asked to make a sort of "pride" cake then maybe I could see the issue then. - mig
[2013-12-06 10:32:25] - Obviously that's an extreme example, and probably illegal for other reasons (slander?), but it seems clear to me that at some point the wedding cake maker should be allowed to deny wedding cake requests. -Paul
[2013-12-06 10:30:31] - But I found the second comment to be an interesting thought experiment: "So if I wanted Jack to make me a cake that said, ” Jack Phillips is a pedophile”, he would be forced to make it? Or I could sue him?" -Paul
[2013-12-06 10:29:56] - http://kdvr.com/2013/12/04/case-of-bakery-shop-owner-refusing-to-do-business-with-gay-couple-ends-up-in-court/ Another case of a wedding vendor not wanting to serve a gay couple. I didn't see anything special about this one (over the other), and I still don't know if "freedom of speech" should be in play here... -Paul
[2013-12-06 09:39:40] - a: I hadn't heard of developer.espn.com. I'll have to take a look at it. Thanks. I might take you up on that hello world app too.
-Paul[2013-12-06 09:33:43] - a: Ok, so the fact that he spent about 90% of his explanation talking about historical events and referencing time machines was all just a build-up to the real reason there can't be reverse racism: current inequality? -Paul
[2013-12-06 09:30:49] - Also the advice of "CHANGE ALL YOUR PASSWORDS NOW" is utterly fucking useless if you have a keylogger on your machine. You need to get rid of the keylogger first. - mig
[2013-12-06 09:30:03] - https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&authuser=0&q=google+hacked&oq=google+hacked&gs_l=news-cc.3..43j43i53.2210.3554.0.3617.13.5.0.7.7.0.95.374.5.5. more mainstream sources aren't much better, drawing scaryish headlines but people should calm down once you see the details. - mig
[2013-12-06 09:29:06] - So if you take reasonably good care of your computer, there's not all that much to worry about from this. - mig
[2013-12-06 09:28:38] - psa: I've seen a few gaming sites with news stories claiming google/facebook/yahoo/linkedin/etc have been *hacked* with *2 million* passwords compromised. That is actually false. The sites themselves have not been hacked. What actually happened is that there is some nasty keylogging malware that's propagating around. - mig
[2013-12-06 09:15:23] - clearly states that some things in the book are embellished a bit to make an official statement? - mig
[2013-12-06 09:14:59] - http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-reverses-course--says-obama-lived-with-kenyan-uncle-202020835.html i personally don't really care about this whole thing with the president's uncle, but good lord, how does the administration flub their statement on this? Why on earth would you not ask the president about his uncle rather than rely on an autobiography that very
[2013-12-05 22:54:12] - mig: That tweet would have been OK if it was NBC reporting the fact that he had in fact made a Heisman pose after the court hearing. In fact, that's what I took away on my first reading. This is why I hate Twitter. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-05 22:27:24] - wow, have you guys heard of developer.espn.com? i don't care about sports, but i figure somebody like paul or miguel would eat this up. i can show you how to make a hello-world android app that pulls from a URL if you'd like! ~a
[2013-12-05 17:35:11] - "It seems like an attempt to smear current whites with the crimes of the past." i don't buy it. no living white people have been smeared. ~a
[2013-12-05 17:33:33] - this is what i make at work ~a
[2013-12-05 17:04:29] - a: Understood, but unless the history is being used as some argument for while it's impossible to be racist against whites, I don't understand why it's brought up. It seems like an attempt to smear current whites with the crimes of the past. -Paul
[2013-12-05 16:52:39] - the inequities do have a historical basis. i don't think the history is misleading, i think the history is the reason for the inequality. ~a
[2013-12-05 16:49:01] - a: And the time machine is kinda the crux of his joke. He does touch on current socio-economic inbalances, but it's almost like an afterthought and result of his historical argument. Also, it's not like ALL whites are privileged and all "others" are not. Again, isn't that thinking a great example of racism? -Paul
[2013-12-05 16:44:46] - a: Ok, but I think the extra information is misleading at best. Why dredge up all the history when it would be easier to point out the inequities that exist right here and now? -Paul
[2013-12-05 16:32:10] - paul: the history is required to describe and qualify the lack of symmetry. without history, there is no reference or source for the lack of symmetry. ~a
[2013-12-05 16:30:46] - mig: sure. closer. ~a
