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It's 2017 and I still can't believe that...

Started by Roadgeekteen, May 04, 2017, 10:31:51 PM

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Takumi

...we don't have a consensus on what defines upstate New York.
Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.


kurumi

Quote from: hbelkins on July 16, 2017, 01:52:05 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on July 15, 2017, 11:37:32 PM
- That some retailers still use swipe technology in their card reader technology, and have the chip slot taped up.

Have I said lately how much I hate the chip reader and prefer swiping my card?  :bigass:

Do not remove card...

Do not remove card...

Do not remove card...

Do not remove card...

OK remove it now Now NOW NOW NOW BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

My first SF/horror short story collection is available: "Young Man, Open Your Winter Eye"

formulanone

Quote from: kurumi on July 17, 2017, 09:10:53 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on July 16, 2017, 01:52:05 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on July 15, 2017, 11:37:32 PM
- That some retailers still use swipe technology in their card reader technology, and have the chip slot taped up.

Have I said lately how much I hate the chip reader and prefer swiping my card?  :bigass:

Do not remove card...

Do not remove card...

Do not remove card...

Do not remove card...

OK remove it now Now NOW NOW NOW BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP



Gas stations and the Quickly Swipe feature always bugs me: I was just conveying myself in a large suit of rolling armor at 30 meters per second; please define "quickly".

CNGL-Leudimin

- that the USA still has not adopted the International System of Units (Come on, it's so easy to use!).
- that the USA still does not have a "free" (i.e. tax funded) health care system.
- that so many newborn boys are still circumcised in the USA (WHY? Foreskin is just a normal thing, and it's also normal for it not to retract at first, but by three years of age most boys can pull it back. Fortunately the rate is decreasing).

It was about to point out that USA still hasn't signed the Vienna Convention on Road Signs, but neither Spain has done so yet, despite the latter using that signage.
Supporter of the construction of several running gags, including I-366 with a speed limit of 85 mph (137 km/h) and the Hypotenuse.

Please note that I may mention "invalid" FM channels, i.e. ending in an even number or down to 87.5. These are valid in Europe.

dvferyance

Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 17, 2017, 04:00:08 PM
- that the USA still has not adopted the International System of Units (Come on, it's so easy to use!).
- that the USA still does not have a "free" (i.e. tax funded) health care system.
- that so many newborn boys are still circumcised in the USA (WHY? Foreskin is just a normal thing, and it's also normal for it not to retract at first, but by three years of age most boys can pull it back. Fortunately the rate is decreasing).

It was about to point out that USA still hasn't signed the Vienna Convention on Road Signs, but neither Spain has done so yet, despite the latter using that signage.
I highly doubt any of those will ever happen.

dvferyance

Quote from: hbelkins on July 15, 2017, 11:24:58 PM
US 36 across Missouri is fine just as it is. It's not heavily traveled, there are grade-separated interchanges at most major crossroads, and the at-grades that do exist are not really in need of upgrading. Leave it as it is. It doesn't need to be a full freeway. (Just like US 31 in Indiana or US 220 in Virginia.)
I think US 31 would make a nice I-67 someday. The whole route in Michigan is already a full freeway counting I-196. In Indiana not all that many upgrades would even be needed. It's full freeway for a ways up from Indianapolis and around South Bend. But I do agree with you on US 220 it's fine the way it is. I-73 should be used for the US-127 freeway in Michigan instead.

formulanone

#56
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 17, 2017, 04:00:08 PM
- that the USA still has not adopted the International System of Units (Come on, it's so easy to use!).

It's not impossible, but it's not going to be an easy change: Many US street blocks and road grids are based on the mile, and land by the acre, so that physical difficulty is not likely to change. Lots of measurements dealing with dwellings are based on Imperial units. Paper goods are typically standardized in inches. Temperature is culturally discussed in Fahrenheit. Baking/cooking typically deals with cups and other measurements, et al.

Lots of things like food packaging, hardware/tools, recent mechanical items, and some household items/appliances are either measured in both units, or have quietly metricated (especially food packaging). There's there will seemingly always be exceptions for archaic measurements regarding clothing, sports, trade, and other specific traditions.

I think with easy-to-perform conversions, it's hardly as big an issue (converting either way) as it's made to seem. But for most folks outside the scientific world, or those who frequently shift between units, it would be similar to picking up a new language.

