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Comment It's all about the dosage level (Score 1) 186

Trouble from religion seems to be associated more with dosage level than theology. Once a week seems to be a safe dose for most people, while several times a day is an overdose. The nuttier religions tend towards the overdose end of the scale. Islam and the haredi branch of Judaism go for All Religion All the Time. Scientology goes in that direction, but more through intermittent intense experiences rather than constant daily obsession.

Fortunately, Scientology is stuck, by policy, with Hubbard's 1930s technology and their skin-resistance meter. If they were keeping up with technology, they'd have mobile apps tied to wristband sensors reporting to HQ in Clearwater, FL, auditing using functional MRI machines, and big data systems analyzing all member communications.

Comment Re:Government is a tool (Score 1, Troll) 243

I repeat, legal oppression only exists because of government. If you cannot see that simple truth, you are wilfully blind.

Primogeniture and entailment were government laws which enforced class distinctions and warfare -- withotu government creation and enforcement of classes, there would be no class oppression and warfare.

Government laws prevented women from owning property, voting, or having much freedom at all, and made marriage rape legal.

Slavery and segregation were the direct result of government laws. Society was integrating on its own until government stopped it and reversed course.

It's very simple: government creates laws to justify its oppression. You claim to get your history from the People's History. It's not much of a history if that single lesson doesn't come through loud and clear.

Comment Re:Lots of people care (Score 3, Interesting) 243

People care about people. Governments do not. Any one who thinks the government is his friend is either a crony or a fool, possibly both. Governments' mission is to compel or prohibit; their core competence is coercion in the name of the status quo.

Before government made black self-defense illegal and enforced bigotry with government guns, blacks at least had a chance. Society was at least slowly intergrating even in the face of government sanctioned lynching, before government stepped in officially and made it illegal, backed by government guns and jails. The US Post office and military were more integrated than most people realize, until Woodrow Wilson came along and enforced segregation. That Louisian railroad was just one of many companies who integrated in pursuit of the amlighty dollar, until governments came along and stopped them with government guns and jail.

Progressives are an ignorant whiny lot, like all statists. All power to the government! The people, not so much.

Comment Re:Lots of people care (Score 3, Informative) 243

Civil rights for Black People in the Southern American States only happened because the Federal Government stepped in with the National Guard.

BULLSHIT. Slavery and Jim Crow were both the RESULT of government laws. Neither can exist in the absence of government. Jim Crow in particular owes its existence to a Louiana law requiring a railroad to segregate its railroad cars against its own wishes, said law being approved by the US Supreme Court.

You need to learn a lot of history before opening your yap next time.

Comment Re:Student Loans (Score 1) 390

US student loans have various humiliating processes you can use to get some deferments, but if you never actually start making money with or without your degree you still have to pay them back eventually and they never go away and if you have outstanding student loans you can't close escrow on a home, or do some other important things.

Comment Re:Porsche Boxster E (Score 1) 360

Luckily Audi has a lot of experience dealing with corrosion, having produced an all-aluminum car in 1994 with the A8. Lots of warnings in all the service documentation about not using the wrong fasteners, about only using tin-plated ring terminals, etc. Unintentional grounding is a problem anyway... but only if you're not intentionally grounded, through a compatible terminal.

Comment Grandparent had it right. (Score 2) 81

The word you are looking for is "preventive".

No, it's not. The usage you're complaining about is perfectly valid.

"Preventative" has been in use since 1666 as an alternate pronunciation and spelling for "preventive".

In some regions (including where I grew up - almost in the center of the region natively speaking the "radio accent", which has been the de facto standard speech for the U.S. since the advent of commercial broadcasting) it is the preferred form.

If you want to be a spelling NAZI, you should avoid being provincial about it. Check the online dictionaries before correcting others, to distinguish between being helpful and imposing your local speech on others.

Unlike French ("a dead language spoken by millions"), American English does not have a regulatory body prescribing an official standard (though some educators have tried, since at least Daniel Webster). It grows and changes by usage. Dictionaries play a game of catch up and try to document how it's realy used.

(Yes, I know how it grates on your nerves when someone uses a different spelling or pronunciation than you're used to. I feel the same way when my wife pronounces "legacy" as if she was talking about a ledge. But apparently that's actually the first pronunciation listed in The Oxford.)