[2013-12-05 16:01:22] - http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/nbc-radio-callous-tweet-regarding-jameis-winston-makes-200832195--ncaaf.html now, I'm sometimes understanding how some taglines that are deemed really bad in hindsight sometimes get missed in the review process, but how did anyone think this was ok? - mig
[2013-12-05 15:43:56] - mig: Sometimes it seems like the number of retired players + retired coaches + 1.... -Paul
[2013-12-05 15:09:45] - I just saw a segment on ESPN yesterday featuring NFL analyst ... Mark Brunell!? How many fucking NFL analsysts does ESPN employ? - mig
[2013-12-05 14:57:55] - http://www.dailypress.com/sports/teel-blog/dp-teel-time-vt-bowl-latest-sun,0,6595453.post VT likely to play Sun Bowl vs. UCLA on Dec 31. Not the first place I've seen this projection, but this goes into detail on most of the factors. It'd be nice to finally have a game on new year's eve finally. - mig
[2013-12-05 14:30:37] - http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/11/nypd-police-shootings-numbers-2012.html Remind me to stay away from NY. -Paul
[2013-12-05 14:18:12] - Random off-topic question: Does anybody here support the movements to increase minimum wage that seems to be sweeping the nation recently? -Paul
[2013-12-05 14:16:23] - I'm just asking because there seems to be either some disconnect between what we think aaemer is talking about or we are hung up semantics, and I'm still trying to figure out which it is. - mig
[2013-12-05 14:15:12] - a: "just because you're in a non-symmetrical situation, doesn't mean you're being held responsible" I think I understand what you're saying, but then I don't understand what the point was of bringing up all that history. -Paul
[2013-12-05 14:05:11] - a: maybe we are differing on what being "held responsible" means, I guess. Let's try something else. Do you agree or disagree with this assessment of the rant: "Whites have no business complaining about racist white people jokes because previous generations of white people did horrible things to black people."? - mig
[2013-12-05 14:01:59] - "How is that not holding whites responsible for what previou[s] generations did?" just because you're in a non-symmetrical situation, doesn't mean you're being held responsible. ~a
[2013-12-05 13:53:46] - a: So I'm confused again. We seem to now agree the crux of what he's saying is: 1) whites shouldn't be complaining about racist jokes targetting them, 2) then goes on to cite all the wrongs white people have done to black people throughout history. How is that not holding whites responsible for what previoud generations did? - mig
[2013-12-05 13:44:28] - (for the purpose of this conversation, you're white, paul
) ~a[2013-12-05 13:43:59] - paul: "He's holding current whites responsible for the deeds of previous generations" disagree. "Why else is history (and time machines) important here?" just because you're in a non-symmetrical situation, doesn't mean you're being held responsible. they're two different concepts. ~a
[2013-12-05 13:41:46] - mig: both. ~a
[2013-12-05 13:29:45] - a: Alright, now I'm confused. Is he alluding to the term "reverse racism" being silly, or telling white people to stop complaining about racist jokes that target them? If it's the former I probably view his rant in a bit of a different light. - mig
[2013-12-05 13:11:23] - ""reverse racism" isn't possible because of history" Right, that's my point. He's holding current whites responsible for the deeds of previous generations. Why else is history (and time machines) important here? -Paul
[2013-12-05 13:04:45] - try these instead: "reverse racism" isn't possible because time-machines don't exist. "reverse racism" isn't possible because of history. "reverse racism" isn't possible because the situations aren't symmetrical. ~a
[2013-12-05 12:37:27] - a: Maybe I misunderstood, then, but it sounded like he was basically saying "reverse racism" isn't possible because whites have done all those things in the past. If that wasn't his point, what was it? -Paul
[2013-12-05 12:18:16] - "This guy is blaming all whites now for some historical wrongs that some whites did hundreds of years ago" no i don't think he has. ~a
[2013-12-05 10:42:58] - a: Of course, having a couple of times used Colbert as an example, I tried finding a funny bit by him on reverse racism and failed. Found two clips and neither were particularly funny (although he did have a good joke about all the soldiers at Gettysburg being white). -Paul
[2013-12-05 10:40:06] - mig: There's an assumption, created by our FDA-approved drug culture that OTC drugs are perfectly safe in all cases. That is there is essentially no drug interactions possible. When you're dealing with low-information, it's not 'safe' to assume people will do what's best for them. Particularly when the prevailing message has been for generations to the opposite.