I'm not touching the other two items, and most US road signs are similar to other nations on our continent.

jp the roadgeek

Quote from: dvferyance on July 17, 2017, 06:39:11 PM
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 17, 2017, 04:00:08 PM
- that the USA still has not adopted the International System of Units (Come on, it's so easy to use!).
- that the USA still does not have a "free" (i.e. tax funded) health care system.
- that so many newborn boys are still circumcised in the USA (WHY? Foreskin is just a normal thing, and it's also normal for it not to retract at first, but by three years of age most boys can pull it back. Fortunately the rate is decreasing).

It was about to point out that USA still hasn't signed the Vienna Convention on Road Signs, but neither Spain has done so yet, despite the latter using that signage.
I highly doubt any of those will ever happen.

To address Topics 1, 2 and 4:

1. We tried to adopt it in the 70's and 80's, but the only place it caught on was on DE 1
2. My $.02: Country is too far in debt to support it
4. Only 4 smaller countries in the Western Hemisphere have implemented it (Chile, Cuba, French Guiana, and Guyana), and some of the items in it are universal anyway.
Interstates I've clinched: 97, 290 (MA), 291 (CT), 291 (MA), 293, 295 (DE-NJ-PA), 295 (RI-MA), 384, 391, 395 (CT-MA), 395 (MD), 495 (DE), 610 (LA), 684, 691, 695 (MD), 695 (NY), 795 (MD)

noelbotevera

Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 17, 2017, 04:00:08 PM
- that the USA still has not adopted the International System of Units (Come on, it's so easy to use!).
- that the USA still does not have a "free" (i.e. tax funded) health care system.
- that so many newborn boys are still circumcised in the USA (WHY? Foreskin is just a normal thing, and it's also normal for it not to retract at first, but by three years of age most boys can pull it back. Fortunately the rate is decreasing).

It was about to point out that USA still hasn't signed the Vienna Convention on Road Signs, but neither Spain has done so yet, despite the latter using that signage.
1. I'm just so used to Imperial here (yeah yeah we use our own measurement for gallons, whatever) that kilometers would just be an issue to adjust. I could learn it, but it'd be like learning another language. There was an attempt around 30 years ago, but the only remnants are I-19, DE 1, and random dual units signs in California.

2. We're gonna get there one of these days. We'll just be extremely late to the party that the party will be over.

3. Is this a personal fetish of yours?

My stuff:
-that heavy metal hasn't made a comeback yet

inkyatari

Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 17, 2017, 04:00:08 PM
- that the USA still has not adopted the International System of Units (Come on, it's so easy to use!).

I recently started using the metric system when measuring things. 

Let's put it this way, would you rather try to figure out fractions, or switch from centimeters to millimeters?

I hate math, so metric it is!
I'm never wrong, just wildly inaccurate.

hbelkins

Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 17, 2017, 04:00:08 PM
- that the USA still does not have a "free" (i.e. tax funded) health care system.

Thank God, and I hope we never do. If so, let's just tear up the constitution and throw it away.

Quote- that so many newborn boys are still circumcised in the USA (WHY? Foreskin is just a normal thing, and it's also normal for it not to retract at first, but by three years of age most boys can pull it back. Fortunately the rate is decreasing).

Two reasons, I suppose. One is that it's more hygienic to be "cut," so I'm told. Two is that it's a Judeo-Christian religious tradition, and this is the most dominant religion in the US.

I've also been told that it's much more painful to endure and recover from, the older that you are. I was circumcised at birth and have no memory of the procedure.

Over here, "cut" is normal and "uncut" is just weird.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

paulthemapguy

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 17, 2017, 07:08:00 PM
Quote from: dvferyance on July 17, 2017, 06:39:11 PM
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 17, 2017, 04:00:08 PM
- that the USA still has not adopted the International System of Units (Come on, it's so easy to use!).
- that the USA still does not have a "free" (i.e. tax funded) health care system.
- that so many newborn boys are still circumcised in the USA (WHY? Foreskin is just a normal thing, and it's also normal for it not to retract at first, but by three years of age most boys can pull it back. Fortunately the rate is decreasing).

It was about to point out that USA still hasn't signed the Vienna Convention on Road Signs, but neither Spain has done so yet, despite the latter using that signage.
I highly doubt any of those will ever happen.

To address Topics 1, 2 and 4:

1. We tried to adopt it in the 70's and 80's, but the only place it caught on was on DE 1
2. My $.02: Country is too far in debt to support it
4. Only 4 smaller countries in the Western Hemisphere have implemented it (Chile, Cuba, French Guiana, and Guyana), and some of the items in it are universal anyway.

2. Country is too far in debt to support something that will eventually lower costs??  That makes no sense.
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National collection status: 361/425. Only 64 route markers remain

CNGL-Leudimin

Quote from: noelbotevera on July 17, 2017, 11:05:42 PM
3. Is this a personal fetish of yours?

