ToaKraka
Dislikes you
No bio...
User ID: 108
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
1d ago
There has been speculation that yesterday's huge fluctuations in the stock market were due to (1) a fake tweet claiming that Trump was considering pausing the tariffs for 90 days, followed by (2) Trump's denial that any such pause was in the works. But the truth of that narrative is disputed.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
3d ago
The protagonist's internal monologue does discuss the attractiveness of his lovers Amaryllis and Fenn; he (or at least his close ally Amaryllis) does strong-arm concessions out of nominal allies; and he does engage in some mind control late in the story. But this is all IIRC, and I may be misremembering.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
3d ago
Based fellow hater of Goody Two-Shoes protagonists
Worth the Candle probably satisfies your criteria, IIRC.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
4d ago
Unlike Ryan’s other thoughts on monetary policy, he has not been as vocal about why he wants the Fed to follow the price of a basket of commodities, or which commodities he would want to follow and why. Ryan made his preference for this policy clear in two Wall Street Journal op-eds. In “Blame Congress for Inflation” (May 1, 2008) Ryan wrote:
[My] bill, called the Price Stability Act of 2008, allows the Fed to choose how it will put this single mandate into practice (my preference would be an explicit price rule anchored to a basket of commodities), as long as its overriding policy goal is to control inflation.
And in a piece titled “A Republican Road to Economic Recovery” (March 2nd, 2009):
I believe the best way to guarantee sound money is to use an explicit, market-based price guide, such as a basket of commodities, in setting monetary policy. A more politically realistic path to price stability would be for the Fed to explicitly embrace inflation targeting.
FrumForum contacted Ryan’s office for clarification of this policy preference, asking which commodities he thinks need to be in the basket and how Ryan would respond to criticisms of this policy. Ryan’s office responded by providing links to his op-ed, and clarified that Ryan was not in favor of a gold standard, but was not able to provide any additional information beyond that.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
4d ago
In the opinion of at least one prominent economist, the ideal currency would be, neither fiat nor based on a single commodity (such as gold), but based on a bundle of multiple commodities.
By that standard, is the S&P GSCI, an index of commodities weighted by global production (or the iShares ETF based on that index), effectively the "one true currency" against which all government-issued currencies should be measured?
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
4d ago
tequilas or agaves (for copyright reasons)
This is closer to trademark, not copyright.
-
Copyright = creative work
-
Patent = useful innovation
-
Trademark = identity
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
4d ago
On the BBC television programme The Plot Against Harold Wilson, broadcast on 16 March 2006 on BBC2, it was claimed there were threats of a coup d'état against the Wilson government, which were corroborated by leading figures of the time on both the left and the right. Wilson told two BBC journalists, Barrie Penrose and Roger Courtiour, who recorded the meetings on a cassette tape recorder, that he feared he was being undermined by MI5. The first time was in the late 1960s after the Wilson Government devalued the pound sterling but the threat faded after Conservative leader Edward Heath won the election of 1970. However, after a coal miners' strike Heath decided to hold an election to renew his mandate to govern in February 1974 but lost narrowly to Wilson. There was again talk of a military coup, with rumours of Lord Mountbatten as head of an interim administration after Wilson had been deposed. In 1974 the army occupied Heathrow Airport on the grounds of training for possible IRA terrorist action at the airport. Although the military stated that this was a planned military exercise, Downing Street was not informed in advance, and Wilson himself interpreted it as a show of strength, or warning, being made by the army.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
4d ago
That's what the Bureau of Economic Analysis says. But, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, annual expenditure per household is only 77 k$. What explains the discrepancy?
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
5d ago
I've seen it on both my personal computer (built from parts, so no OEM) and my work computer.
Here's a screenshot. "Create Adobe PDF" on the right and "Save as Adobe PDF" on the left are advertisements, while "Create PDF/XPS Document" is the free (gratis) version.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
5d ago
I remember the manual for Red Baron was about 1/3 game and 2/3 history, planes, and pilot profiles.
