i would bet that it would explode trying to "translate" between say Southern (US) and Cockney (UK)
even with both of them being "English" dialects.
I could see this having problems even translating between Southern and West Coast American English. For example, the word "Dinner" means different things depending on location, as does "Cousin". The potential for misunderstanding is rather high.
If one of them is married, though, there's a third, non-consenting adult involved, who deserves to know - and if there are people who feel like exposing this kind of thing,
Then those people need to mind their own god damn business. Society only works when there is a certain level of anonymity and trust in your fellow strangers. If we can't leave our houses and do the things that are human nature (no matter how much you may disagree with them) without fear of someone willfully destroying your life, then we no longer live in a free society. You might as well go back in time and live in East Germany if you want your neighbors all up in your shit, having to watch everything you say or do. Only this is scarier...the people doing it willingly, without the Stasi pulling the strings? No thanks.
"If a prank starts making people feel uncomfortable, you've completely missed the mark."
You've just banned ALL comedy, especially in the pathetic world we live in where someone is offended by/uncomfortable with everything...
Pranks are comedy, but not all comedy is pranking. If someone is watching a TV show or live standup or whatnot, they know what they're in for; cringe away. If I'm walking down the street minding my own business and someone approaches me and begins acting in a way that sends up red flags, that's not comedy. I did not sign up for that. That is how misunderstandings occur, and people get hurt.
You know that several of the crusades were a response to Muslim invasion, right?
Sure, and that's why they also slaughtered truckloads of Jews while they were at it? The crusades were campaigns of violence sanctioned by the pope in the name of Christ, not the state. While the two were nearly inseparable in those times, they were conducted under the flag of religion, not just wars for territory.
I guess I look at pranks on strangers as something that has to be limited enough that the person pranked will themselves laugh about it.
Sure, like gluing a quarter to the ground or the ol' dollar bill on a fishing line trick; something that most people will instantly recognize as a silly, light-hearted prank and move on. One of my favorite memories was spending some time on a pier on Catalina island with a whoopie cushion, some friends, and some unsuspecting passers-by. However, many of these "pranks" I've seen recently involve some sort of direct interaction with the offender, and aren't easily escapable situations. If a prank starts making people feel uncomfortable, you've completely missed the mark. When a prank starts making people feel threatened, prepare to get your chops busted one way or another.
Islam is inherently violent. Christianity is inherently peaceful. Christianity says to love your enemy. Islam says to kill Jews and Christians.
Gotta play devil's advocate on this one.. Where exactly does "Islam" say to kill Jews and Christians, specifically? Islamists, sure, all day long. I don't believe the Koran specifically calls out for the eradication of any specific religion though.
Christianity, on the other hand, sure does promote peace and loving thy neighbor, and all that. But, Crusades-much? You can see how the movie is rarely true to the book...
The point is it is the responsibility of the state to keep these diseases out of its borders, it is not the responsibility of the masses to compensate for this failure in policy and be complicit in a failure of justice and freedom also.
How the hell is keeping infectious disease out of the country solely a policy issue? People will get sick. They will carry it across the borders. It will not always be detectable at that point. The best weapon we have to combat the 'one that gets through' is by vaccinating the masses. When a growing fraction of the population refuse to get vaccinated, it puts the nation as a whole at risk. If you want to treat this as a policy issue, the policy must be "Vaccinate or get the fuck out of our country". Don't put my life at risk because of your ignorance; there's the door.
we have had automated systems that can handle cash for quite some time now.
And every one I've dealt with has been absolute shit. They seem to be constantly broken, and can't dispense bills reliably. They also add bulk, complexity, and security issues. Just because you can deal with currency automatically doesn't mean it's going to be beneficial, especially if you only have 1 or 2 machines and they're in constant need of maintenance. A touch screen with a card reader is far more reliable and streamlined than an added currency handler with moving parts, sensors, and the grunge that's associated with bills and coins.