Just a cultural thing. Here in Europe circumcisions aren't done just because, they usually have a medical justification. I even consider this genital mutilation. So no "hygienic" crap (While that is somewhat true, I decided to pee with the foreskin back for the same reason), and Europe is mostly Christian. Anyway, this is unrelated to what I proposed once in the "Threads you'll never see on aaroads.com" thread (I only wrote something that surely won't happen here).
Quote from: hbelkins on July 18, 2017, 11:20:22 AM
Thank God, and I hope we never do. If so, let's just tear up the constitution and throw it away.

WHAT??? This statement clearly matches the thread subject for me. You haven't lived in Europe. I wouldn't take an insurance only to get a treatment denied. This doesn't happen in countries were the health care system is publicly funded, and as result people get a longer life expectancy than in the USA.

Anyway, let's get back on-topic. Although I have to admit, I use degrees Fahrenheit when I want to exaggerate heat.
Supporter of the construction of several running gags, including I-366 with a speed limit of 85 mph (137 km/h) and the Hypotenuse.

Please note that I may mention "invalid" FM channels, i.e. ending in an even number or down to 87.5. These are valid in Europe.

english si

#63
Quote from: hbelkins on July 18, 2017, 11:20:22 AMTwo is that it's a Judeo-Christian religious tradition, and this is the most dominant religion in the US.
It's a Jewish (and some Muslim traditions) thing. A lot of the New Testament is Paul getting annoyed at people treating it as something Christians ought to do for religious reasons.

Certainly, among Christians/people in nominally Christian cultures, it comes and goes in popularity, with the justification usually health or morality (typically anti-onanism) rather than as a religious or ethnic marker. Many in the US (and a fair few in Canada) currently treat it as a healthy thing and so the US circumcises over half it's newborn boys (with wide regional and ethnic variations).

The UK is more tolerant than most of the rest of Europe on this, but very few are circumcised these days. We don't see it as a preventative health thing at all - it's done for religious reasons, or to treat specific medical conditions. We have seen it as something to do for health - in the early 30s it was 35% of boys circumcised compared to the early 00s it was 3.8% and apparently about half of those were due to a misdiagnosis of phimosis (that the foreskin is overly attached to the glans) on toddlers.

About the only thing keeping it legal in continental Europe is that Jewish and Muslim groups can play the minority card (though, at the same time, the religious nature of it is why some campaigners are keen to ban it). A German judge ruled it child abuse and so it was illegal for three months while Merkel ran around trying to fix it rightly saying that Germany was a laughing stock for the anti-Semitism of the ruling (obviously Germany is extremely touchy about anti-Semitism). It's now only legal in Germany if it's a ritual ceremony performed by a medical professional.


Quote from: ParrDa on July 17, 2017, 03:40:21 PM-That I'm one of the last graduates born in the 20th century
High School? One can get a degree at any age. I know people graduating university this year who have children who were adults in the 20th century.

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 17, 2017, 07:08:00 PMOnly 4 smaller countries in the Western Hemisphere have implemented it (Chile, Cuba, French Guiana, and Guyana), and some of the items in it are universal anyway.
French Guiana is not a country, but an integral part of France that is merely overseas. And you mean "the Americas" as Portugal, most of Spain and the UK and a lot of France are in the western hemisphere. Please use "the Americas" in future as it's not only more accurate, but less arbitrary (as any line from pole to pole dividing the world into two would be) and shorter.  ;)

And speaking of Western hemisphere countries with free healthcare: the UK's beloved NHS (that bottomless pit of taxpayers money that we can't dare criticise for risk of being cast out of society that worships it as their religion and possibly lynched by a mob of fanatics) came top in a study on healthcare systems in developed countries this week. It provided the most egalitarian care, best procedures and management, was one of the cheapest systems to run*, etc and was bottom for actually curing and treating problems. The Guardian, without irony, in an article praising our beloved health service, said "the only serious black mark against the NHS was its poor record on keeping people alive."  :pan:

The US came bottom, as it typically does. Obamacare just changed what the serious problems were, as will it's replacement. The US did do rather well on actual medicine stuff on this study but was bottom/near bottom on social and structural measures.

Both countries have serious failings in their health systems, and both countries see the debate as a binary between the two extremes. Something between the two would be nice, if only it wasn't seen as a switch from one extreme to another.

