Thaddeus Kosciuszko

20 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

No innocence feigned. We have more in common than not, and a lot of history between us. On balance I lean capitalist; compassionate capitalism…or whatever HW called it. There’s plenty of space in the Cafe for all modes of expression. 

Elegant and appropriate words, which hopefully will be reflected by equally elegant and appropriate behavior.

6 hours ago, BuffJim said:

But have always shied away from letting hostages get killed.

A valid and fair point. 

But Israel plays the long game with patience and skill, and in cases like this without much regard for world opinion.  I would think that in this case they realize that the hostages taken may already be dead, or suffering, and have a high probability of never being set free. 

The taking of hostages was based on the assumption that recovering the hostages would be high on the priority list for Israel.  Given the magnitude of invasion, destruction, and deaths rescuing hostages will fall below the other priorities of preserving the nation of Israel and destroying Hamas to prevent this from happening in the future, near future anyway.

Israel will also be taking retribution against Iran, now that it is clear Iran significantly assisted in the operation.

I think, too, retribution is too light a word.  Retaliation, is perhaps, too.  I think we will see a response many-fold beyond what Israel has suffered.  You can be sure they have plans well-refined of measured escalation designed to fit just about every particular situation.  There will be immediate reaction, but you can be sure the Israeli response to this will echo through years.

8 hours ago, jsharr said:

thoughts?

This could not have been timed any better!

I had been reading about the ecosystems of the Rocky Mountains, but with so much to absorb you could say my interest had

peaked.

4 hours ago, MoseySusan said:

All the better to keep their business thriving, pay wages, and boost the economy! 
 

Have you people been paying attention? We’re capitalists here. (Fist on table.)  Dagnabbit. 

Your sarcasm, thinly disguised as humor, detracts from the generally congenial and tolerant atmosphere of the Forum.

Don't feign innocence; you know exactly what you're doing and it's clear to the rest of the Forum too.

Others have already followed your lead, mimicking your behavior and likewise detracting from the congeniality that typifies virtually all our conversations.

You alone control your behavior, and make the choices of what behaviors to manifest here.  I look forward toward your exhibiting behaviors that contribute to genial and affable discourse, which I'm sure you enjoy just the same as everyone here.

3 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

You hit the nail on the head in the hotel thread.  Youtube is a business, and if folks like it, it's not a bad idea to "pay" for it either by watching ads or paying $$$. 

"People don't like paying the higher prices, but the higher prices make the business more profitable, which in turn allows the business to keep operating, keep paying their employees, and keep contributing to the local economy."

Well, no.

Entirely different scenario.

If you want a hotel room in a certain area during a certain time to attend a popular event, the supply of rooms is limited, so prices go up because demand is high. 

Youtube is certainly a business, but the internet is not limited in terms of place and time for services.  'Supply' has many options unless you're looking for certain characteristics or features that only one company can provide.

So, if you're not wedded to a narrow set of features, you can just go to another site that gives you the same information in a slightly different form but lets you keep using the ad blocker.

11 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

You sound like a darn capitalist. 

Absolutely.

It's not a perfect system by any means, but it's the system that has lifted more people out of poverty, and provided the means for more people to lift themselves out of poverty, than any other economic system.

These companies don't seem to realize that when they try the 'drop ad blocker or else' game that many people simply choose a similar service - of which there are many - that is willing to forego the ad blocker requirement so they can pick up customers who flee the companies who impose it.

16 hours ago, Parsnip Totin Jack said:

The law of supply and demand. 

People don't like paying the higher prices, but the higher prices make the business more profitable, which in turn allows the business to keep operating, keep paying their employees, and keep contributing to the local economy.

I recently finished these - The Americans The National Experience is one of the best history books I've read.  Most history accounts tell you who, when, where.  That one explained why.

Duct tape them to this:

Waffling is mostly done while eating breakfast, dithering applies to the rest of the day.

I'm surprised that it looks like the Israelis were caught flat-footed.  Their intelligence networks are usually very good.

2 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

How motivated are the Israelis. 

I'd suggest that these offer some insight into why they are so motivated.  The cover of The Brigade mentions vengeance, and they weren't kidding.

1 hour ago, BuffJim said:

my brother

He sort of looks a bit like jsharr, only not from Texas.

5 hours ago, Zephyr said:

and the Mounties called for me

That happened to me too, but I hightailed it back across the border. 

If you don't get the bugs off, they can damage the finish and eventually cause rust spots.  It might be worth calling a dealer and ask what they do that doesn't damage the finish.

Getting the car detailed isn't a bad idea.  It would get the bugs off, and generally clean up all the dust and dirt accumulated from the trip, both inside and out.

1 hour ago, Wilbur said:

nteresting statistics but why are men leaving?  

All the good fraternities are on double secret probation.

I don't think it's a good sign when the numbers on the red countdown display start at 00.1 seconds! No pressure there!

Well, Mrs. TK is traveling with one of our daughters, so weekend cooking is going to be cold cereal, toast, or something that fits in the microwave and won't easily catch fire.