The upside: we've had self check-out in supermarkets for some time now, and there's still plenty of standard check lanes open any time I go to the store, because that shitty scan robot isn't fast enough for anything but a few items, and doesn't give a level of customer service that you can get from another person.
There's two reasons why I don't use self checkout 100% of the time. Limited space, and produce. If they actually gave enough room to scan a whole cart without dumping things on the floor, It'd make those lanes far more useful. Produce is also a bitch to deal with on most systems. Apples and oranges usually have a code to punch in, but not things like cilantro, cabbage, or loose bulk items (beans, mushrooms, etc). Customer service is the last thing on my list as far as checkout. I can usually blast through self checkout faster than some of these dregs who get paid to do it, and without any of the awkward small talk. I always seem to get checkers who scan with the speed that a condemned man would walk the green mile. I just want to get in, get out, and get on with it. And yes those taste good, that's why I'm buying six of them you idiot.
The local franchise owner opts to get a few of these, replacing a good part of the staff, and has fewer employees to pay - especially important in high minimum wage states.
I'm not sure these will work out as well as people think. I remember a local Taco Bell tried automated kiosks back in the mid 90's. First, you still had to have a body behind the counter to take the payment, and to deal with people too fucking stupid to mash on the picture of food they wanted. Card payments today can be taken at the kiosk, but foldin' money still needs to be dealt with by a meathook. Second, it's usually faster for an employee to put your order into the system than for you to have to navigate the kiosk screen, hunt down what you want, maybe add tomatoes, no onions. Lines would start to form, because people took forever to order. Third, those machines were ALWAYS broken. You'll have to have an IT guy on call just to keep things running smoothly. Last, most places I ever go into to order only have one person, maybe 2 during a rush, taking orders anyway. You'll still have to have a body as a backup order taker, plus the IT guy, plus the initial cost of the machines and installation. In the long run, I just don't see where the cost savings are supposed to come from.
This is a huge problem in North America; so many layers of laws and regulations and by-laws no one knows what the law is, not Joe public, not the cops, not the courts.
I'm assuming this is by design. When things are so complicated that it takes a lawyer many billable hours to figure out where you can legally park, it stacks the odds heavily in the citys favor and turns anything they want into an easy revenue stream. They may lose a few contested citations here and there, but the majority of people will grumble and just pay up. Until the police have to actively prove every ticket they write is legit, it's a guilty till proven innocent situation that most people aren't prepared to fight.
You do know that every single attempted suicide survivor regrets his/her decision?
Or, if you do not like the human angle, pick one:
a) Yes, society invested in this person, and you want the highest return on investment.
b) Do not kill yourself by causing a shitload of damage to society. The train conductor now has been traumatized. And the train is delayed. Both causing economic damage to society.
No, you are not free to do whatever the fuck you want. Because a lot of things you do influence other people as well. You litter? That means someone needs to clean that up, and we all need to pay for that someone. And thus, you should not litter.
Really? So you've spoken with every single suicide "survivor"? Even those who went on to do it again, and eventually succeed? How about those who are terminally ill, in intense pain with no hope of recovery. Do you think those suicide "victims" would regret their decisions to try to end their lives, if they failed in their attempt? I agree that those who kill themselves in the heat of the moment, over some lost love or other repairable condition, are selfish and it's bullshit. But there are some people for whom life is just not at all enjoyable, spending years in mental or physical anguish, who value the end more than living in hell every day until they die of natural causes. Who are we to judge those peoples decisions? Have you ever been in that situation? If not, step aside, judgy judgerton.
a) Really? You're trying to boil a persons life down to a business transaction? A person doesn't owe society shit. Especially when that society isn't offering enough for this person to want to continue living.
b) I agree with this one. Traumatizing others with your exit plan is not acceptable. But people who are in such a frame of mind that today is the day to end it, aren't exactly thinking clearly. When there is no tomorrow, consequences don't exist. It's unfortunate, but there's really no easy way to address this; by design, there's nobody left to punish.