*a great deal was made of that by the mob who have been complaining that the NHS is cash strapped due to 'cuts' that have still increased the budget higher than inflation in a time of Government austerity. It's not so poor that it can't afford £50k/year salaries for diversity co-coordinators.

hbelkins

Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 18, 2017, 12:09:14 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on July 18, 2017, 11:20:22 AM
Thank God, and I hope we never do. If so, let's just tear up the constitution and throw it away.

WHAT??? This statement clearly matches the thread subject for me. You haven't lived in Europe. I wouldn't take an insurance only to get a treatment denied. This doesn't happen in countries were the health care system is publicly funded, and as result people get a longer life expectancy than in the USA.

Read the United States Constitution and tell me where it gives the federal government the specific authority to provide medical care for the citizenry.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

CNGL-Leudimin

Quote from: english si on July 18, 2017, 01:34:10 PM
French Guiana is not a country, but an integral part of France that is merely overseas. And you mean "the Americas" as Portugal, most of Spain and the UK and a lot of France are in the western hemisphere. Please use "the Americas" in future as it's not only more accurate, but less arbitrary (as any line from pole to pole dividing the world into two would be) and shorter.  ;)

This also fits the thread:
- That there are people who believe the western hemisphere is synonimous with the Americas. I live in the western hemisphere (by less than half a degree), but not in the Americas.
Supporter of the construction of several running gags, including I-366 with a speed limit of 85 mph (137 km/h) and the Hypotenuse.

Please note that I may mention "invalid" FM channels, i.e. ending in an even number or down to 87.5. These are valid in Europe.

CNGL-Leudimin

#66
And I forgot:

- That some people here don't know other countries have subdivisions with names other than "state". That makes me to say there's no answer possible from me when a thread is titled "something in your state" (as Spain doesn't call its subdivisions "states", but "autonomous [sic] communities"), but I give stuff out if the thread is named "something in your subdivision". For example, I've just done that in the "Crossroads of your state". If it was named "Crossroads of your subdivision" or something like that, I would have answered. BTW, for my community of Aragon the crossroads is clearly Zaragoza.
- That I'm overly picky with what I said above.
Supporter of the construction of several running gags, including I-366 with a speed limit of 85 mph (137 km/h) and the Hypotenuse.

Please note that I may mention "invalid" FM channels, i.e. ending in an even number or down to 87.5. These are valid in Europe.

thenetwork

...there is sill a sizeable amount of losers people who still clamor for the day-to-day activities of the whole Kardashian/Jenner Family.

...that Justin Bieber's musical career is still alive.


Scott5114

re the metric system, sure, multiplying by 4 or 12 in your head isn't terribly hard, but remembering what you multiply by 4 and what by 12 and what by 3 and what by 16 and what by 5280 isn't that easy to remember. I still have no intuitive grasp of the relationship between a cup, an ounce, a quart, and a pint, and only a rough idea of which one is probably biggest. I have no idea how many tsp is in a Tsp, probably 33⅓ or something.

Having two units of measure for two totally different things with the same name is stupid. "One ounce of almonds" could conceivably mean "one ounce of almonds by weight" or "one ounce of almonds by volume".

Quote from: hbelkins on July 18, 2017, 02:02:38 PM
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 18, 2017, 12:09:14 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on July 18, 2017, 11:20:22 AM
Thank God, and I hope we never do. If so, let's just tear up the constitution and throw it away.

WHAT??? This statement clearly matches the thread subject for me. You haven't lived in Europe. I wouldn't take an insurance only to get a treatment denied. This doesn't happen in countries were the health care system is publicly funded, and as result people get a longer life expectancy than in the USA.

Read the United States Constitution and tell me where it gives the federal government the specific authority to provide medical care for the citizenry.

Quote
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare,
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

formulanone

Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 18, 2017, 06:16:05 PM
Quote from: english si on July 18, 2017, 01:34:10 PM
French Guiana is not a country, but an integral part of France that is merely overseas. And you mean "the Americas" as Portugal, most of Spain and the UK and a lot of France are in the western hemisphere. Please use "the Americas" in future as it's not only more accurate, but less arbitrary (as any line from pole to pole dividing the world into two would be) and shorter.  ;)

This also fits the thread:
- That there are people who believe the western hemisphere is synonimous with the Americas. I live in the western hemisphere (by less than half a degree), but not in the Americas.

To be fair, your area of the world put the Prime Meridian over your land(s), declared a Western and Eastern Civilization, a Middle East, Far East, and a Down Under with respect to your location.

Perspective.

inkyatari

Quote from: Scott5114 on July 20, 2017, 06:27:06 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on July 18, 2017, 02:02:38 PM

Read the United States Constitution and tell me where it gives the federal government the specific authority to provide medical care for the citizenry.