See also the gigantic wirebound manual for Jane's Fighters Anthology.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
5d ago
List of all given names in the decedent's family tree:
-
Decedent: Gary Stanislaus
-
Wife: Nancy
-
Parents: Stanley and Adeline
-
Brother: Timothy
-
Paternal grandparents: Isadore and Michaeline
-
Paternal aunts and uncles: Stephania (married Bronislaus), Charlotte (born Wladyslawa), Rose, and Frances (born Franciszka, married Victor)
-
Paternal first cousins: Sandra Antoinette (married Robert), Diane Marie (married Michael), Dennis, Kenneth, James
-
Maternal grandparents: Frank and Anna
-
Maternal aunts and uncles: Cecilia (married Harold), Margaret (married Frederick), Raymond, David, Irene (married John), Agnes (married Henry), Jeanette (married Robert), Diana (married Joseph), Frank (married Judith), Robert (married Mary Anne)
-
Maternal first cousins: Harold Jr., Ronald John, David Frederick, John Jr., James, Priscilla, Patricia, Robert Jr., Paul, Richard, Douglas, Kathryn, Bonny, Ann Marie, Randolph, Leonard, Charlene, Joyce, Sandra, Jeremie, Michelle, Carol, and Deborah
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
6d ago
From New York comes an interesting demonstration of how intestate succession works when all the decedent's close relatives are dead, forcing the administrator of the estate to search for distant relatives. If I cut out a bunch of supporting evidence, it looks like this:
Gary S. Stomporowski, a bus driver in the Town of Cheektowaga, died intestate at the age of 68 on September 26, 2021, leaving an estate valued at approximately $250,000.
Decedent's nearest living relatives were a maternal aunt and numerous cousins on both the maternal side and paternal side. Letters of Administration were issued to two of those cousins—Diane Sikorski, a paternal first cousin, and Tina Niespodzinski, a maternal first cousin.
At the kinship hearing, three witnesses testified: Tina, Diane, and Timothy Deck, a genealogist. I find all witnesses' testimony to be credible and persuasive. Five exhibits were entered into evidence, including a binder of documents compiled by Deck.
I find that that decedent was not married at the time of his death.
I am able to conclude, based on the totality of the evidence before me, that decedent had no children and the class of children can be closed.
Under the totality of the circumstances, I find that both of decedent's parents predeceased him, and the class of parents can be closed.
I am satisfied that decedent had one sibling, Timothy, who predeceased him, and that this class can be closed.
Based upon the testimony of Tina and Diane, I find that the class of nieces and nephews is closed.
Included in the Genealogist binder were copies of death certificates for both paternal grandparents: Isadore died on September 23, 1928, and Michaeline on March 4, 1959.
Based upon the totality of the evidence before me, and based upon the thorough research conducted by Genealogist Deck, I find that decedent had four paternal aunts who all predeceased him and the class of paternal aunts and uncles can be closed.
I conclude, based upon the evidence before me, that Sandra and Diane, both claimants herein, were the only children of Aunt Stephania and Bronislaus.
I find, based on the evidence before me, that Dennis, Kenneth, and James were the only children of Aunt Frances and Victor, and that all three survived decedent and are claimants herein.
Based upon the totality of the evidence before me and based upon the thorough research conducted by Genealogist Deck, I find that decedent was survived by five paternal first cousins, Sandra, Diane, Dennis, Kenneth, and James, and that the class of paternal first cousins can be closed.
[Maternal grandfather] Frank died on May 28, 1964, according to the death certificate included in the Genealogist binder. Despite the absence of a death certificate, I am satisfied that [maternal grandmother] Anna predeceased decedent.
Based upon the totality of the evidence before me and based upon the thorough research conducted by Genealogist Deck, I find that decedent was survived by one maternal aunt, Agnes. All of the other maternal aunts and uncles predeceased decedent, and the class of maternal aunts and uncles can be closed.
Et cetera for 29 letter-size pages in total. In the end, more than three years after the decedent's death: each of five paternal first cousins gets one-tenth of the estate (1/2 ÷ 5); a maternal aunt (who died while these proceedings were ongoing) gets one-fourteenth (1/2 ÷ 7); and each of 16 maternal first cousins (of whom one died while these proceedings were ongoing) gets 3/112 (1/2 × 6/7 ÷ 16). (The divisor of seven comes from the one inheriting maternal aunt plus the six dead maternal uncles and aunts who were the parents of the 16 inheriting maternal first cousins.) Note that attorney fees (in an amount still to be determined) will also have to be paid to the lawyer who was appointed by the judge to serve the interests of the non-Diane/Tina heirs as "guardian ad litem".
If you want to prevent all this rigmarole from happening when you die alone and unloved, write a will! (Don't forget to check your jurisdiction's laws, too. Some jurisdictions require witnesses for a will to be valid, but others do not.)