We aren't talking about littering or carjacking or genocide here. We're talking about someone ending their life if they choose to, which everyone should be able to do if that's their desire. Other than the point above about harming others on your way out, what you do with your body should be your own business.
Why didn't one of those "over 1000 followers" call the police to try to stop it? Maybe they couldn't have been in time(?) but why the Hell didn't someone try. Have we become the don't give a shit society?
Who are we to tell someone else what they can/can't do with their lives? If she wanted to kill herself, that's her decision to make. Why should the onus be on the rest of society to 'protect' her from herself? I know it's not the feel-good moral crusader answer to this situation, but it's really none of our fucking business. Life can be hard and tragic, but worry about living yours and let others worry about living theirs.
A man's home is his castle, everyone needs a place to live, regardless of any other considerations.
So he can go live in the penitentiary. When your home is paid for with embezzled funds, it never belonged to you. Untold millions (billions?) of people in this world don't own their own home, if for no other reason than they aren't thieving dickbags. Why should this guy get to keep that big ass house that he essentially stole? There are far greater people who spend their nights sleeping on the streets.
Yeah, death sucks and usually makes the survivors feel shitty for a while, but it's all part of life. I can understand trying to cure a disease that leads to a long and painful demise, but why try to bring the dead back to life? They've already gone through the hard part. I'd personally be pissed if I died, then found out I had to do it all over again at a later date. Also, if we 'cure' brain death, we'll no longer have an ethical way to harvest organs for donation. The loss of a single person often leads to saving the lives of several others. Sometimes dead is better.:)
1) The laws already require you to pay sales taxes on EVERYTHING you buy.
False. Not everything is taxable. Here in California, they've even created an easy-to-use 45-page document that clearly outlines the exemptions and exclusions for sales and use taxes. Behold:
So easy, even a caveman can do it! Now imagine having to go through that guide, comparing it to all of your out of state invoices and receipts collected through the year, and calculate your taxes due to the penny. Fuck that shit. When they can get corporations to pay their fair share, and quit pissing away all the tax revenue they do collect, then we can talk about the extra $12 grandma owes because she bought a box of beanie babies off eBay
I took 9 gap years between high school and college. I didn't know what the hell I wanted to do with my life, and I was beyond burnt out with high school. I spent those years working shitty jobs for shitty pay with shitty people. Doing dreg work for 9 years let me figure out what I didn't want to do with my life, and motivated me to go back to school and start a career. I banged out a degree with straight 4.0s and never looked back. If I had tried this a year after getting out of HS, there's no way I could have pulled off those grades or that major, and I probably wouldn't be in the (better) position that I'm in now. I wouldn't suggest everyone wait 9 years, especially in this economy, but do wait to go to college until your heart and mind are into it, and you have an actual goal. Just going to say you've gone is going to leave you with a useless piece of paper and a shit ton of debt.
Yeah, this guy is talking out his ass, but I'm pretty sure it's because he knows he'll never have to back his words up with actions. Seriously, where do you usually see fruit/ice cream carts? Here in the San Fernando Valley, it's usually around the lower income areas, such as manufacturing districts, public parks, cheaper housing. I've never seen a fruit cart in my lower middle class neighborhood, let alone the richy rich areas. I doubt the 1%ers anywhere would eat off one of those carts anyway, when they can just have their PA go down to Whole Foods and pick up a truck load of whatever. There's just not enough foot traffic or eager customers for the carts in these areas, so they simply have no incentive to be there. This guy is just inventing a scenario where he thinks he sounds tough and can rally his kind against the poors, but would most likely get his ass kicked if he started destroying someones livelyhood.
I propose the installation of a giant aquarium bubbler at the bottom of the ocean.
Though clearly a joke, aquarium bubblers don't actually add oxygen to the water. They're meant to break the surface tension and give it a little churn to allow natural gas exchange to work more efficiently. A hang-on-back filter, or pack of feeding piranhas, will achieve the same effect in a tank. Water temperature also plays a role in oxygen availability. The warmer it is, the less it's able to provide to its residents.
