qyron

Essential goods have a 6% taxation in my country (Portugal). This also applies to the first 200kw/h you use in your home.

Then there is a 13% for services, like restaurants. I think wine is also taxed thia way.

The higher tier is reserved for non essential items, like cookies, chocolate, fuels (which are technically being double taxed), cars, etc.

We also pay a direct contribution for our social security system (11% over your gross salary, monthly), plus a direct taxation over our overall monthly salary (the minimum wage workers are exempt from this).

The discussiom on these taxes is long, old and boring but it essentially boils down to having those who want something, pay for it.

Things are escalating quickly. Good job, everyone. Maybe it can trigger a coup.

Fascism is not exactly imaginative or new. What else is new?

We’re assuming they are making a sin live broadcast or recording, for there to be any sort of commenting? Is it like a strange new radical sports event?

Thumbs up for that reply. Pure gold.

Although always in favour of destruction by fire, I don’t think the original poster would enjoy that.

I’m from the country that makes a lifestyle of hacking a quick fix for anything instead of actually solving an issue, as more often than not a definitive solution for a problem is either too expensive, complex or requires climbing up a bureaucratic ladder for an approval.

Staring me down into shame does not work with me.

Can I humbly sugest to exchange the screws of the fan for a new set and perhaps add a little O-ring to it, to absorb extra vibration?

Because that is a hack (and a fine one, as it seems to fix the issue) but it is not a solution!

What I find funny about the crypto currency concept was that it was originally devised - to what I know - to replace conventional money, under governmental control. But it quickly came the notion that for any crypto currency to hold value it had to be capable of being exchanged by the convention money it was meant to replace. Thus came the crypto markets, which in all emulate the conventional stock exchange markets (or FOREX, pick your poison), where huge chunks of wealth change hands with no real backing.

A crypto currency, in my opinion, needs to be viewed as a viable means of exchange in order to have value. If I sow potatoes and decide to sell them for crypto, that I can use next to get a massage or a second hand laptop, then a crypto has value. If nobody is using crypto to buy service or goods, then crypto is worth… nothing.

If an entire parallel economy bloomed around crypto - any crypto - that would make more strides to truly shake governments than anything else.

If memory serves me well, Yugos were made in former Yugoslavia and were known for being extremely cheap and dangerous for everyone in and around them. Am I correct?

But this makes me scratch my head.

American manufacturers exist in Europe today and regardless of not being a fan the cars sell, regardless the constant attempts to introduce pure US models, like the F series.

Ford may be the most widespread manufacturer but I’ve seen a few Dodge, Chevrolet (but GM officially pulled from the market after a 3 years run, stating it wasn’t willing to remain in a market where a minimum 25% of market share wasn’t attainable; competition sucks, apparently!), JEEP and Chrysler.

What is stopping these brands to import back the technology being used here, on their european models, back to the home country? It’s already owned here!

I remember reading an article on a joint project between GM and FIAT to develop a new and shared platform. After X number of years and a gross amount of money invested, GM drops the project, FIAT finishes it and starts building an entire new generation of cars, still being built today.

Why put time, money and effort into a project to just drop it? Having a shared platform, capable of being used to assemble vehicles on both sides of the ocean makes sense.

Let a good movie exist by itself in peace, for crying out loud.

There was a time I was an avid cinema follower but that is long gone. Everything seems to be made to have sequels, prequels, skidmarks, spinoffs and anything else an accountant seems fit to pinch another penny from. Not from me.

Exactly

Connery was a good actor but I think he got stuck to the role of the secret agent/military man/though guy, although I enjoyed his performance in Finding Forrester.

Lazenby was the forgotten Bond, right? I agree. He had a presence but I think he was badly received after the Connery era as his Bond was more mild mannered. When Roger Moore took the character and broke off the previous mold, it simply erased the previous Bond and started the fan theory that Bond was a codename and not an individual.

Timothy Dalton was the best Bond, closest to the books.

Fully agree.

If this kind of institution starts to be ignored, with no consequences, then it no longer serves a purpose.

I really doubt that much rock can’t find any other use except being dumped into the ocean.

Then why not just use it to extend a coast line or build an island?

Not doubting your word, something doesn’t add up.

There are hotels in my country that already buy and install dessalination plants, in order to save costs, to fill pools and fountains and even irrigate gardens.

These instalations have steep requirements to be installed and the off products can’t be dangerous for return to environment, as the return often goes directly to the sea, through beaches.

Concentrating the salt is also another intelectual itch for me. We naturally concentrate salt by evaporation. There are a few programs aimed at developing low energy/high efficiency processes to obtain salt from sea water. The few I was described involved using systems built around the pressure cooker working principle or purpose built enclosed systems alike to greenhouses to force the water out. I’d risk the processes would be useful to make use of the brines.

Call me skeptic but I’ll risk there are a good number of industries that could use and profit from using that brine.

And you opted by the chemical process. Why not use reverse osmosis or pure and simple forced evaporation?