Comment Re:Kansas City Hyatt Regency Skywalk (Score 1) 183

(Slashdot timed out on me and I lost the start of my post.)

As built the skywalk was so overloaded that eventual collapse was possible even without any load. Naturally when it did fail it would be at a time when both the upper and lower skywalks were heavily loaded with people, and the floor crowded below. 114 died, 216 were injured - many seriously.

Of course loads on things like bridges and skyways vary a lot. You can expect them to go in times of high load, which happens to be when there are a lot of people around to be injured or killed.

Comment Re:Not a problem for MGP (Score 1) 397

Here's Frank-Lin's list of products. It's alcohol, deionized water, and flavoring. That's what Frank-Lin does. These are just the brands Frank-Lin owns. They also do contract bottling for another 2,000 products. "With an annual production capability of 15 million cases and on-premise tank storage capacity in excess of 1,500,000 gallons, Frank-Lin has the facilities and expertise to efficiently handle any project".

Frank-Lin is noted for having one of the most flexible automated packaging lines in the world. They can switch from one bottle/ingredients combo to another without stopping the production line. Every product can have a unique bottle. They're next door to the bottle factory. This is what the booze industry is really like, minus the advertising hype.

  Brandy - American
        A R Morrow, Lejon, Potter's Finest Brand, Montanac Brandy

Calvados
        Busnel Calvados - www.halbymarketing.com
        Menorval - www.halbymarketing.com

Cognac
        1st Cru Collection
        Francious Voyer Napoleon - www.1stcru.com
        Maison Prunier
        Marthe Sepia - www.1stcru.com
        Menuet - www.1stcru.com
        Aubade & Cie.
        Francois De Lyon
        Jules Domet
        Maison Prunier

Condiments
        Frank-Lin Farms

Cordials
        Cafe Del Amor, Curacao Liqueur, Destinee Liqueur, Gran Citron, Grand Marquette, Holly Toddy, Jules Domet Orange Liqueur, Kona Gold Coffee Liqueur, Maraska Cherry & Pear Liqueurs, Potter's, Potter's Long Island Iced Tea, Potter's Sour Splash, Vice Rei - Portugal Passion Fruit

Cream Liqueur
        Duggan's Irish Cream, Laddy's Country Cream

Energy Drinks (Non Alcoholic)
      Tornado

Gin
        Barrett's London Dry, Bellringer (England), Cossack, Martini London Dry, Potter's London Dry

Grappa
        Classik Grappa

Liqueurs - French
        Jules Domet Grand Orange

Liqueurs - Herbal
        Agwa, Arak Razzouk - Anise Liqueur, Par-D-Schatz

Liqueurs - Italian
        Ramazotti - www.hgcimports.com

Liqueurs - Lebanon
        Arak Razzouk - www.hgcimports.com

Mezcal
        Don Antonio Aguilar

Mixes
(Non Alcoholic)
        Jero Cocktail mix, Puerto Vallarta, Vinnie's Bloody Mary Mix

Produce
        Pietra Santa Olive Oil - www.pietrasantawinery.com

RTD
(Ready to Drink)
        Pocket Shots - www.pocketshot.net
        John Daly Cocktails - www.johndalycocktail.com
        Puerto Vallarta Margarita

Rum
        Diamond Head, Hammock Bay, Havana Bay, Moraga Cay
        Potter's Specialty Rums, Potter's West Indies
        Prichard's - www.prichardsdistillery.com
        Tanduay - www.tanduay.net

Sambuca
        Ramazotti

Sauval
Scotch Whiskey - Single Malts
        Glenalmond, Glen Ranoch, Muirheads Speyside

Scotch Whiskey - Pure Malt
        Angus Dundee, Tambowie

Scotch Whisky
        Blackburn's, Duggan's Dew, Lloyd & Haig, Potter's

Slivovitz
        Maraska Kosher, Subovorska

Schnapps
        Defrost Schnapps - http://defrostschnapps.com/

Tequila
        Baja
        Baja Tequila Liqueur
        Don Diego Santa - www.dondiegosanta.com.mx
        El Tirador - www.mexcor.com
        Orendain Ollitas - www.tequila-orendain.com
        Gran Orendain - www.tequila-orendain.com
        Potter's
        Puente Grande Tequila
        Puerto Vallarta - www.puertovallartatequila.com
        Quito
        Señor Rio - www.senorrio.com
        Sol De Mexico - www.uaimports.com