[2013-12-05 10:30:05] - a: I can't think of a much better example of racism. Having said all that, I've no problem with racism in the pursuit of humor and all would've been forgiven if his joke had been funny. To me, the biggest crime was him not being funny.
-Paul[2013-12-05 10:28:54] - a: This is all also missing probably the biggest point in my mind, and that is the fact that most white people alive today largely aren't guilty of colonizing third world countries and engaging in slave trade or bombing other countries back to the stone age. This guy is blaming all whites now for some historical wrongs that some whites did hundreds of years ago. -Paul
[2013-12-05 10:26:24] - a: Slavery isn't an exclusive white on other crime either. It happened in Africa and I believe it was often Africans themselves who caught and "enslaved" other Africans to sell them to the Europeans. -Paul
[2013-12-05 10:24:27] - g: fair point. But because you're already taking medications you'd probably want to consult a doctor before taking anything new that's unknown, regardless of what it was? I mean I can see why it would be a good idea for women to consult with a doctor beforehand, but I don't think that translates necessarily to locking access to BC behind a perscription. - mig
[2013-12-05 10:23:16] - In my mind, racism is racism, whether or not the person partaking in it thinks they have a legitimate reason to be racist or not. Have Europeans/Americans had wars against browns/asians/whatever for non-clear reasons? Sure, but much larger ones (WW1 and WW2) happened largely between those same countries. -Paul
[2013-12-05 10:20:26] - a: I know you brushed it off as including a time machine like Jon Stewart brushes off criticism by pointing to his network name, but at the same time you pointed to it as having some interesting points. What points were they? -Paul
[2013-12-05 10:19:20] - a: Sorry, I really do feel bad about crapping all over your link. I know it sucks when I get really excited about something and find out everybody else doesn't like it. I just didn't find anything compelling about it. It wasn't very funny and it made no serious points. -Paul
[2013-12-05 10:07:57] - mig: maybe. ~a
[2013-12-05 10:07:36] - anyways, you guys suck, i thought it was hilarious. could colbert had done better? yeah, probably, but this guy is a stand-up comic that nobody has heard of. i thought it had some interesting points i've heard before rolled up into one lump of jokes. now, the next time i hear reverse racism (it'll probably be from somebody on fox) i can think of this stand-up. ~a
[2013-12-05 10:07:00] - a: Now, I'm not saying you're doing this, but isn't this why the video is making the rounds on facebook/g+? To make a counterargument to whites who complain about blacks who make racist jokes at white people's expense? - mig
[2013-12-05 10:04:09] - I have to add though, I'm starting to agree with whoever wrote on the message board eons ago that "reverse" racism/discrimination is kind of a stupid term. I mean it's understood what people mean by it but from a language perspective it doesn't make any sense. - mig
[2013-12-05 10:03:54] - "serious argument"? yeah, very few serious arguments come via time machine. ~a
[2013-12-05 09:51:11] - well, as someone who is from an ethnic background whose history does invovle the opression from the white man so I guess I'm technically allowed to have a valid opinion on this according to aaemer's logic. I appreciate the humor in the rant, but if this is being taken as some of sort of serious argument or talking point I don't find it compelling. - mig
[2013-12-05 09:11:46] - Xpovos: I think I just didn't find it clever or sarcastic enough. It was a pretty telegraphed joke early on, and the build-up wasn't terribly funny in and of itself, so it was just me listening to him rant about all the wrongs whites have done to other people before getting to the expected punchline. -Paul
[2013-12-05 09:06:39] - For me, it didn't work because he's intentionally conflating racism and historical colonialism into a single term for his humor. It makes an interesting point, but not particularly amusingly, IMO. That said, I'd find attempting to argue with him on his point, even if I wanted to do so, very difficult because of a lack of shared language. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-05 09:05:00] - Paul: Sorry I jumped your line.