.... so that if they were to actually try and do anything that actually posed a danger, nobody would take it seriously until it was too late?
Define "Deliberate"? As far as a country with limited funds and resources intentionally destroying missiles in an attempt make the rest of the world roll our eyes at them, I highly doubt it. Rushing the launches, without properly evaluating what caused the previous failures and making the necessary adjustments in order to ensure success, just to look like they're doing something fearsome? More likely. Same goes for their nuke tests. I doubt they're wasting fissile material on super low-yield detonations just to be sly.
Sounds reasonable, as long as the same policy applies to the drivers when they show up late for a pick up leaving someone out in the cold waiting.
Not quite the same though. A driver has to fight through traffic, stop lights, weather, etc. You have to walk outside. Much smaller chance of delay. As long as the driver is moving, I'd say a 2-5 minute delay is acceptable, depending on the distance. If he's just pulling the pud in a 7-11 parking lot, then yeah.. dock 'em.
Why call for a ride if you aren't ready to GO? How long does it take to get outside from inside, all of 15 seconds? People who are habitually late are the absolute worst. You aren't so god damn important that the rest of the world should wait for you, and if you were you wouldn't be using Uber. When a driver is waiting for you to make an appearance, they aren't making any money. It's only fair that after a certain amount of idling, you should be charged a penalty for wasting their time, in order to encourage you to not be so selfish the next time around. There are always circumstances beyond your control, sure, so maybe give one freebie a year. But when it becomes clear it was just your lack of time management skills or respect for you fellow man, you should pay the price.
Tips are, and have always been, optional. Nobody says you have to tip anybody. That being said, the first time I ever used Uber, nowhere did it say you couldn't tip through the app, and I assumed there would be a place to do so after the ride. Apparently not. Had I known, I would have given the driver a cash tip because he was great. I'm glad they've agreed to make this more clear. It only cost the driver a couple bucks that trip, but a couple bucks here and there starts to add up.
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i would bet that it would explode trying to "translate" between say Southern (US) and Cockney (UK) even with both of them being "English" dialects.
I could see this having problems even translating between Southern and West Coast American English. For example, the word "Dinner" means different things depending on location, as does "Cousin". The potential for misunderstanding is rather high.
If one of them is married, though, there's a third, non-consenting adult involved, who deserves to know - and if there are people who feel like exposing this kind of thing,
Then those people need to mind their own god damn business. Society only works when there is a certain level of anonymity and trust in your fellow strangers. If we can't leave our houses and do the things that are human nature (no matter how much you may disagree with them) without fear of someone willfully destroying your life, then we no longer live in a free society. You might as well go back in time and live in East Germany if you want your neighbors all up in your shit, having to watch everything you say or do. Only this is scarier...the people doing it willingly, without the Stasi pulling the strings? No thanks.
"If a prank starts making people feel uncomfortable, you've completely missed the mark."
You've just banned ALL comedy, especially in the pathetic world we live in where someone is offended by/uncomfortable with everything...
Pranks are comedy, but not all comedy is pranking. If someone is watching a TV show or live standup or whatnot, they know what they're in for; cringe away. If I'm walking down the street minding my own business and someone approaches me and begins acting in a way that sends up red flags, that's not comedy. I did not sign up for that. That is how misunderstandings occur, and people get hurt.
You know that several of the crusades were a response to Muslim invasion, right?
Sure, and that's why they also slaughtered truckloads of Jews while they were at it? The crusades were campaigns of violence sanctioned by the pope in the name of Christ, not the state. While the two were nearly inseparable in those times, they were conducted under the flag of religion, not just wars for territory.
I guess I look at pranks on strangers as something that has to be limited enough that the person pranked will themselves laugh about it.
Sure, like gluing a quarter to the ground or the ol' dollar bill on a fishing line trick; something that most people will instantly recognize as a silly, light-hearted prank and move on. One of my favorite memories was spending some time on a pier on Catalina island with a whoopie cushion, some friends, and some unsuspecting passers-by. However, many of these "pranks" I've seen recently involve some sort of direct interaction with the offender, and aren't easily escapable situations. If a prank starts making people feel uncomfortable, you've completely missed the mark. When a prank starts making people feel threatened, prepare to get your chops busted one way or another.
