MigL

Is 'tankie' an affectionate term for someone who thinks tanks are the solution ? ( eg. Hungarian revolution of November, 1956 )

I'm hoping for a good outcome for you Ken. Like all cancers, early detection is the key. I have worked with an Irish fellow who smoked like a chimney, and got an early diagnosis right after he retired. They removed a quarter of one of his lungs, and he's been playing golf every day for the past ten years. Unfortunately, I was recently at the funeral of an old friend, also a heavy smoker and married an ex-girlfriend of mine, who had been diagnosed late ( Italians don't like going to the doctor ), and he went very quickly from his lung cancer. I sometimes wonder if that's how I will go. Over the years I've had the occasional exposure to fumes/vapors that can cause scarring/thickening of lung membranes ( pulmonary fibrosis ), but, at least, I've never smoked.

Is that not dependent on Tax treaties ? I recall my dad used to get a small Italian, or Swiss, pension; it wasn't taxed at the source so he needed to pay tax on that pension in Canada. If it had been taxed at the source, there would be no Canadian taxation on it. On a separate issue, I know the UK has had a fairly aggressive inheritance tax for over 30 years. Has that done anything for wealth inequality ? It certainly hasn't done anything to help the economy, as it keeps going from bad to worse. ( or is that just caused by bad political decisions )

It's and, not or.

Thanks for the breakdown of 1984, Seth. I've never really understood Catcher in the Rye. Can you do a similar breakdown of the alienation, rebellion and pain of growing up, in Salinger's book, for me 🙂 . Yeah ! No one complained about when the banks were bailed out in 2009-10. ( and that would be the worst kind of Socialism; almost as bad as letting 8 Million Ukrainians starve, so Joe can sell the grain to help industrialize Russia ) But I guess Socialism is 'un-bad' when it benefits your Billionaire cronies. ( see what I did there @npts2020 ... newspeak )

The 'Tech Bros' are trying to make society more and more dependent on digital infrastructure. Why do you think they are putting Billions and Billions into AI and data center/server farms. Then when something goes 'wrong', they step in to provide the 'solution'. The Mob used to call that a 'protection racket'.

As much as I respect CharonY's opinion, and always glad to hear from him, it makes no sense to compare B Sanders to German politicians, or parties of any other country; the yardstick he will be measured against is American political norms, and to the vast majority of Americans ( even if only a belief ), he's out in left field. Most Americans will call you a "Commie Pinko" at the mere mention of socialized health care ( Archie Bunker from All In The Family reference ). As @TheVat mentioned, Socialism is a spectrum, and the US already has a fair amount of it, although I don't think the Armed Forces are a good example ( D Trump thinks they are his private Forces for enforcing/ensuring his agenda ). The fact that the US has so many people left behind ( how many go bankrupt every year from medical bills ? ) indicates that their mix of Socialism and Capitalism is a little light on the Socialist side of the scale, and too heavy on the Capitalist side. At least, from the point of view of us Canadians and Europeans

I can't say I was ever one of B Sander's biggest fans; I always thought he was too 'pie in the sky' for most Americans, who start yelling "Communist" as soon as you mention even the most basic social reforms. But it hits you like a slap in the face when he mentions that E Musk has more money than 54 % of the total American population. Yet those idiots that voted for D Trump and his ilk, think that he is a man of the people, and looking out for them. Boy, were they wrong. D Trump just about succeeded in turning the whole American economy into a giant pyramid scheme. It remains to be seen if Democrats manage to put a stop to the situation, or, dare I hope, turn things around a little. Or maybe, they''ll just take advantage of the current situation for their own personal benefit. They are politicians after all ... ( have American politics made me cynical ??? )

"Lame Donald Duck" J Behar, The View

They look very nice and 'Physicky formulaic'-like. But they are totally useless unless you define the non-standard terms, and provide some evidence for these relational structures. Anyone can write down equations which satisfy dimensional analysis; that doesn't mean they represent actual Physical relations or are able to make predictions of any sort.

Oh, don't be such downers; it's time to celebrate. HAPPY MIDTERM ELECTION EVERYONE !

What formulas ???? How about actually presenting some, rather than making unsupported assertions.

I guess it's true friendship as they drill into your knee-caps, or hang you from a meat-hook, when you can't come up with the 'vig', the 'juice', or the 'taste', for your monetary obligations. I think you watch too many movies, and don't know any of these bastards IRL.

I don't know. The effect of seeing the survivors at Dachau, Buchenwald, Ravensbruk, Bergen-Belsen, or Auschwitz and Treblinka, and then the realization that 6 Million more had already been gassed, leaves a lasting impression of what cruelty human beings are capable of inflicting on each other, for fictitious or notional ideological reasons. You just cannot tell someone about such things, and not expect them to believe the Moon landings weren't filmed in a warehouse in Area 51 by S Kubrick ...

Teaching an important lesson, one that needs to be remembered, has to involve full emotional investment. Almost like 'you had to be there'; consent shields from the full impact. Maybe that is why young people are starting to forget the horrors of WW2, and democracy destroying dictators in general. Young people are being 'coddled' by safe spaces, prior warning of impactful information, 'both sides' dilution, etc., etc. You never forget what you learn through a visceral lesson. And is why, to get back to the OP, that particular ST:TNG episode stuck with me.