jcd11235

I seem to recall a correlation between students eating sufficiently and doing well in school. It could be an incorrect recollection on my part, but it does seem plausible. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

It is the same thing. Batista seized power without election because he knew he wasn't going to win the upcoming election. The Cuban people did not want him. So, instead of respecting the process of free elections, he staged a coup against President Socarrás. Incidentally, Castro was running for office in that election, also. Had Batista not sidestepped free elections, Castro may well have been elected President eventually. Or perhaps not. At any rate, Batista is equally to blame that his successor was not elected, since it was Batista who made a mockery of the election process in Cuba. Of course, that doesn't mean Castro is any better than Batista, but there's no reason to suggest he is worse. You make it sound as though Batista reacted to opposition peacefully. That was certainly not the case. He rightfully earned a reputation of violence against those who dared demonstrate against him. And then they fled Cuba in fear of their lives, believing Batista meant to kill them. As punishment for the violence those same police had visited upon Batista's opposition supporters and anti-Batista demonstrators, perhaps? Surely you are not suggesting that the US has never interfered with or intervened in the governments of Chile or any middle-eastern countries. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

I agree. That's what I was referring to when I mentioned the low signal to noise ratio. However, after sifting through, identifying and discarding the noise, there really is some good information to be found here. One nice thing about skydiving is the community is made up of a very eclectic sample of the population. I won't claim skydivers are an unbiased, random sample, but we do get a very wide variety of people in these forums, nonetheless. I've learned some fascinating things from various different people posting on a topic in their area of expertise. For example, I once read a post from a government accountant (or similar position; it's been a few years) explaining how a hammer can appear to cost $90 (or whatever ridiculously high amount for a simple hammer). Billvon has posted numerous detailed, yet readable, explanations of evolution and global warming, typically with several sources, which have given me a better starting point for additional information than Google or Wikipedia alone could have done. We have regulars that have worked on the space shuttle program. Heck, we even have a real live nearly-famous porn star in our midst who has from time to time dispelled myths about that industry. One does have to sift through the noise, but if they are willing to do that, there is some good information available. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Fair enough. "Punishing" was probably a poor choice of words. Still, I think it is ill advised for a society to allow disadvantaged kids suffer unnecessarily simply because their parents are unable or unwilling to properly provide for them. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Do you really think it's better that Batista served as an elected official before seizing power without being elected? That is absolutely absurd. Please explain how it is different. Both leaders assumed power without being elected into the position. It is completely irrelevant that Batista had previously served as a legitimate leader. When he was removed from power in the revolution, he was, in fact, a dictator. No amount of historical revision is going to change that. If, in 2011, George W. Bush led a coup to overthrow the US government, and assumed position as leader, that the American people would consider it okay, because he had previously served as an elected president? How is it not? Castro, a dictator, overthrew Batista, another dictator. It doesn't get any clearer than that. You said you knew of no instances of capitalism and dictatorships going hand in hand. I offered three such examples. I din't claim they were equivalent countries to Cuba. Cuba is a unique island nation rich in culture and history. That culture transcends any government that might be in power at any given time. I'm not sure that I agree that US politics are more intertwined with Cuban politics than with middle-eastern politics, but let's save that discussion for a different thread, okay? BTW, I'm sure you know that the Platt Amendment was repealed in 1934. Or do you still consider it legitimately binding because it was valid for a period before 1934? Do you think Americans should start paying taxes to England again, since we were once English colonies? I guess that would certainly be consistent with your claim that Batista wasn't a dictator when Castro overthrew his unelected government. A bit like the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think? So far you have claimed that capitalism and dictatorships are mutually exclusive, which has been demonstrated to be false. You've claimed Batista was not a dictator, which is also false. I really don't mind debating with you, but when you attack the poster instead of the post, it makes it that much less likely that your claims will be dignified with reasoned responses instead of disregarded out of hand or responded to with only flippant comments. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Unfortunately, there are kids who don't get much more to eat than what is provided via their free school lunch. Admittedly, it's often the case of poor choices on the part of their parents, but I'm not sure punishing the kids further for those poor choices is the best solution. Where I went to high school, there were students with parents with incomes well into the six figure range (or more), as well as students from families so poor they couldn't even afford laundry detergent. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

That is certainly how it appears. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Which indicates that the US is not a free market after all. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Unfortunately, there is no source of reliable, unbiased information without seeing first-hand. It is very easy to find reports claiming he is widely despised or widely loved. Those sources are typically very biased. The first hand reports I have heard from US citizens who have visited Cuba do not paint the same bleak picture that you paint. Talking to Cubans who have immigrated to the US does not offer an unbiased view of Cuba, just like talking to expatriated Americans will not give an unbiased view of America. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

That's what I said.