-- Xpovos[2013-12-05 08:53:56] - people are accusing = people will accuse -Paul
[2013-12-05 08:53:37] - Xpovos: Yeah, I was going to preemptively say that I'm sure people are accusing me of not finding it funny because of my political leanings (I do pretty much disagree entirely with his premise) or my race (I'm fairly white), but I'm pretty sure it's just the style of humor. Like I said, I think Colbert could make this point in a hilarious way. -Paul
[2013-12-05 08:48:19] - Paul: You're letting your pro-Caucasian tendencies show. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-05 08:45:05] - a: Eh, I smiled a few times (make up a war to bomb them back to the stone age), but I didn't find it overly compelling. I feel like Stephen Colbert could've done a lot more with the topic. -Paul
[2013-12-04 20:40:33] - lol, found this on the facebooks (ederlyn posted it, so you might have seen it there). it's about "reverse racism" and i like it. if you watch it at work, i'd suggest headphones, because the subject is a little racy. . . . see what i did there? ~a
[2013-12-04 17:08:53] - mig: based on some of my other medication BC would be ineffective for me... So I can kind of see needing a drs appt to get it. If I had gotten it OTC and thought it should work and low and behold it didnt I wouldnt be in a very good place. ~g
[2013-12-04 17:07:52] - paul: strip poker? ~g
[2013-12-04 16:45:36] - mig: web filter? ~a
[2013-12-04 15:11:14] - mig: Strangely not blocked for me, and I love the caption for Samus' morph ball, "Being good at games makes a woman strip for you. Just like in real life." -Paul
[2013-12-04 14:27:07] - the mario story isn't particularly interesting, but the origins of Samus's morph ball is pretty funny, and the origin story of Metal Gear is interesting in how the franchise became what it is because of a rather strange set of circumstances. - mig
[2013-12-04 14:24:46] - http://www.cracked.com/article_20749_6-iconic-video-games-that-were-created-by-technical-problems_p1.html video games and ideas that came about to deal with technical issues. nsfw, not for the content of the article itself, just that I'm pretty sure cracked.com is blacklisted at everyone's web filters at work. - mig
[2013-12-04 13:19:14] - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-hergenrader/the-dangerous-side-of-birth-control_b_3667093.html (link) -- Xpovos
[2013-12-04 13:19:08] - mig: From the article. 44 countries require prescription and heavily enforce it in some fashion. Another 56 require prescriptions, but are lax in enforcement. 110 isn't 'few'. Heck, even 44 isn't few. Not that I necessarily agree, but in the interest of devils advocating, here's the other (anecdotal in this case) side. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-04 13:01:40] - xpovos: well we're one of the few countries who seem to hold that opinion that that BC pills are "dangerous" enough for such required oversight, so the need for doctor oversight seems unecessary even for a person of non-libertarian tendencies. - mig
[2013-12-04 12:49:08] - mig: Hormonal BC can cause serious complications if misused, or taken in certain circumstances. It's rare, but common enough that physician oversight is still deemed reasonable and responsible by most doctor's associations. That said, of course they should be. As should morphine. Go libertarians! -- Xpovos
[2013-12-04 12:17:54] - certainly would help accessibility. Why this hasn't even given any discussion (when bobby jindal brought this up sometime last year as a proposal it was widely laughed off by liberal media, becuase fuck whatever republicans say I guess?) just makes no sense to me. - mig
[2013-12-04 12:15:54] - as a quick aside to the whole contraception bru-haha: why does access to most contraception options for women still require a doctor's exam and perscription? I mean, they've been around long enough and are in common enough use that I can't really think of a reason why they just can't be sold OTC. I don't know if it would solve the affordability issue on its own but
[2013-12-04 08:49:14] - mig: Internally consistent logic takes you to strange places sometimes. Like forbidding contraception even in cases where subsequent pregnancies will result in a situation were either the baby or the mother or both are likely to die due to foreseeable medical issues. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-04 08:47:33] - mig: There's also a huge difference between health and life. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-04 08:46:42] - mig: It's complicated, but the answer you're looking for is no. There is no way to value the life of the mother as greater than the life of the unborn child. There are ways to perform life-saving medical procedures that do terminate pregnancy. But they're limited in scope. Classic example is an ectopic pregnancy -- Xpovos
[2013-12-04 00:06:49] - xpovos: no exception for when the mother's health is at risk? - mig
[2013-12-03 19:40:42] - g: That said, the policy would have been: we can't perform any action that would directly result in the termination of the pregnancy. That doesn't mean send the woman home when she's likely to experience severe complications. The whole referral issue is a messy issue too. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-03 19:39:36] - g: Jurisdiction in the Church is a complicated thing. In this case, the highest authority would be Walkowiak. It's fairly safe to say that the USCCB NEVER has jurisdiction, though. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-03 17:58:31] - http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/02/21724382-two-thousand-mice-dropped-on-guam-by-parachute-to-kill-snakes?lite Not entirely sure why, but I find this story a little sad. We're killing a bunch of mice to make it easier for us to kill a bunch of snakes? -Paul
[2013-12-03 16:56:35] - and it sounded like the usccb was the highest Catholic authority in the us. Is that wrong? ~g
