Miscellaneous Discussion Thread II
Quote:The last time these broods co-emerged, the year was 1803,
Thomas Jefferson was president, and the Louisiana Purchase had just been completed — which means many of the states where cicada love songs will soon fill the air were not even officially part of the nation yet.
This spring and summer, people in parts of the American Midwest and South will get to experience a numerically magnificent wildlife event: a rare double emergence of periodical cicadas. With the arrival of Brood XIX and Brood XIII, trillions of harmless, baby-carrot-size insects will be singing their hearts out from Wisconsin to Louisiana, Maryland to Georgia, and many places in between.
Quote: rxwineThe locusts are coming in double.
Quote:The last time these broods co-emerged, the year was 1803,
Thomas Jefferson was president, and the Louisiana Purchase had just been completed — which means many of the states where cicada love songs will soon fill the air were not even officially part of the nation yet.
This spring and summer, people in parts of the American Midwest and South will get to experience a numerically magnificent wildlife event: a rare double emergence of periodical cicadas. With the arrival of Brood XIX and Brood XIII, trillions of harmless, baby-carrot-size insects will be singing their hearts out from Wisconsin to Louisiana, Maryland to Georgia, and many places in between.
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Where my wife lives it is so deafening it wakes her up a dozen times a night
Their headline: The cicadas are coming, and some may become ‘flying saltshakers of death’
Quote: Washington Post<SNIP>
One of the more unusual mysteries scientists hope to investigate involves a parasitic fungus that attacks adult cicadas, turning them into what one expert calls “flying saltshakers of death.”
...<SNIP - more filler, then back to the main headliner event>...
...floods the insect with amphetamine and psilocybin, each of which appear to influence its behavior. [Ya don't say?]
For instance, although the fungus has taken over the lower-third of its body, replacing its abdomen and genitals with fungal tissue, the cicada appears to feel no pain. Instead, infected cicadas seem to want to party.
“There are some hypersexual behaviors,” Kasson said. “The males pretend to be females to get other healthy males to come and attempt to mate with them. And...
...<SNIP>...
Researchers are also interested in the fungus as a source of new medicines, Kasson added. [Yeah, I bet they are, perpetual grad students being how they be and all.]
Aquafina brand bottled water
proudly offered to the public (in my area) by - The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission__________________yuck
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Quote: lilredrooster.
Aquafina brand bottled water
proudly offered to the public (in my area) by - The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission__________________yuck
.
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Sounds like a 1930s Roosevelt welfare work project.
Then, we speed it up and see what happens.
The epicenter of an earthquake doesn't 'travel'. However, the energy released by one does. Ever hear of a seismometer? It measures the micromovements of bedrock caused by the energy released from distant quakes.Quote: AZDuffmanQuote: BillHasRetiredNot really. The energy of the Tiawan Earthquake was probably dissipated by the time it got to California, let alone NJ..Quote: rxwineWonder if the earthquake in Taiwan could have triggered the earthquake in the NY, NJ area?
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Earthquakes do not "travel" like weather does.
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The 2011 Virginia earthquake (the one that damaged the Washington Monument hundreds of miles away) surprised the snot out of a lot of people because its damage footprint was so large relative to California earthquakes. The difference is that in California, the bedrock is riven with faults, all of which act to dissipate seismic energy, whereas East Coast bedrock is much more monolithic.
So no, "earthquakes don't travel", but the energy of them does. Your comment makes me wonder if this is a troll or if your understanding of this phenomenon is deficient.
my personal (but pretty mild) rebellion against authority
JAYWALKING - crossing very busy city streets in non-designated areas
I love it________________IT'S FUN__________________!!!
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Quote: lilredrooster.
my personal (but pretty mild) rebellion against authority
JAYWALKING - crossing very busy city streets in non-designated areas
I love it________________IT'S FUN__________________!!!
.
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I once saw a dud cross 4 lanes at dusk amazing he did not get hit. Cops stopped him on the other side, he was screaming about why he was being hassled or something.
Nothing like working in the downtown district.
