kashunstva

4 ms·

31.
by kashunstva 3mo ago
> elevate civilization These companies have elevated himself. The entirety of civilization is an open question. The antipathy that many have towards Musk relates more to moral concerns centring on his plainly neo-nazi leanings. I don’t w
32.
by kashunstva 3mo ago
> it's not Americas job to take care of the rest of the world. No, it’s not. But suggest you read about the role of “soft power” in diplomacy. The current administration seems to believe that only force, threats of force, and coerci
33.
by kashunstva 3mo ago
> …not healthy and unnatural I don’t think you can say this categorically without taking context and a myriad of facets of one’s socio-emotional situation into consideration.
34.
by kashunstva 3mo ago
> What did they expect would happen? Trump to just continue funding these people that hate him? Never before in my recollection has U.S. national science policy been tied so closely tied to personal fealty to the president. It is alarmin
35.
by kashunstva 3mo ago
> I've got kids, I want people creating start ups they can work in, the alternative is too grim. I also have kids. I want them to live in a just society where billionaires, whom Mr. Graham proudly grooms, according to his telling of
36.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
Bessent is really smart? It’s possible he may be; but he communicates so poorly, that unless you knew anything of his background (I do not.) then it would be hard to assess. If he understands anything about monetary policy, apart from perso
37.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
It is one reason, but certainly not the only one. The Citizens United decision virtually ensures that the average voter, even in aggregate, has nothing important to say. Shortly, one particular U.S. citizen will have a net worth of $1T; and
38.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
I suppose in some sense ICE is a law enforcement group; but witnessing their wanton behaviour in Minneapolis, ramming vehicles, breaking into homes without a warrant, use of disproportionately deadly force, … it’s a stretch to imagine that
39.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
I’m a progressive voter and my waning interest in gun control is that it’s a political nonstarter. But I’m sure there are fellow progressives that are reasoning in the way you suggest. In any case, if the majority of the “prevent Federal ov
40.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
However, the Second Amendment begins with a qualifying clause which many including notable national gun-rights organizations choose to ignore. In any case, I’m not sure that has worked out as well as Madison thought. A sizeable percentage o
41.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
> we find that a socially optimal level of ownership is often greater than zero I suppose one could model this in some way. But as a pacifist, vegan and never owner of firearms, I’m genuinely clueless as to how this could be. Is the soci
42.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
It’s not just students; this affliction is cropping up among established academics. My wife is editor-in-chief of a journal and in some months has rejected 100% of the letters to the editor including 6 that came in from a single author beca
43.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
I practiced medicine in the U.S. and am now retired. This is such a complicated problem, not insoluble; and I would not want to explain away failures of the system. I spent the majority of my career at a major tertiary referral center. One
44.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
I used a 33C in HS and college. Finally in med school during my diversion into the lab, something happened to the little bubble display. And had to upgrade to an 11C. The beauty of an RPN calculator was that nobody asked to borrow it.
45.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
Given that the people being rounded up in extrajudicial raids and held in deplorable conditions are actual humans with feelings, families, friends, memories, communities, how can emotion not be at the centre? Yes, policy must be considered.
46.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
I’m not sure he ever stopped golfing. But yes, getting back to some other distraction, an expensive one, no doubt - I’m sure that would ease his mind considerably.
47.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
Given the apparent low levels of scientific literacy among the U.S. public, I can’t imagine their ability to discern priorities or worthwhile lines of investigation would be any more useful than a coin toss. Or worse.
48.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
My wife is an academic surgical subspecialist and had no difficulties with immigration from the U.S. to Canada. At the time I was taking a pause in my career to homeschool our daughter. This was over a decade ago. The points system fluctuat
49.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
Canada has historically relied on a relatively stable trading relationship with the U.S. That relationship is a shambles. It remains to be seen how Canada retools itself; I imagine that we will see a blend of on-shoring and new trading sour
50.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
> The reality is that Canadians get very good, tax-payer subsidized educations and then immediately go to the US to work for 10+ years and only return later when they need to start drawing on the Canadian social services for things like
51.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
Are SV and Wall Street leaders demonstrably the smartest people in the U.S.? Or just the greediest and most venal?
52.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
> the fact is Canada and the US are strong and long lasting allies As historical fact, yes; but this is degrading in real time. As a Canadian, I can’t name a single family member, friend, peer or acquaintance who regards the U.S. as an
53.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
It is, after all, well-documented that the current U.S. president ignores, or frankly is unable to pay attention to intelligence briefings. So it is almost irrelevant whether any analysis of risks and benefits took place. The U.S. president
54.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
Indeed. Add them to the list that includes the instigators of the current conflict. In an admittedly cursory search, I don’t see any serious mention of similar threats to the subsea cables before the U.S. and Israel began attacking Iran. In
55.
by kashunstva 4mo ago
It’s being used as a participial adjective here. I don’t think there’s much semantic nuance in the distinction between “melted” and “molten.” It comes down to common usage. “Molten sand” sounds more suitable to my ears, but “melted butter”
56.
by kashunstva 5mo ago
The Due Process Clauses of the 5th and 14th Amendments due not provide for selective application depending on the specific suspected crime. If the suspected crime relates to unlawful immigration, the system is bound by the Constitution to p
57.
by kashunstva 5mo ago
> it doesnt need years of practice It absolutely requires years of practice to play the violin at an expert level. This is well documented. > the real sound comes when its played with other instruments in concert So in the violin repe
58.
by kashunstva 5mo ago
> Well, he did win Democrat votes as well because the party put up such horrible candidates twice. In the last cycle, the Democratic Party stumbled egregiously, no question; but the functionally binary choice was between a predictable, i
59.
by kashunstva 5mo ago
I wonder if a minority of composers came from privileged backgrounds. Brahms himself did not. As a young teen, he played the piano in houses of ill repute to earn money for the family. Mendelssohn did come from privilege, of course. But man
60.
by kashunstva 5mo ago
Now do classical music. My daughter graduates from HS this year and is beginning a performance degree program at a well-known US conservatory. There’s no way to acquire the requisite musical skills, contacts etc. but by spending prodigious

More ›