Agreed Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

I'm not sure I agree with this statement. While I readily acknowledge that internet forums in general have a very low signal to noise ratio, there is a signal in all the noise if one cares to look for it. I can think of a handful of poster with whom I typically disagree, but I still pay close attention to because they are unusually intelligent, reasonable, and often offer insight into an issue that forces me to reevaluate my own position. Even if they don't change my mind, they help me to make better informed decisions. In any democracy, informed voters are a more valuable asset than uninformed voters. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Would you expand on how you would propose implementing this recommendation? Thanks. VR/Marg I haven't come up with a specific plan of implementation. I'm confident that it could be implemented, but I don't have a specific path in mind to get us from point A to point B. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

I'm not claiming that Castro is the Cuban equivalent of the Dalai Lama or Gandhi. I also don't consider him to be the devil incarnate. Certainly not all Cubans support Castro, but not all Cubans despise him, either. Cuba had a dictator before Castro; why weren't the US concerned about Batista? At the end of the day, it is not for the US to decide what economic system Cuba chooses. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

I don't think GDP in itself is a good measure of a country's economic success, but if we consider it to be, for argument's sake, US GDP is still surpassed by EU GDP. I suppose we could deny that the EU is a single country, but then it would be a little too obvious that we're cherry picking statistics in order to make the US look superior to every other country. I agree with everything except that he was not a capitalist. He was that, and actively promoted free markets, to the detriment of his country. Which reiterates my point. But that doesn't change the fact that violence was used against the people in the name of capitalism and free markets. I stand by my point that capitalism offers no inherent safeguards against dictatorships. Governments and economics go hand in hand, but they can be combined in many different ways. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Very true, but if we don't try to actively reconcile what is with what should be, they won't ever be the same. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Our Founding Fathers offered citizens protections that allowed them to peacefully complain about their government, so those who complain about such unnecessary wastes of national resources as the war in Iraq are, in fact, helping by making politicians aware that the war is unpopular. Terry Nichols and Timothy McVeigh tried a different approach to protest the federal response at Waco and Ruby Ridge, but it didn't seem to work out too well for anyone. What exactly would you suggest as an alternative? Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

It may well do just that, if those rights are being actively exercised. I think and armed populace is a far better defense than a standing military. Considering: To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; and A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. I believe the Founding Fathers felt the same way. Heck, I wouldn't have any problem at all with issuing guns to those who can't afford them, if such measures were combined with eliminating our standing Army. A Navy (downsized), the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard and an Air Force Reserves, combined with an armed population and strong anti-vigilante laws, would be quite sufficient in protecting our nation against the same threats our bloated military protects us from. It would also offer built in protections against rogue Commanders In Chief who might want to waste our national resources attacking foreign sovereigns that pose no threat to our national security. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Agreed. But location can be so similar that the differences are negligible. Think of two adjacent, non-corner lots in the suburbs. Location would not be expected to cause a significant difference in the market value. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

"Bollocks" "D'oh!" "Cheese & Rice" instead of "Jesus Christ" "No need to bring him into this" reflexively in response to "goddamn" or "Jesus Christ" "Frickin'" or "freaking" instead of "fucking." "Dog's bollocks" instead of "kick ass," "fucking A," etc. Not everyone can pull it off, but you probably can, at least some of the time: Instead of "Fuck You!" or "Fuck Me!"just go ahead and rape aggressively seduce the person(s) you were talking to, or who might have overheard the oral version if you had shouted the exclamation. "son of a poundsigndollarsignpercentagesymbolcarrotampersand" "sumbitch" instead of "son of a bitch" Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

But how do they feel about sheep? Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

That's understandable. In fairness, the conservatives were just as bad, if not worse, about criticisms of Clinton when he was in office. I must confess that I've never seen Dumb and Dumber. I have seen over seven years of Bush's presidential speeches, as well as a few speeches by former Vice President Quayle. Does that count? Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Except that it involved a new industry without a significant amount of historical data that could be used to help make predictions, a point you conveniently ignore. I'm not, nor have I ever been referring to individual investors and buyers having knowledge of the history of the housing market. If I were, you would have a valid point. The members of the economy at large, collectively, had a substantial amount of knowledge about how the housing market reacts to stimuli such as (too) low interest rates. Economists criticized the Fed when the rates were being continually lowered, warning of the problems it would cause. The Fed ignored the criticisms and warnings. Greenspan has since said that their were political pressures keeping the Fed from raising the rates. The "housing market" is a concept, not a living conscious entity. That's right. What are people willing to pay right now. If Hershey decided to raise the price of a chocolate bar to $20 would it be worth $20? The value of the dollar hasn't dropped that far, yet. Consumers would overwhelmingly, by way of not purchasing the Hershey's bar, let Hershey know that their chocolate bar is not worth $20. If we sell at the exact same moment in time, in the same market. Otherwise, there are no guarantees that the price will be the same. The price changes with the dynamics of the market. Different markets and different periods of time can have different price volatilities. In theory, this is true. Of course, in theory there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there often is. Since rarely are two identical houses in identical locations sold at the same point in time, it's not reasonable to expect to be able to predict exactly what each one will sell for. However, the housing market is typically one with pretty low volatility, so reasonably accurate estimates can be made regarding the value of a house. On the other hand, try coming up with a reasonably accurate value of Google's search algorithm. How does that value compare with the value of Yahoo's search algorithm? How do either of them compare to MSN's search algorithm? What about Baidu's search algorithm? How did eBay manage to overvalue Skype by nearly $1 billion? Do you think they would have overpaid by ~50% if they had purchased a piece of real estate? Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Shouldn't every responsible citizen complain about the deficit? Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

I must have been confused by the lack of any mention of 1981 in your post. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!