Triple Sec Liqueur
        Potter's, Puerto Vallarta, Jules Perchard

Vodka
        Baronoff
        Beyond - www.beyondvodka.com
        Charodei-Russia
        Cossack
        Crown Czar
        Crown Superior
        Ed Hardy-France - www.edhardyvodka.com
        Haamonii-Schochu
        Maggy-Russsia
        Monnema - www.agjab.com
        Monopolowa
        Monopolowa-Austria
        Potter's
        Purity-Sweden - www.purityvodka.com
        Royal Czar
        Spirit of Santa-Finland - www.atlantico-beverages.com
        Tamiroff
        Vampyre-Transylvania - www.vampire.com
        White Wolf

Whiskey - Bourbon
        Black Saddle
        Bourbon Age - Ky
        Bourbon Club
        Buck Bourbon
        Clyde Mays Conecuh Ridge Whisky - www.crwhiskey.com
        Joshua Brook
        Medley Bros.
        Old Medley
        Potter's
        Wathen's

Whiskey - Blended
        Barret's Blend
        Glenwood Blend
        Potter's

Whiskey - Canadian
        8 Seconds - http://8secondswhisky.com/
        C.E.O.
        Campbell & Cooper
        Canadian Crown
        Potter's Crown

Comment Re:Kansas City Hyatt Regency Skywalk (Score 1) 183

n this case it failed when there was a celebration in progress. The ground floor level was crammed with dancing people and the crowd had overflowed onto the skywalks. Pogo dancing was current at the time, and apparently the failure occurred when people on the bridges, synchronized by the live music, were jumping up and down in unison. (It's the inverse of the way soldiers are required NOT to march in step when crossing a bridge.)

Thus you can expect such structures to go when there are a lot of people around to get hurt.

(Interestingly, a crowd of people is MUCH more of a load, even without synchronized jumping, than vehicular traffic. San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge was reported to have had its greatest load ever during its anneversary, a few years back. The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic and the public invited to hike over it. Normally the bridge span has a substantial arc. This stretched the springy cables and broght the span down until it was flat.

During the planning the load on the bridge had been anticipated and computed to be safe. But there were plenty of boats standing by to try to save people if the deck DID collapse, and the people had been warned of the possibility and asked not to dance or walk in step.

Comment Re:Call me a rock wielding barbarian (Score 1) 127

Some movie directors are still bitching over the disappearance of film grain. There are companies putting unnecessary film grain in digital images.

We need to get to 48FPS or better, so slow pans over detailed backgrounds look right. No more strobing!

(Instead, we're getting 4K resolution, which is only useful if the screen is in front of your face and a meter wide.)

Comment That's the Chevy Volt. (Score 1) 360

A pure electric first gear would marry the best torque range of electric motors would free the IC engine of its low end torque requirements. No battery, no regenerative braking or fancy nancy stuff.

That's the Chevy Volt. Modest engine and battery, good electric motor. The Honda FCX has electric drive, a fuel cell, and ultracapacitors for acceleration boost.

A pure electric transmission with an IC engine? That's a Diesel-electric locomotive. Works very well, especially with modern solid-state controls. Overkill for a car, where getting started isn't that hard and clutches are in slip for only a second or two. A huge win for trains, where getting all that mass moving is the hardest part of the job.

Comment Not a problem for MGP (Score 1) 397

MGP Ingredients, which produces a sizeable fraction of the distilled spirits in the US, doesn't seem to have a problem with this. They're already running their distillery by-products through a dryer and turning out dried-grain animal feed. MGP, formerly Midwest Grain Products, takes in grain and turns out a broad range of food and beverage products. They're set up to make and ship food-grade products for humans, so complying with the rules for animal feed isn't a big deal for them.

The liquor industry is different than ads indicate. The "secret family recipe" hype is mostly bullshit. Huge plants in the Midwest produce bulk alcohol, which is then shipped by rail, in tank cars, to companies which perform further processing and bottling. The same ethyl alcohol is used for vodka, gin, rum, scotch, bourbon, brandy, tequila, Canadian whiskies, and liqueurs. MGP also sells some ethyl alcohol for fuel use, although for them it's a sideline, not their main business. They make more alcohol than the booze industry can use.

So, for the big plants, this isn't a problem.

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