Islam is inherently violent. Christianity is inherently peaceful. Christianity says to love your enemy. Islam says to kill Jews and Christians.
Gotta play devil's advocate on this one.. Where exactly does "Islam" say to kill Jews and Christians, specifically? Islamists, sure, all day long. I don't believe the Koran specifically calls out for the eradication of any specific religion though.
Christianity, on the other hand, sure does promote peace and loving thy neighbor, and all that. But, Crusades-much? You can see how the movie is rarely true to the book...
The point is it is the responsibility of the state to keep these diseases out of its borders, it is not the responsibility of the masses to compensate for this failure in policy and be complicit in a failure of justice and freedom also.
How the hell is keeping infectious disease out of the country solely a policy issue? People will get sick. They will carry it across the borders. It will not always be detectable at that point. The best weapon we have to combat the 'one that gets through' is by vaccinating the masses. When a growing fraction of the population refuse to get vaccinated, it puts the nation as a whole at risk. If you want to treat this as a policy issue, the policy must be "Vaccinate or get the fuck out of our country". Don't put my life at risk because of your ignorance; there's the door.
we have had automated systems that can handle cash for quite some time now.
And every one I've dealt with has been absolute shit. They seem to be constantly broken, and can't dispense bills reliably. They also add bulk, complexity, and security issues. Just because you can deal with currency automatically doesn't mean it's going to be beneficial, especially if you only have 1 or 2 machines and they're in constant need of maintenance. A touch screen with a card reader is far more reliable and streamlined than an added currency handler with moving parts, sensors, and the grunge that's associated with bills and coins.
The upside: we've had self check-out in supermarkets for some time now, and there's still plenty of standard check lanes open any time I go to the store, because that shitty scan robot isn't fast enough for anything but a few items, and doesn't give a level of customer service that you can get from another person.
There's two reasons why I don't use self checkout 100% of the time. Limited space, and produce. If they actually gave enough room to scan a whole cart without dumping things on the floor, It'd make those lanes far more useful. Produce is also a bitch to deal with on most systems. Apples and oranges usually have a code to punch in, but not things like cilantro, cabbage, or loose bulk items (beans, mushrooms, etc). Customer service is the last thing on my list as far as checkout. I can usually blast through self checkout faster than some of these dregs who get paid to do it, and without any of the awkward small talk. I always seem to get checkers who scan with the speed that a condemned man would walk the green mile. I just want to get in, get out, and get on with it. And yes those taste good, that's why I'm buying six of them you idiot.
The local franchise owner opts to get a few of these, replacing a good part of the staff, and has fewer employees to pay - especially important in high minimum wage states.
I'm not sure these will work out as well as people think. I remember a local Taco Bell tried automated kiosks back in the mid 90's. First, you still had to have a body behind the counter to take the payment, and to deal with people too fucking stupid to mash on the picture of food they wanted. Card payments today can be taken at the kiosk, but foldin' money still needs to be dealt with by a meathook. Second, it's usually faster for an employee to put your order into the system than for you to have to navigate the kiosk screen, hunt down what you want, maybe add tomatoes, no onions. Lines would start to form, because people took forever to order. Third, those machines were ALWAYS broken. You'll have to have an IT guy on call just to keep things running smoothly. Last, most places I ever go into to order only have one person, maybe 2 during a rush, taking orders anyway. You'll still have to have a body as a backup order taker, plus the IT guy, plus the initial cost of the machines and installation. In the long run, I just don't see where the cost savings are supposed to come from.
This is a huge problem in North America; so many layers of laws and regulations and by-laws no one knows what the law is, not Joe public, not the cops, not the courts.