Quote
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare,

Actually, that's just the introduction to the constitution.  The Preamble.

Here's where his  argument is made:

QuoteThe Ninth Amendment:

The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

QuoteThe Tenth Amendment:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited by states, are reserved to the states respectively or to the people.

By using the preamble, in other words the introduction, you can justify any number of things, some possibly good, possibly evil.

I'm never wrong, just wildly inaccurate.

The Nature Boy

Quote from: inkyatari on July 20, 2017, 08:57:17 AM
Quote from: Scott5114 on July 20, 2017, 06:27:06 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on July 18, 2017, 02:02:38 PM

Read the United States Constitution and tell me where it gives the federal government the specific authority to provide medical care for the citizenry.

Quote
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare,

Actually, that's just the introduction to the constitution.  The Preamble.

Here's where his  argument is made:

QuoteThe Ninth Amendment:

The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

QuoteThe Tenth Amendment:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited by states, are reserved to the states respectively or to the people.

By using the preamble, in other words the introduction, you can justify any number of things, some possibly good, possibly evil.

When the Social Security Act was upheld as Constitutional, the Court relied on the Taxing and Spending Clause, which empowers Congress to tax to support the "general welfare." Courts have typically interpreted that pretty broadly.

Here's the text that he asked for:

"The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States"

A national healthcare system would be Constitutional as long as it was equally distributed among the States. The Courts have never held that the Constitution has to expressly grant very specific powers, that would destroy the flexibility of a document written in the late 18th century after all. The Constitution grants Congress the power to do certain things (tax and spend, regulate interstate commerce.....etc.) that it then applies to the situation of the day. If you start saying things like "SHOW ME WHERE THE CONSTITUTION GIVES CONGRESS THE POWER TO DO X" then you expose the fact that the Constitution is a 200+ year old document, written by people who could not have anticipated the world we live in today. The Framers however were smart enough to realize that the world would advance beyond their understanding and included language that granted very broad powers.

paulthemapguy

Quote from: hbelkins on July 18, 2017, 02:02:38 PM
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 18, 2017, 12:09:14 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on July 18, 2017, 11:20:22 AM
Thank God, and I hope we never do. If so, let's just tear up the constitution and throw it away.

WHAT??? This statement clearly matches the thread subject for me. You haven't lived in Europe. I wouldn't take an insurance only to get a treatment denied. This doesn't happen in countries were the health care system is publicly funded, and as result people get a longer life expectancy than in the USA.

Read the United States Constitution and tell me where it gives the federal government the specific authority to provide medical care for the citizenry.

lmao you just proved that your first statement didn't make any sense
The Constitution has nothing to do with it
Find the part of the Constitution, then, that allows governing bodies to establish speed limits!  Oh it's not in there, I guess we should take all the speed limit signs down.
Come on.
Avatar is the last interesting highway I clinched.
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My USA Shield Gallery https://flic.kr/s/aHsmHwJRZk
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National collection status: 361/425. Only 64 route markers remain

english si

#73
Quote from: formulanone on July 20, 2017, 07:30:56 AMTo be fair, your area of the world put the Prime Meridian over your land(s), declared a Western and Eastern Civilization, a Middle East, Far East, and a Down Under with respect to your location.

Perspective.
Or, in other words, it's a totally and utterly meaningless descriptor and shouldn't be used? That's exactly my point!

Quote from: paulthemapguy on July 20, 2017, 11:38:48 AMFind the part of the Constitution, then, that allows governing bodies to establish speed limits!  Oh it's not in there, I guess we should take all the speed limit signs down.
The 10th amendment allows governing bodies (the states or the people) to establish speed limits, etc: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited by states, are reserved to the states respectively or to the people."

However it is these exact same words that prohibit the federal government from doing anything but which they have the specific authority to do so - the feds cannot establish speed limits and this was hbelkins' point re:healthcare.

The NMSL got around the 10th amendment by not being a federally mandated maximum, but a ban on federal roads money to states that didn't have a max speed limit of 55mph. The drinking age of 21 has similar (and yes, it's highways money) and South Dakota v. Dole resolved that the Federal Government can, via the spending clause, penalise states in such a way.
QuoteThe Constitution has nothing to do with it
lmao

If it involves the federal government, the Constitution has everything to do with it - it's the rules that both give the feds the authority to do things, and the rules that tell them what they can't do.

TheHighwayMan3561

So what section of the constitution would be so grossly violated by universal HC? I'm pretty sure "universal healthcare shall never be a law of the land" isn't in there.

Now that's being obtuse of course, but explain it to me.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running



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