[2013-12-03 16:55:40] - xpovos: Hmm so I don't know as much about this add I possibly should but seems like the Catholic Church sets the policy which caused this negligence, from whati heard on the radio. ~g
[2013-12-03 16:20:52] - mig: Well, there's that, which is bad enough, but the USCCB isn't even really a player in this. That's is like going after the NRA because a gun shop owner knowingly sold a firearm to a felon. Even if you agree that selling the firearm to the felon was a stupid thing to do, the NRA wasn't involved in any way. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-03 16:02:36] - I have to wonder about dragging the USCCB into this though. It's very clear that the hospital was negligent in caring for this woman. It seems like an uphill battle to claim the USCCB's policies led to "forcing" the hospital to act the way it did. - mig
[2013-12-03 15:38:10] - Xpovos: Gurkie brought that case to my attention yesterday. I hadn't heard anything about it until then. I was initially a little surprised that the ACLU was the one pushing the action against the hospitals. I hadn't realized abortion was one of their major issues. -Paul
[2013-12-03 15:14:16] - Popcorn time: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/03/us/lawsuit-challenges-anti-abortion-policies-at-catholic-hospitals.html -- Xpovos
[2013-12-03 12:04:05] - They also have fixed the majority of the accuracy issues that were plaguing that aspect earlier. The problem is still 'sticker shock', but that was never my concern. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-03 12:03:24] - On the other side I played around more with the 'see plans before you buy' option. It is MUCH better. If this had been working on October 1st, I'd have been content, since it has almost all of the information I'm interested in and none of the application problems. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-03 12:02:28] - mig: Sure, normally I wouldn't bat an eye at a delayed confirmation e-mail. That's par. The problem is the last time they sent an e-mail, as I mentioned, it had expired before I even opened it. Also, any delay means I'm going off to do other things, esp. if it's an hour. For something like this where they want people in and done in one sitting, it's not good. -- X
[2013-12-03 11:52:14] - xpovos: I've noticed email notifiers can take a wide variety of time to send me an email. Anywhere from almost instantly, to 5-10 minutes, to sometimes an hour. But there's probably no shortage of external factors for why your internet got stuck in the tubes. - mig
[2013-12-03 11:45:37] - 10+ minutes of waiting for the e-mail... I'm going to assume it's not coming at this point. Don't know if that's a website failure, a user account failure, an e-mail daemon failure, or spam filter failure. Regardless, it didn't work. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-03 11:32:15] - My account failures mean that they need to send data via my e-mail address, but the last time this happened the e-mail link had timed out before I received it. That appears to be about to happen again, unless they increased the window on the links they e-mail. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-03 11:30:45] - mig: Reporting back, my failed attempts to register previously are still causing significant problems in even the first steps of working through the website. It is probably easier for a first time user at this point, and appears that it might actually functionally create users instead of half-creating them and throwing up errors. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-03 11:27:19] - Of course that could just be my HR people lying to my face. They're good at that. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-03 11:27:07] - mig: I haven't been back. I should try it out again, just for shits and giggles. But the pressing need for data has passed. I've learned, that like most Americans, my health care plan is really expensive, but there is no legal affordable alternative. The 'good' news is that the law prohibits my coverage from getting much worse at the time being. -- Xpovos
[2013-12-03 10:06:23] - xpovos: any luck with the now-good-enough-for-government-work healthcare.gov? - mig
[2013-12-02 12:45:22] - mig: Maybe. I think it's a little debatable how bad it was but also how responsible Payton was for it. Personally, I thought he got too harsh of a penalty. I can't really defend the NFL in terms of the consistency of their penalties, though. They seem all over the place. -Paul
[2013-12-02 12:34:14] - paul: the payton thing I believe strengthens my point because it seems that they won't suspend a head coach unless it's something thats really, really bad before they even consider it. - mig
[2013-12-02 12:30:40] - paul: well who have they suspended other than Payton (and that was one of those big organizational misconduct thing)? I can't really recall any. Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, there really isn't any debate that his actions altered a play on the field, which is a pretty big deal. - mig
[2013-12-02 12:22:36] - mig: Funny you say they are loathe to hand down suspensions on head coaches after what happened to Sean Payton. Maybe they are giving him the benefit of the doubt that it was an accident? -Paul
[2013-12-02 12:05:23] - taking away draft picks hardly seems appropriate (though it's harsher than a suspension), since it's something that occurred on the field as opposed to some organizational misdeed (like spygate or the saints bounty thing). - mig
[2013-12-02 12:02:55] - http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/nfl-really-considering-stripping-steelers-draft-pick-over-184921470--nfl.html is there a particular reason the NFL is loathe to hand down suspensions to head coaches? I would think a coach directly altering a play on the field during a game would fall under a no-brainer in terms of a suspension, but I guess not. - mig
[2013-12-02 10:42:48] - mig: It's a division full of terrible teams right now.