You are at the big bang an hour before it happens. Outside the action at a safe distance but close enough to see. (Suspend disbelief)
BUT----how is that possible since you would be outside all existence. But if you could do it then how was it all started before the Big Bang?
Maybe this would be a good discussion at Bugsy's Bar? Would keep the businesswomen away I am sure......
The US FCC fined AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint a total of around $200 million for illegally sharing and selling customers' real-time location data without consent. The carriers sold access to customers' location data to "aggregators," who then resold it to other companies, creating a gray market the customers were unaware of. Carriers are required by law to obtain express consent before using and sharing highly sensitive location data. The fines come after past reports found bounty hunters and law enforcement accessed location data through third parties.
Quote: AZDuffmanSo I just saw a YT video on history of the universe that kind of blows the mind.
You are at the big bang an hour before it happens. Outside the action at a safe distance but close enough to see. (Suspend disbelief)
BUT----how is that possible since you would be outside all existence. But if you could do it then how was it all started before the Big Bang?
Maybe this would be a good discussion at Bugsy's Bar? Would keep the businesswomen away I am sure......
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I think there are some things that the human brain just cannot comprehend. Like, we are physically unable to understand. Imagine trying to explain mathematics to an ant. I think it is impossible for humans to understand a lot about the universe.
Quote: TigerWu
I think there are some things that the human brain just cannot comprehend. Like, we are physically unable to understand. Imagine trying to explain mathematics to an ant. I think it is impossible for humans to understand a lot about the universe.
i definitely agree with that
scientists estimate the universe is 13.7 billion years old
and that our earth is 4.5 billion years old
and possibly trillions of planets are out there
who can even imagine these kinds of things
and could scientists who generally agree on certain things be very wrong about a lot of it_______?
I think so
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Quote: TigerWu
I think there are some things that the human brain just cannot comprehend. Like, we are physically unable to understand. Imagine trying to explain mathematics to an ant. I think it is impossible for humans to understand a lot about the universe.
Forget ants, there is math that is too overwhelming for me. Yesterday I was reading about the "number" Googolplex. Apparently it is 10 to the googol power. They said is you tried to write it out as a number it would be a 1 followed by so many number of zeros that in written form it would fill our whole universe with zeros.
The letters could help beat staff shortages, although it’s unclear if this is part of the reason they were implemented. The state reported an increase in audits in 2022 but a decrease in auditors.
Tax departments across the US are using both human auditors and AI to examine cellphone records, which will help figure out where taxpayers are spending most of their time and subsequently where they owe taxes, Hodgson Russ LLP partner Mark Klein said.
true crime shocker - even if you follow true crime which is extremely popular right now this one might get to you -
2 elderly women in their 70s - Grandmothers - neither with a criminal record and one of them was living in a $1.5 million dollar home and owned 3 other properties
they befriend 2 homeless men and provide them with a place to stay and other necessities and then take out multi million dollar life insurance policies on them
and then they kill them and try to collect on the million dollar policies
Pure Evil
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10182775/New-podcast-details-two-old-ladies-killed-homeless-men-attempt-insurance-money.html
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Quote: ChumpChangeNew York, the millionaire capital of the world, is using AI-generated letters to challenge remote workers moving to low-tax states.
The letters could help beat staff shortages, although it’s unclear if this is part of the reason they were implemented. The state reported an increase in audits in 2022 but a decrease in auditors.
Tax departments across the US are using both human auditors and AI to examine cellphone records, which will help figure out where taxpayers are spending most of their time and subsequently where they owe taxes, Hodgson Russ LLP partner Mark Klein said.
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New York is tax greedy. Rush Limbaiugh had to prove he didn't live there for like 20 years even after he sold the condo he rarely used.
Quote: TigerWuQuote: AZDuffmanSo I just saw a YT video on history of the universe that kind of blows the mind.
You are at the big bang an hour before it happens. Outside the action at a safe distance but close enough to see. (Suspend disbelief)
BUT----how is that possible since you would be outside all existence. But if you could do it then how was it all started before the Big Bang?
Maybe this would be a good discussion at Bugsy's Bar? Would keep the businesswomen away I am sure......