I'm assuming this is by design. When things are so complicated that it takes a lawyer many billable hours to figure out where you can legally park, it stacks the odds heavily in the citys favor and turns anything they want into an easy revenue stream. They may lose a few contested citations here and there, but the majority of people will grumble and just pay up. Until the police have to actively prove every ticket they write is legit, it's a guilty till proven innocent situation that most people aren't prepared to fight.
You do know that every single attempted suicide survivor regrets his/her decision?
Or, if you do not like the human angle, pick one: a) Yes, society invested in this person, and you want the highest return on investment. b) Do not kill yourself by causing a shitload of damage to society. The train conductor now has been traumatized. And the train is delayed. Both causing economic damage to society.
No, you are not free to do whatever the fuck you want. Because a lot of things you do influence other people as well. You litter? That means someone needs to clean that up, and we all need to pay for that someone. And thus, you should not litter.
Really? So you've spoken with every single suicide "survivor"? Even those who went on to do it again, and eventually succeed? How about those who are terminally ill, in intense pain with no hope of recovery. Do you think those suicide "victims" would regret their decisions to try to end their lives, if they failed in their attempt? I agree that those who kill themselves in the heat of the moment, over some lost love or other repairable condition, are selfish and it's bullshit. But there are some people for whom life is just not at all enjoyable, spending years in mental or physical anguish, who value the end more than living in hell every day until they die of natural causes. Who are we to judge those peoples decisions? Have you ever been in that situation? If not, step aside, judgy judgerton.
a) Really? You're trying to boil a persons life down to a business transaction? A person doesn't owe society shit. Especially when that society isn't offering enough for this person to want to continue living.
b) I agree with this one. Traumatizing others with your exit plan is not acceptable. But people who are in such a frame of mind that today is the day to end it, aren't exactly thinking clearly. When there is no tomorrow, consequences don't exist. It's unfortunate, but there's really no easy way to address this; by design, there's nobody left to punish.
We aren't talking about littering or carjacking or genocide here. We're talking about someone ending their life if they choose to, which everyone should be able to do if that's their desire. Other than the point above about harming others on your way out, what you do with your body should be your own business.
Why didn't one of those "over 1000 followers" call the police to try to stop it? Maybe they couldn't have been in time(?) but why the Hell didn't someone try. Have we become the don't give a shit society?
Who are we to tell someone else what they can/can't do with their lives? If she wanted to kill herself, that's her decision to make. Why should the onus be on the rest of society to 'protect' her from herself? I know it's not the feel-good moral crusader answer to this situation, but it's really none of our fucking business. Life can be hard and tragic, but worry about living yours and let others worry about living theirs.
A man's home is his castle, everyone needs a place to live, regardless of any other considerations.
So he can go live in the penitentiary. When your home is paid for with embezzled funds, it never belonged to you. Untold millions (billions?) of people in this world don't own their own home, if for no other reason than they aren't thieving dickbags. Why should this guy get to keep that big ass house that he essentially stole? There are far greater people who spend their nights sleeping on the streets.
Hey man, you ever try to remember something.. on weeeeeeed?
How about dropping millennials from helicopters?
..and into volcanoes. It's the only way to be sure.
Yeah, death sucks and usually makes the survivors feel shitty for a while, but it's all part of life. I can understand trying to cure a disease that leads to a long and painful demise, but why try to bring the dead back to life? They've already gone through the hard part. I'd personally be pissed if I died, then found out I had to do it all over again at a later date. Also, if we 'cure' brain death, we'll no longer have an ethical way to harvest organs for donation. The loss of a single person often leads to saving the lives of several others. Sometimes dead is better. :)
Let's be clear about what is going on here.
1) The laws already require you to pay sales taxes on EVERYTHING you buy.
False. Not everything is taxable. Here in California, they've even created an easy-to-use 45-page document that clearly outlines the exemptions and exclusions for sales and use taxes. Behold:
http://www.boe.ca.gov/pdf/pub6...