-Paul[2013-12-02 10:31:13] - daniel/paul: what is going on with the nba's atlantic division? how is the 1st place team 6-10? - mig
[2013-11-29 14:04:37] - I thought VT was totally out of it when we lost to Maryland and Duke beat up Miami, but apparently not. - mig
[2013-11-29 13:57:58] - So apparently I done fucked up math in figuring out ACC coastal division scenarios. After we lost to UMD and Duke beat Miami, I was pretty sure we were out of contention. But not so! If Duke loses to UNC and Miami and VT win their respective games, there will be a 5-way tie for 1st place. - mig
[2013-11-27 22:41:42] - TIL: i was about to ask this question: "what's the difference between options trading and futures trading? i feel like both of them are trading in a specified asset at a specified time, but maybe the devil is in the details?" then i found the answer. options cost more, ... but are optional. ~a
[2013-11-27 17:13:56] - http://newwavecrashing.tumblr.com/image/67058780565 i'm usually not a fan of protest signs but this one is pretty epic one against (or for?) toronto mayor rob ford. - mig
[2013-11-27 11:27:48] - http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/d-c-refuses-pay-300-million-nationals-ballpark-011138315--mlb.html ... sigh. I guess I'm glad the dc city council isn't going to be filching taxpayers for $300 million for what's essentially a luxury item for the nats ballpark, but annoyed there considering spending tax money on other ill conceived sports stuff. - mig
[2013-11-27 11:05:41] - mean to say making a false accusation of this nature.
[2013-11-27 10:53:28] - Also, making a false accusation is actually a very heinous thing. Lives and livlihoods get completely ruined over these things (ask alec baldwin or paula dean). The restaurant is actually rather fortunate the couple's names haven't been revealed, because they could be in for a hefty lawsuit if it turns out this whole thing was fabricated. - mig
[2013-11-27 10:51:05] - supposadly false accusation. I think I can understand wanting to speak out (again, under the assumption they are actually innocent). - mig
[2013-11-27 10:50:34] - a: well for the family they sort of don't have anything on the line, but however, there are some things to consider, assuming they are innocent in all this. First off, even if it's not publicly linked to them, I can imagine being accused of being bigotry is still very hurtful. Also, there's the fact that both the restaurant and the waitress have profited off the
[2013-11-27 10:46:24] - a: true enough they may both be lying. Maybe the couple did leave no tip, but also didn't leave the nasty note. - mig
[2013-11-27 10:44:48] - mig: i'll grant your points. . . . i've been thinking. it's possible, and not without reason, that both sides are lying about parts of the full story. really the server is fucked. she'll be fired for sure. or she'll be forced out of her job. regardless, this seriously sucks for her. the family on the other hand, don't have anything on the line. ~a
[2013-11-27 10:40:59] - god, that looks like 111.56 to me on the cc bill, but i guess 18.00 does make much more sense as a tip amount. ~a
[2013-11-27 10:02:47] - Sure, there's still a risk some nosy investigative rerporter could have found out who they were, but as it stood I don't think they would have ever been linked to this publicly. So it seems kind of dumb to make shit up and then come forward, not only risking exposing themselves as bigots but also trying to lie about it. - mig
[2013-11-27 10:00:04] - Also, I think it's important to note that the couple hasn't been "outed" by name yet. If they are found out to have been lying, they almost certainly will lose the anonymity courtesy they've been given by news outlets so far. If they had actually written the nasty note and left no tip, I would think they'd want to lay low given the circumstances. - mig