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I think there are some things that the human brain just cannot comprehend. Like, we are physically unable to understand. Imagine trying to explain mathematics to an ant. I think it is impossible for humans to understand a lot about the universe.
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The human brain cannot comprehend infinity.
If the universe is finite how do we know we are not on the edge of it vs. the center of it? If it is infinite, at some point do planets and stars just stop being there and it is mere empty space? If it is finite, what happens when you get to the limit of it?
This thread may end up making me write an ebook.
As to a googol, there is not a googol of anything larger than an atom, of which there are less than a googol believed to be in the universe. I saw some YT video on large numbers, which dwarf a googolplex. Just math guys with no life I guess.
A google search showed that the USA is currently just under 96,000 days old. Will anyone notice for 100,000?
How can you say how many years old another galaxy is if it has no relevance to a year on earth?
The elsewhere mentioned Pamela Smart has spent over 30 years in prison. Meaning the CO who started the day she entered is probably on pension. If she lives to her 80s, very possible, the CO that started the day of the first CO retirement will also retire on pension while she is still there.
How much more of this nonsense?
Quote: AZDuffman
The elsewhere mentioned Pamela Smart has spent over 30 years in prison. Meaning the CO who started the day she entered is probably on pension. If she lives to her 80s, very possible, the CO that started the day of the first CO retirement will also retire on pension while she is still there.
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EvenBob was alive at the same time as Civil War veterans.
Quote: ChumpChange
Tax departments across the US are using both human auditors and AI to examine cellphone records, which will help figure out where taxpayers are spending most of their time and subsequently where they owe taxes, Hodgson Russ LLP partner Mark Klein said.
Good, people need to pay their taxes to the proper jurisdiction.
Quote: AZDuffman
New York is tax greedy. Rush Limbaiugh had to prove he didn't live there for like 20 years even after he sold the condo he rarely used.
I don't know the Limbaugh story but people also have to pay tax in areas they work even if they don't live there.
Quote: DRichQuote: AZDuffman
New York is tax greedy. Rush Limbaiugh had to prove he didn't live there for like 20 years even after he sold the condo he rarely used.
I don't know the Limbaugh story but people also have to pay tax in areas they work even if they don't live there.
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Yes. Just plain theft by governments. Do they give a refund to people who live there but work elsewhere?
Quote: TigerWuQuote: AZDuffman
The elsewhere mentioned Pamela Smart has spent over 30 years in prison. Meaning the CO who started the day she entered is probably on pension. If she lives to her 80s, very possible, the CO that started the day of the first CO retirement will also retire on pension while she is still there.
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EvenBob was alive at the same time as Civil War veterans.
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When I was a kid in the 1950s the Civil War was still a pretty big deal. There were plenty of people around who remembered the Civil War because they were alive when it was going on. You would see them on quiz shows on TV or in interviews.
Quote: AZDuffmanQuote: DRichQuote: AZDuffman
New York is tax greedy. Rush Limbaiugh had to prove he didn't live there for like 20 years even after he sold the condo he rarely used.
I don't know the Limbaugh story but people also have to pay tax in areas they work even if they don't live there.
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Yes. Just plain theft by governments. Do they give a refund to people who live there but work elsewhere?
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https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/taxes/articles/how-to-handle-taxes-when-you-live-and-work-in-a-different-state
Quote: GenoDRPhQuote: AZDuffmanQuote: DRichQuote: AZDuffman
New York is tax greedy. Rush Limbaiugh had to prove he didn't live there for like 20 years even after he sold the condo he rarely used.
I don't know the Limbaugh story but people also have to pay tax in areas they work even if they don't live there.
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Yes. Just plain theft by governments. Do they give a refund to people who live there but work elsewhere?
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https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/taxes/articles/how-to-handle-taxes-when-you-live-and-work-in-a-different-state
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I am in a position where it could be argued that I work in a different state than I live. I work 14 days per month in Florida and six days per month in Georgia.
Quote: DRichQuote: GenoDRPhQuote: AZDuffmanQuote: DRichQuote: AZDuffman
New York is tax greedy. Rush Limbaiugh had to prove he didn't live there for like 20 years even after he sold the condo he rarely used.