So easy, even a caveman can do it! Now imagine having to go through that guide, comparing it to all of your out of state invoices and receipts collected through the year, and calculate your taxes due to the penny. Fuck that shit. When they can get corporations to pay their fair share, and quit pissing away all the tax revenue they do collect, then we can talk about the extra $12 grandma owes because she bought a box of beanie babies off eBay
I took 9 gap years between high school and college. I didn't know what the hell I wanted to do with my life, and I was beyond burnt out with high school. I spent those years working shitty jobs for shitty pay with shitty people. Doing dreg work for 9 years let me figure out what I didn't want to do with my life, and motivated me to go back to school and start a career. I banged out a degree with straight 4.0s and never looked back. If I had tried this a year after getting out of HS, there's no way I could have pulled off those grades or that major, and I probably wouldn't be in the (better) position that I'm in now. I wouldn't suggest everyone wait 9 years, especially in this economy, but do wait to go to college until your heart and mind are into it, and you have an actual goal. Just going to say you've gone is going to leave you with a useless piece of paper and a shit ton of debt.
Yeah, this guy is talking out his ass, but I'm pretty sure it's because he knows he'll never have to back his words up with actions. Seriously, where do you usually see fruit/ice cream carts? Here in the San Fernando Valley, it's usually around the lower income areas, such as manufacturing districts, public parks, cheaper housing. I've never seen a fruit cart in my lower middle class neighborhood, let alone the richy rich areas. I doubt the 1%ers anywhere would eat off one of those carts anyway, when they can just have their PA go down to Whole Foods and pick up a truck load of whatever. There's just not enough foot traffic or eager customers for the carts in these areas, so they simply have no incentive to be there. This guy is just inventing a scenario where he thinks he sounds tough and can rally his kind against the poors, but would most likely get his ass kicked if he started destroying someones livelyhood.
I propose the installation of a giant aquarium bubbler at the bottom of the ocean.
Though clearly a joke, aquarium bubblers don't actually add oxygen to the water. They're meant to break the surface tension and give it a little churn to allow natural gas exchange to work more efficiently. A hang-on-back filter, or pack of feeding piranhas, will achieve the same effect in a tank. Water temperature also plays a role in oxygen availability. The warmer it is, the less it's able to provide to its residents.
.... so that if they were to actually try and do anything that actually posed a danger, nobody would take it seriously until it was too late?
Define "Deliberate"? As far as a country with limited funds and resources intentionally destroying missiles in an attempt make the rest of the world roll our eyes at them, I highly doubt it. Rushing the launches, without properly evaluating what caused the previous failures and making the necessary adjustments in order to ensure success, just to look like they're doing something fearsome? More likely. Same goes for their nuke tests. I doubt they're wasting fissile material on super low-yield detonations just to be sly.
Sounds reasonable, as long as the same policy applies to the drivers when they show up late for a pick up leaving someone out in the cold waiting.
Not quite the same though. A driver has to fight through traffic, stop lights, weather, etc. You have to walk outside. Much smaller chance of delay. As long as the driver is moving, I'd say a 2-5 minute delay is acceptable, depending on the distance. If he's just pulling the pud in a 7-11 parking lot, then yeah.. dock 'em.
Why call for a ride if you aren't ready to GO? How long does it take to get outside from inside, all of 15 seconds? People who are habitually late are the absolute worst. You aren't so god damn important that the rest of the world should wait for you, and if you were you wouldn't be using Uber. When a driver is waiting for you to make an appearance, they aren't making any money. It's only fair that after a certain amount of idling, you should be charged a penalty for wasting their time, in order to encourage you to not be so selfish the next time around. There are always circumstances beyond your control, sure, so maybe give one freebie a year. But when it becomes clear it was just your lack of time management skills or respect for you fellow man, you should pay the price.
Tips are, and have always been, optional. Nobody says you have to tip anybody. That being said, the first time I ever used Uber, nowhere did it say you couldn't tip through the app, and I assumed there would be a place to do so after the ride. Apparently not. Had I known, I would have given the driver a cash tip because he was great. I'm glad they've agreed to make this more clear. It only cost the driver a couple bucks that trip, but a couple bucks here and there starts to add up.