[2013-11-27 09:48:32] - I mean sure it's possible that the couple could have pulled off a photoshop job, but you'd think given the nature of the story the reporters would be careful in verifying the information the couple was providing. I mean yeah it's possible the couple pulled off a con job with their bill, but I just find it unlikely. - mig
[2013-11-27 09:44:10] - truth be told I don't know what form of the bill the reporters saw. Was it a hard copy? Is the couple's bill paperless and what we saw the printout of the bill from a computer (I would hope that they would have verified it by seeing the couple login to their bank web site)? - mig
[2013-11-27 09:31:05] - I think it's also telling that the restaurant is refusing to produce the original receipt when asked by the reporters. - mig
[2013-11-27 09:27:06] - redacting the bill themselves. And the reporters do believe the bill to be geniune, which I think counts for something. - mig
[2013-11-27 09:24:15] - a: 1) It was mentioned in the article that this could have arisen from the waitress being offended that the couple thought her name was "Dan" for some reason, which could have been the motivation. 2) the amount of tip was $18.00 not 18.01. 3) it's hard to tell whether the shitty quality is through the family's doing or the reporters making a photo copy and then
[2013-11-26 23:28:50] - 3. why would they display such a shitty copy of their visa statement? show us a copy of the statement we can analyze for irregularities, not a 640x480 copy? anybody who can use gimp can make a shitty copy look like it said whatever. ~a
[2013-11-26 23:28:14] - i see a lot of problems with the family's side of the story: 1. most importantly, why would the server had chosen to do this if you tipped 19%? maybe adding the snotty text beside the bill if you had indeed tipped 0%, but on top of 19%? why? 2. why did you choose to tip $18.01 on a $93.55 bill. what a bat-shit crazy amount to pick. ~a
[2013-11-26 18:07:39] - Sellin' hope's like sellin' soap, son, I'll tell you why; you can't sell either without a little bit o' lye.
[2013-11-26 13:12:00] - while obviously it would have been easy for the couple to write one thing on the merchant copy and then fill out the customer copy later, cc bills aren't exactly easy to fabricate, and the restaurant's comments seem to imply the couple was actually charged the full amount w/ tip included. - mig
[2013-11-26 12:48:37] - http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Gay-Server-Tip-Lifestyle-Receipt-Discrepancy-233040811.html weird story. Another one of those "leave no tip and a hateful derogatory message" incidents, except the couple involved claims the "hateful" original receipt was fabricated, citing their copy of the receipt and CC bill as proof. - mig
[2013-11-25 11:02:38] - a: Or we go complete collapse where all social order breaks down with no power, or water or internet and roving, cannibalistic bandits all over. That's the scenario where guns and ammo will be useful (and bitcoins not), but I also think that's real unlikely. -Paul
[2013-11-25 11:01:35] - a: Yeah, I guess that's the thing. I feel like we'll either see a monetary collapse where the currency goes worthless and the economy crashes (similar to the depression), but everything else is still working (power, water, internet, etc)... -Paul
[2013-11-25 10:28:22] - ok cool. then i welcome that middle ground where i don't need guns+ammo, but my alternative currency will buy me out of the poverty caused by a market collapse.