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
6d ago
More internal or external storage, SSDs only. The 1-TB internal drive won't hold up to my needs.
The point of an SSD is to provide fast loading times for your operating system and your video games. In my personal experience, a 1-TB internal drive is good enough. But if you keep a lot of bloated modern video games installed simultaneously then you may need something bigger.
If you need storage for your collection of 4K60 dashcam videos, there is no need for an SSD's high speed, so you should instead use HDDs (16-TB, 24-TB, etc.)—preferably in a RAID 6/RAIDZ2 configuration, to prevent data loss. Note that RAID does not work well with external USB enclosures, so you would be better served using a separate, lower-power, Linux-running computer as a server and connecting it to your main computer with Samba. But that may be beyond your price range.
While finding that link, I also stumbled across a different work from the same author, How to Build a House. In that work, a fictional architect apparently explains the process of designing an 1870s country house in detail, so it may also match @pusher_robot's desire.
You must know, cousin, that the more rapidly we want a building erected, the more desirable it is that everything should be perfectly arranged beforehand. Remember the trouble your neighbour, Count —— has had, who has been beginning his château again and again every spring for six years, without being able to get it finished, because he could not indicate all that he wanted at first, and his architect had not the courage to insist upon adopting a well-planned design once for all; and because he has listened to all the whims, or rather to all the officious advice which friends of the family did not fail to offer, one respecting the size of the rooms, another about the placing of the staircases, a third on the style and decoration. We have only a year before us, we must therefore not begin till we are certain of not taking false steps; besides, your sister must approve the plan. Let us consider a little; and first let us come to an understanding about the means of construction you decide to adopt. As we are in a hurry we have hardly a choice; we cannot think of building the house with worked stone from top to bottom; that would take too long, and cost too much. We must adopt a method of construction that is simple, and can be rapidly executed. Does that meet your ideas? You introduce columns in your front; for what purpose? If they form a portico, they will make the rooms dark and gloomy; if they are attached to the walls, they are of no use here. And this balustrade on the upper cornices—what does that mean? Do you suppose your lady sister will walk among the gutters? That is for the service of the cats, I suppose. And please to explain this: on the plan I observe that from the entrance-hall you have to go through the dining-room to reach the drawing-room. But if visitors come while you are at table, you will have to ask them to wait at the door, or invite them to see you and your friends eat.
Vanguard Target Retirement Income Fund
The Target Retirement Income Fund is designed for investors already in retirement. The fund seeks to provide current income and some capital appreciation by investing in Vanguard index funds. This fund’s allocation to stocks and bonds [30∶70] is the allocation that all Target Retirement Funds are expected to assume within seven years after their designated retirement dates. Investors in this fund should be willing to accept modest movement in share price and be able to tolerate the market risk that comes from the volatility of the stock and bond markets.
Or, if you're feeling risk-averse: Vanguard Total World Bond ETF
Seeks to track the performance of the Bloomberg Global Aggregate Float Adjusted Composite Index.
Broad, diversified exposure to the global investment-grade bond market.
Unique ETF of ETFs structure.
Intermediate-duration portfolio, with exposure to short-, intermediate-, and long-term maturities.
Provides current income with high credit quality.
an ms13 gang member
The alien claims that the govt. has presented no evidence that he's a member of any gang at all, let alone MS-13 in particular.
why was an [illegal alien] being legally shielded from deportation
The alien claims: in his hometown he was targeted by a gang; the persecution persisted even after his family moved three times (though only a 15-minute drive away each time); and sending the alien out of the country was the family's last resort. The immigration pseudo-judge believed that claim and granted withholding of removal. The govt. did not appeal that determination.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
9d ago
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
10d ago
An earlier AP article provides more details.
The National Rally and 27 of its top officials are accused of having used money destined for EU parliamentary aides to pay staff who instead did political work for the party between 2004 and 2016, in violation of the 27-nation bloc’s regulations. The National Rally was called National Front at the time.
The European Parliament’s suspicions were further heightened when a 2015 organizational chart showed that 16 European lawmakers and 20 parliamentary assistants held official positions within the party — roles unrelated to their supposed duties as EU parliamentary staff.
A subsequent investigation found that some assistants were contractually linked to different MEPs than the ones they were actually working for, suggesting a scheme to divert European funds to pay party employees in France.