I don't know the Limbaugh story but people also have to pay tax in areas they work even if they don't live there.
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Yes. Just plain theft by governments. Do they give a refund to people who live there but work elsewhere?
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https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/taxes/articles/how-to-handle-taxes-when-you-live-and-work-in-a-different-state
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I am in a position where it could be argued that I work in a different state than I live. I work 14 days per month in Florida and six days per month in Georgia.
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If I may ask, how do you handle your state tax returns?
Quote: EvenBobQuote: TigerWuQuote: AZDuffman
The elsewhere mentioned Pamela Smart has spent over 30 years in prison. Meaning the CO who started the day she entered is probably on pension. If she lives to her 80s, very possible, the CO that started the day of the first CO retirement will also retire on pension while she is still there.
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EvenBob was alive at the same time as Civil War veterans.
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When I was a kid in the 1950s the Civil War was still a pretty big deal. There were plenty of people around who remembered the Civil War because they were alive when it was going on. You would see them on quiz shows on TV or in interviews.
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Uh, they would have been over 100 years old!
Quote: DRichQuote: GenoDRPhQuote: AZDuffmanQuote: DRichQuote: AZDuffman
New York is tax greedy. Rush Limbaiugh had to prove he didn't live there for like 20 years even after he sold the condo he rarely used.
I don't know the Limbaugh story but people also have to pay tax in areas they work even if they don't live there.
link to original post
Yes. Just plain theft by governments. Do they give a refund to people who live there but work elsewhere?
link to original post
https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/taxes/articles/how-to-handle-taxes-when-you-live-and-work-in-a-different-state
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I am in a position where it could be argued that I work in a different state than I live. I work 14 days per month in Florida and six days per month in Georgia.
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It is where you live that should matter. For decades people commuted to NYC from CT and NJ. Even a few from PA now. I have had periods where I worked courthouses in WV or OH. But why would I pay income tax to those states? I do not live there hence do not get services for there.
States did not bother with this all that much until the 1990s. It seems at that time the pressure to get more and more revenue made pols shake more people down. States used to tax your pension after you left for retirement but IIRC the feds put an end to that.
Quote: GenoDRPhQuote: DRichQuote: GenoDRPhQuote: AZDuffmanQuote: DRichQuote: AZDuffman
New York is tax greedy. Rush Limbaiugh had to prove he didn't live there for like 20 years even after he sold the condo he rarely used.
I don't know the Limbaugh story but people also have to pay tax in areas they work even if they don't live there.
link to original post
Yes. Just plain theft by governments. Do they give a refund to people who live there but work elsewhere?
link to original post
https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/taxes/articles/how-to-handle-taxes-when-you-live-and-work-in-a-different-state
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I am in a position where it could be argued that I work in a different state than I live. I work 14 days per month in Florida and six days per month in Georgia.
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If I may ask, how do you handle your state tax returns?
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Florida does not have state income tax and I do not file for Georgia because I live in Florida and am paid in Florida. It is definitely a gray area that I do not plan to address unless Georgia brings it up.
Quote: AZDuffmanQuote: EvenBobQuote: TigerWuQuote: AZDuffman
The elsewhere mentioned Pamela Smart has spent over 30 years in prison. Meaning the CO who started the day she entered is probably on pension. If she lives to her 80s, very possible, the CO that started the day of the first CO retirement will also retire on pension while she is still there.
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EvenBob was alive at the same time as Civil War veterans.
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When I was a kid in the 1950s the Civil War was still a pretty big deal. There were plenty of people around who remembered the Civil War because they were alive when it was going on. You would see them on quiz shows on TV or in interviews.
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Uh, they would have been over 100 years old!
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No, they were mostly in their 90s because they were born in the 1860s and this was the 1950s. They were little kids during the Civil War but they remembered it very well. A few of them remembered being slaves. A few of them were over 100, maybe more than a few.
DRich: The Limbaugh story is absolutely true. Years after he had clearly established residence in Florida, the state of NY filed charges against him for delinquent taxes, asserting that he was still a resident of NY, based solely on the fact that his show "originated" from a studio at WABC radio. This, even though he had no residential property in NYC, did have a mansion built in FL, and lived there all year. It took him a long time to get NY off his back. Not just him, either. A grocery magnate did the same thing (moved to FL) and experienced the same hassle.
