Wow. Enjoy being clueless, son. Clue: those things exist for a reason.

Depends what the cost of that lift is.

Yeah, this could never happen in an advanced country.

The value of a degree is that it shows to an employer that you could get into a high value institution. That means the institution has no incentive either to expand provision or reduce fees (or indeed control costs at all). So unlikely to drop any time soon.

No. An idiot with a pointy stick, I can deal with. Unless he's particularly versed in the ancient art of stick-poking, I can probably put up a reasonable fight.

And he can't walk into a crowded bar and incinerate everyone with his pointed stick, either. I'm not concerned about pointed sticks. Assholes with flamethrowes: nope nope nope.

Let me guess. Straight white male?

Thanks for telling gay people what to think. I'm sure they had no idea how they felt about this issue until you stepped up to the plate.

No. No, it really is the flamethrower that frightens me. If the asshole didn't have a flamethrower, I wouldn't be frightened.

It also doesn't work on the "continue to argue with an idiot when the conversation has moved on" principle.

I really don't see what all the fuss is about. Delete the project and tell all involved to stop being dicks. Why does this need to generate so much bullshit?

"It is possible to debate this" /= "This is not settled science". Yes, I dare say you will be able to blether for as long as I can. But here's the thing. Science converges on the truth. Yes, it might be wrong. But by definition you cannot know better than the scientific consensus, especially not on something as well scrutinised as AGW. So, in short, you can shove your "scepticism" up your ass, because I don't care and your opinion is of no relevance.

Does climate change happen naturally? Yes? Is the current experience of climate change natural? No. This stuff isn't up for debate; it's as established science as evolution and planetary motion. Unlike evolution, though, there are a lot of people with a financial interest in the status quo and therefore strive (often honestly) to show that AGW is not true.

Speaks the man who has never learnt how effective it is to be able to say "I like your hair" in the local language...

Couple of factors. One is typically the agent is using several systems that don't talk to each other, at least one of which dates from the 70s. Two is regulatory and risk requirements that mean you are forced to reenter data instead of checking it.

The other thing is that most of the efficiency from the poibnt of view of the customer is down to the local management of that rental location. Well managed places will zip you through, badly places won't.

Generally speaking anyone smart and careful enough to use a CNC milling machine is also smart and careful enough to use a firearm responsibly. Someone who buys a machine, plugs it in, and removes finished weapon...not so much.