Investigating judges concluded that Le Pen, as party leader, orchestrated the allocation of parliamentary assistance budgets and instructed MEPs to hire individuals holding party positions. These individuals were presented as EU parliamentary assistants, but in reality, were allegedly working for the National Rally in various capacities.
The European Parliament’s legal team is seeking 2.7 million euros in compensation for financial and reputational damages. This figure corresponds to the 3.7 million euros allegedly defrauded through the scheme, minus the 1 million euros already paid back.
Le Pen, whose party has softened its anti-EU stance in recent years, denies wrongdoing.
“Parliamentary assistants do not work for the Parliament. They are political assistants to elected officials, political by definition,” she previously said. “You ask me if I can define the tasks I assigned to my assistants; it depends on each person’s skills. Some wrote speeches for me, and some handled logistics and coordination.”
Despite her denial, her party has already paid back 1 million euros to the European Parliament, the Parliament’s lawyer Patrick Maisonneuve said. Of that amount, 330,000 euros were directly linked to Marine Le Pen’s alleged misuse of funds.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
10d ago
Is there a better way to do spoilers on TheMotte?
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
11d ago
WHEREAS the real property generally known as 123 Main Street, Townsville, KS costs approximately 500 k$; and
WHEREAS the person generally known as Mihow wishes to buy the property; and
WHEREAS Mihow has liquid wealth amounting to approximately 40 k$; and
WHEREAS the person generally known as Elongated Muskrat has liquid wealth in extremely large amount;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that, not more than seven days after the signing of this agreement, Muskrat shall send to Mihow, by wire or by cashier's check, 460 k$, creating a debt owed by Mihow to Muskrat; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, not more than 60 days after the signing of this agreement, Mihow shall purchase the property; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, on the first day of every month after the signing of this agreement, the debt shall accrue interest at an APR (annual percentage rate) equal to the prime rate most recently published by Everytown Bank, NA (compounded monthly); and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that at least N/30 of the debt shall have been repaid by Mihow not more than N years after the signing of this agreement, for every integer value of N from 1 to 30; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, if Mihow fails to repay the debt, then it shall be secured by the property first, and by the remainder of Mihow's property second.
In witness thereof, Mihow and Muskrat affix their signatures below.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. This is a shitpost.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
12d ago
under [obscure legal technicality]
Imamoglu has faced legal challenges throughout his career, being sentenced in 2022 to 2-1/2 years in prison for insulting public officials, though an appeals court has yet to rule in the case.
Another case last year accused him of tender-rigging. His supporters view these charges as politically motivated attempts to sideline him, a claim Erdogan and the AKP deny.
The latest charges are the most serious. The Istanbul prosecutor's office has said 100 people, including journalists and businessmen, are suspected of involvement in corrupt municipal tenders.
Another investigation accuses Imamoglu and six others of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies.
Adding to the pressure, Istanbul University annulled Imamoglu’s degree this week. If the decision is upheld by a court, it could block him from running in the 2028 presidential elections.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
12d ago
Trust me that's the very last of your worries. Two of my best school friends, then college age, went backpacking there for several months with very mediocre English and no knowledge of any local language.
That doesn't sound very enjoyable to me.
IMO getting a serious gf is a much more sensible option and very realistic for a well-earning westerner now matter how much you struggle with western women
I am not seeking a romantic partner. After around a half-dozen attempted friendships in college, I concluded that friendship was not worth the effort—and romance is just deeper friendship, so it would be even worse.
Also living expenses are quite low, so even apart from any dating a great place for young retirees to stay or travel indefinitely.
My calculations indicate that I will have enough money to retire in the US two years from now, so I have no need to move to the jungle.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
13d ago
Willandra is therefore a pivotal place in human history. And yet, as you read this, those human fossils are being reburied. Mungo Man and Lady are already gone; around a hundred other remains are following. All are being destroyed, like medieval books burned in a pyre.
Why? Politics and guilt. At the behest of some Aboriginal groups, the precious bones of the ‘first peoples’ are being reburied. This is occurring in the traditional way and in secret. The locations will then be willingly forgotten. As one Aboriginal elder, Ivan Johnson, has put it: ‘It’s been a long wait: 50 years to bury our ancestors.’
No, it was overturned on the basis that abortion was not protected by the federal constitution and therefore was a matter for the federal and state legislatures (or for the state judiciaries if they find that abortion is protected by their constitutions), not for the federal judiciary.
More options
Context Copy link