i just hope the internet doesn't disintegrate, or i'll have a hard time spending. ~a[2013-11-25 10:20:59] - a: Yeah, hopefully we'll never find out, but I just feel like if you look at most scenarios where stuff breaks down, usually people don't suddenly completely lawless. -Paul
[2013-11-25 10:09:16] - fair enough. i don't have much of a retort, but i guess i'm expecting a situation worse than the great depression. alternatively, maybe the men and women of the '20s were a different sort than we are. you know, us: the men and women of the '10s. ~a
[2013-11-25 09:38:35] - a: I guess it depends on exactly what happens, but the depression was pretty bad and basic social order didn't seem to break down, right? -Paul
[2013-11-25 09:33:13] - paul: without money for food, things get ugly quick. i predict roving bands the same week we see a lack of money for food. ~a
[2013-11-25 09:13:16] - a: Not necessarily. I actually believe it's possible for the economy to totally collapse (or at least our monetary system) without civilization completely collapsing as well. I don't see why we would all suddenly become roving, pillaging barbarians in the event of some collapse. -Paul
[2013-11-24 11:12:39] - dc used to have an anti-flirt club? Don't fall for the slick, dandified cake eater! ~a
[2013-11-22 18:00:10] - yah, i don't buy into the doomsday scenarios either: buying into them totally would probably suggest that i buy lots of guns/ammo. yeah, i do try to diversify though. ~a
[2013-11-22 17:37:11] - a: I don't completely buy into the doomsday scenarios, but a major collapse in the value of the US dollar wouldn't surprise me at all. -Paul
[2013-11-22 17:36:18] - a: If you're an "Austrian", maybe that means buying some gold mining stocks (or even physical gold), if you're an adventurous techie, maybe that means bitcoins. For most, I would assume it means looking at foreign stocks. -Paul
[2013-11-22 17:34:35] - a: Ah, I guess I was referring to everybody. I don't think people have to go out and buy a "basket of currencies" or anything like that, but I'm guessing most people on the message board at least have the vast majority of their non-real estate wealth tied up in US Dollars or US stocks. Just seems like it might not be a bad idea to look at other things. -Paul
[2013-11-22 17:24:06] - i don't own any cny if that's what you mean. ~a
[2013-11-22 17:23:45] - paul: "I hope people are diversified." what do you mean by this specifically. which people? americans? message board readers? define diversified? thanks! ~a
[2013-11-22 17:05:27] - g: So, if the person being forced to do the work can do a job of varying quality, it's more of a grey area? Otherwise, it should be black and white? -Paul
[2013-11-22 16:50:38] - its not subjective. ~g
[2013-11-22 16:50:30] - whereas at a grocery store I dont really care who is ringing me up... ~g
[2013-11-22 16:50:10] - paul: so in a lot of ways I would want the photographer to say I dont think I could do the two of you justice - even though I would probably be pissed about it overall I would rather have been served by someone who could connect with us and thereby provide us a better service. ~g
[2013-11-22 16:49:23] - paul: If we were shopping for a photographer I wouldnt want to go with someone who has issues with interracial couples since I wouldnt feel like they woudl be able to do as good of a job photographing us since they couldnt connect to us. ~g
[2013-11-22 16:49:12] - Paul: the reason I find the photographer very different is because its to the detriment of the couple to be served by someone who has issues with them on such an important day. ~g
[2013-11-22 16:38:59] - a: In reference to what? I've said a lot of stuff since your last comment.
-Paul[2013-11-22 16:31:16] - paul: which people? ~a
[2013-11-22 15:10:33] - Xpovos: Against gay marriage? Then probably.
-Paul[2013-11-22 15:07:59] - I do have to wonder, sometimes, if people here think I'm homophobic. -- Xpovos
[2013-11-22 15:02:22] - a: Completely off-topic, but going back to your link about China and US dollars... lots of libertarians and austrian economists have been predicting China was going to stop buying US currency and debt for a long time. I hope people are diversified. -Paul
[2013-11-22 15:00:03] - Maybe the tattoo artist is fine serving germans (just like these photographers are fine serving gays), but they don't want to provide a specific service commonly requested by that "protected group" (german flag, gay wedding photography). -Paul
[2013-11-22 14:58:59] - And I think it's worth noting that this isn't a situation where they won't serve gays (see the quote about doing portraits), but they would not want to do a gay wedding. It may sound like semantics, but it goes back to Miguel's question about the french tattoo artist and the german flag. -Paul
[2013-11-22 14:49:50] - And they're not trying to stop the couple from getting married or anything like that. They would just prefer not to have to celebrate something that they appear to think is immoral. -Paul
[2013-11-22 14:47:56] - I know it's tough to sympathize with them because they appear homo-phobic and that's just a nasty thing for most people here, but by all accounts they appear to not be homo-phobic people (“gladly serve gays and lesbians — by, for example, providing them with portrait photography"), they just don't believe in gay marriage. -Paul
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