mason240

16 ms·

121.
by mason240 10y ago
>And that is how the Western Roman Empire ceased to exist. Breaking your promises to your refugees is a good way to get overthrown. How to spot someone ignorant of history: Use of the argument "Thing X (that just happens to relate t
122.
by mason240 10y ago
>If you read upthread it was explained the final fall of the Roman Empire could be attributed to treating their refugees like dirt and lying to them. How to spot someone ignorant of history: Use of the argument "Thing X (that just h
123.
by mason240 10y ago
That is was written in the 14th century makes it very suspect.
124.
by mason240 10y ago
They lost at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains and were driven from Roman lands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Catalaunian_Plai...
125.
by mason240 10y ago
A common refrain hurled by those completely ignorant of how historiography works.
126.
by mason240 10y ago
At certain times they were, and their borders were very effective during the time they were powerful enough to defend them. There're not much to be gained by such a generic statement about an entity that lasted 1000 years.
127.
by mason240 10y ago
That's exactly what they are going for - desk height.
128.
by mason240 10y ago
Our company is currently relocating to new office, and they want an open office plan in the space. We will pack in tight, and our cube walls will all be 3.5 feet high. We have adjustable standing desks that will coming with us, so when stan
129.
by mason240 10y ago
Creative destruction.
130.
by mason240 10y ago
Another comment has cited that they do pay taxes for their properties and employees, covering their presence.
131.
by mason240 10y ago
Yes, it is absolutely morally OK, because it puts pressure on all combatants to follow conventions designed to protect civilians.
132.
by mason240 10y ago
That's why they might do so well. They can study what Google and MS did, learn from that, and then if develop something that works they will be hailed as "pioneers."
133.
by mason240 10y ago
In that case the amount of energy in the universe is infinite.
134.
by mason240 10y ago
Which is they Geneva Conventions and other treaties of the like make it clear that the protections only apply to groups that have signed and follow them. The proto-ISIS militia groups in Iraq did not, and would deliberately target civilians
135.
by mason240 10y ago
1.7 miles is a very long distance when you are lost and wandering.
136.
by mason240 10y ago
The military can put you in jail for not fulfilling your end of the bargain. On top of that, there are no competing militaries - you can't decide in year 2 of you contract to go work for a different military, so there is a low risk on
137.
by mason240 10y ago
>Just imagine a gardening and cooking class where you could teach: >1. Plant biology and genetics of seeds 2. Chemistry and Soil Biology, Composting, Decomposition. 3. Use geometry to design raised bed frames 4. Learn some vocational
138.
by mason240 10y ago
Kind of like how banning competition through taxi medallions are great because instead of investors and owners becoming rich, it just benefit drivers and riders.
139.
by mason240 10y ago
It's extremely disingenuous to characterize his role as "continued policy begun by previous administration" when his Vice President wrote the core legislation of the Patriot Act, he was actively working to expand those polici
140.
by mason240 10y ago
I totally agree that the best way to fight drug addictions is to make them completely legal and increase their availability. The sooner we end war on drugs, the sooner the supply will go down, and that will mean less addicts.
141.
by mason240 10y ago
Sci-fi with a happy, conflict free world is pretty boring though.
142.
by mason240 10y ago
The study this entire puff peice is written around: >The Association of Hot Red Chili Pepper Consumption and Mortality: A Large Population-Based Cohort Study http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/j
143.
by mason240 10y ago
>Everything sounded far too crisp. That's the way felt when I started wearing glasses at age 33. Everything was suddenly in HD.
144.
by mason240 10y ago
Or when a politician uses a warm day unironically to prove climate change is a concern.
145.
by mason240 10y ago
>I challenge you to find translators for those languages in Medieval Europe This is the Western European point of view I referenced in my other comment. These works were also being preserved in Latin and Greek in Constantinople for the e
146.
by mason240 10y ago
>Let's face it, the West in general does a great job of overstating Islamic contributions to Chemistry, Algebra, Algorithms, Astronomy, the Scientific Method, etc. More accurate. Ironically enough, this born out of a very Western Eu
147.
by mason240 10y ago
Which would be equivalent to just seizing the private retirement accounts of the middle class, which is how I foresee the SS shortfall being address (in the form of extra taxes on withdrawl from retirement accounts).
148.
by mason240 10y ago
That's the point. If the IOUs have to be repaid with extra tax revenues, it is functionally equivalent to a deficit and not really a "trust fund."
149.
by mason240 10y ago
> social security has a $2.8 trillion trust fund. That trust fund is in form of IOUs from the general fund of the Federal government - where do you think the money to pay back those IOUs will come from?
150.
by mason240 10y ago
Which he has yet to follow through on.

More ›