As far as tax prep goes...they used to send all the 'live in NJ, work in NYC" folks over to me, since I was in the same situation. I would have to fill out the NY State form NY-203 (non-resident income tax), and then the NY City for NYC-203. THEN, I would ask the client if they ever did their work outside of the NYC and/or NY boundaries. An example would be if a stock brokerage back-office person would work primarily in NYC, but have to go to the satellite back office in NJ), whereupon I would have to fill out an NYC-203-ATT, where I'd then calculate from the total gross income the apportioned income earned in NYC, and that earned in NJ. By way of comparison, for every day I worked in NJ, I would save $10 in NY+NYC taxes) As a dose of salt in the wound, NY would set your tax bracket on the total gross of both you and your spouse (if filing MFJ), even if your spouse did not work in NY at all. SCOTUS case affirmed that it was constitutional. That meant that although they just taxed your income, the rate was set by the total of you and your spouses' income. Maddening.
After that ordeal, I turned to the NJ income tax form, whereupon I would file the now-forgotten NJ form that would figure out the NJ credit for tax paid to another jurisdiction. You would basically get a full credit for your NY + NYC taxes against your NJ taxes, provided the tax rate for NY was higher than NJ. Other states did the same thing. I did the same dance when the client lived in NJ but worked in PA. The end result was, yes, you paid higher taxes overall, (about 500 basis points), but your income was not doubly taxed. The fee to H&R Block was pretty high, approximately double that of an NJ-only resident.
Quote: BillHasRetiredWhen I moved to NJ, I worked in NYC, and also moonlighted for H&R Block. This was in the late 1980s.
DRich: The Limbaugh story is absolutely true. Years after he had clearly established residence in Florida, the state of NY filed charges against him for delinquent taxes, asserting that he was still a resident of NY, based solely on the fact that his show "originated" from a studio at WABC radio. This, even though he had no residential property in NYC, did have a mansion built in FL, and lived there all year. It took him a long time to get NY off his back. Not just him, either. A grocery magnate did the same thing (moved to FL) and experienced the same hassle.
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Rush talked about it on his show for years. Every year at tax time New York City would try and nail him even though he hadn't worked there in years. It cost him a fortune to prove that he didn't work in New York any longer, it was ridiculous. If he visited there in the last year they tried to nail him for working there. I watch videos almost every day about the pickle New York city is in now and it's really amazing how they waste tax dollars. And are always looking for more ways to tax the crap out of people who live there. As a result important people are leaving in droves. Wall Street is moving to Florida, slowly but surely.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: AZDuffmanQuote: EvenBobQuote: TigerWuQuote: AZDuffman
The elsewhere mentioned Pamela Smart has spent over 30 years in prison. Meaning the CO who started the day she entered is probably on pension. If she lives to her 80s, very possible, the CO that started the day of the first CO retirement will also retire on pension while she is still there.
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EvenBob was alive at the same time as Civil War veterans.
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When I was a kid in the 1950s the Civil War was still a pretty big deal. There were plenty of people around who remembered the Civil War because they were alive when it was going on. You would see them on quiz shows on TV or in interviews.
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Uh, they would have been over 100 years old!
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No, they were mostly in their 90s because they were born in the 1860s and this was the 1950s. They were little kids during the Civil War but they remembered it very well. A few of them remembered being slaves. A few of them were over 100, maybe more than a few.
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At best they would have been 5 when it ended then. Doubt they remembered it then.
Quote: EvenBob
When I was a kid in the 1950s the Civil War was still a pretty big deal. There were plenty of people around who remembered the Civil War because they were alive when it was going on. You would see them on quiz shows on TV or in interviews.
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I don't know how true this is but I had heard that well into the 1970s there were still military surplus stores selling Civil War equipment because there was just so much of it made. I'm sure it's at least partially true because I've seen WWI equipment in military surplus stores nowadays, but it's kind of rare.
Quote: AZDuffman
Uh, they would have been over 100 years old!
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The last verified Civil War veteran died in 1956.
Quote: TigerWuQuote: EvenBob
When I was a kid in the 1950s the Civil War was still a pretty big deal. There were plenty of people around who remembered the Civil War because they were alive when it was going on. You would see them on quiz shows on TV or in interviews.
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I don't know how true this is but I had heard that well into the 1970s there were still military surplus stores selling Civil War equipment because there was just so much of it made. I'm sure it's at least partially true because I've seen WWI equipment in military surplus stores nowadays, but it's kind of rare.Quote: AZDuffman
Uh, they would have been over 100 years old!
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The last verified Civil War veteran died in 1956.
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At about 110 years old that is an outlier.
Quote: AZDuffman
At about 110 years old that is an outlier.
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Well, yeah.... he was 106 when he died. Enlisted when he was like 14 to be a drummer boy.
Quote: TigerWuQuote: AZDuffman
At about 110 years old that is an outlier.
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Well, yeah.... he was 106 when he died. Enlisted when he was like 14 to be a drummer boy.
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That’s my point. Really most civil war vets would have been dead by the 1930s.
Quote: AZDuffmanQuote: TigerWuQuote: AZDuffman
At about 110 years old that is an outlier.
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Well, yeah.... he was 106 when he died. Enlisted when he was like 14 to be a drummer boy.
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That’s my point. Really most civil war vets would have been dead by the 1930s.
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Of course. I don't think anyone said otherwise.
Quote: AZDuffmanQuote: TigerWuQuote: AZDuffman
At about 110 years old that is an outlier.
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Well, yeah.... he was 106 when he died. Enlisted when he was like 14 to be a drummer boy.
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That’s my point. Really most civil war vets would have been dead by the 1930s.
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"By the beginning of the 1950s, there were around 65 surviving Civil War veterans, and by 1955, only six remained. The last known surviving Union Army veteran was Albert Henry Woolson, who died in 1956."
The last surviving Confederate veteran died in 1959.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: AZDuffmanQuote: TigerWuQuote: AZDuffman
At about 110 years old that is an outlier.
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Well, yeah.... he was 106 when he died. Enlisted when he was like 14 to be a drummer boy.
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That’s my point. Really most civil war vets would have been dead by the 1930s.
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"By the beginning of the 1950s, there were around 65 surviving Civil War veterans, and by 1955, only six remained. The last known surviving Union Army veteran was Albert Henry Woolson, who died in 1956."
The last surviving Confederate veteran died in 1959.
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Which is why I said nobody knew any in the 1950s.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: AZDuffmanQuote: TigerWuQuote: AZDuffman
At about 110 years old that is an outlier.
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Well, yeah.... he was 106 when he died. Enlisted when he was like 14 to be a drummer boy.
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That’s my point. Really most civil war vets would have been dead by the 1930s.
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"By the beginning of the 1950s, there were around 65 surviving Civil War veterans, and by 1955, only six remained. The last known surviving Union Army veteran was Albert Henry Woolson, who died in 1956."
The last surviving Confederate veteran died in 1959.
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Which is why I said nobody knew any in the 1950s.
Quote: AZDuffmanQuote: EvenBobQuote: AZDuffmanQuote: TigerWuQuote: AZDuffman
At about 110 years old that is an outlier.
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Well, yeah.... he was 106 when he died. Enlisted when he was like 14 to be a drummer boy.
link to original post
That’s my point. Really most civil war vets would have been dead by the 1930s.
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"By the beginning of the 1950s, there were around 65 surviving Civil War veterans, and by 1955, only six remained. The last known surviving Union Army veteran was Albert Henry Woolson, who died in 1956."
The last surviving Confederate veteran died in 1959.
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Which is why I said nobody knew any in the 1950s.
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This is why they were sought out as a guests on TV shows because people didn't even know they were alive.
gambling fever
Dave and Busters has plans to allow betting on its arcade games
not everybody is happy about it and the state of Illiinois is taking action against it
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/03/dave-busters-plan-to-allow-betting-on-arcade-games-draws-scrutiny-.html
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