Second cup of Coffee Talk

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I was working in Houston in late 1997 - Price of a gallon of gas was 79 cents.

When I started driving in 2003, gas was 65 cents a litre.

Now that I think about it, I'm kinda surprised it's only doubled in the 15 years since.

 

[dash]

Trump wants to help bail out a Chinese telecom company because... America first?

WASHINGTON – A mere 72 hours after the Chinese government agreed to put a half-billion dollars into an Indonesian project that will personally enrich Donald Trump, the president ordered a bailout for a Chinese-government-owned cellphone maker.

Oh... now it makes sense.

Kinda swampy if you ask me.

 

[dash]

When I started driving in 2003, gas was 65 cents a litre.

Now that I think about it, I'm kinda surprised it's only doubled in the 15 years since.

It was $1.61 a litre here in Burnaby this morning as I hoofed it past the Chevron station. Inching closer to $2 dollars as we get closer to the summer driving months.

 

[dash]

What happened today is unacceptable and inhuman. The death toll provided this evening by Gaza health authorities—55 dead and 2,271 wounded—including 1,359 wounded with live ammunition, is staggering. It is unbearable to witness such a massive number of unarmed people being shot in such a short time.

Our medical teams are working around the clock, as they have done since April 1, providing surgical and postoperative care to men, women, and children, and they will continue to do so tonight, tomorrow, and as long as they are needed. In one of the hospitals where we are working, the chaotic situation is comparable to what we observed after the bombings of the 2014 war, with a colossal influx of injured people in a few hours, completely overwhelming the medical staff. Our teams carried out more than 30 surgical interventions today, sometimes on two or three patients in the same operating theater, and even in the corridors.

This bloodbath is the continuation of the Israeli army’s policy during the last seven weeks: shooting with live ammunition at demonstrators, on the assumption that anyone approaching the separation fence is a legitimate target. Most of the wounded will be condemned to suffer lifelong injuries.

“Unacceptable and inhuman” violence by Israeli army against Palestinian protesters in Gaza

 

[dare2be]

All this over god-fucking-damn religion.

People are insane.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

What happened today is unacceptable and inhuman. The death toll provided this evening by Gaza health authorities—55 dead and 2,271 wounded—including 1,359 wounded with live ammunition, is staggering. It is unbearable to witness such a massive number of unarmed people being shot in such a short time.

Our medical teams are working around the clock, as they have done since April 1, providing surgical and postoperative care to men, women, and children, and they will continue to do so tonight, tomorrow, and as long as they are needed. In one of the hospitals where we are working, the chaotic situation is comparable to what we observed after the bombings of the 2014 war, with a colossal influx of injured people in a few hours, completely overwhelming the medical staff. Our teams carried out more than 30 surgical interventions today, sometimes on two or three patients in the same operating theater, and even in the corridors.

This bloodbath is the continuation of the Israeli army’s policy during the last seven weeks: shooting with live ammunition at demonstrators, on the assumption that anyone approaching the separation fence is a legitimate target. Most of the wounded will be condemned to suffer lifelong injuries.

“Unacceptable and inhuman” violence by Israeli army against Palestinian protesters in Gaza

The Palestinian terror orgs spent 10 years bombing the hell out of Israeli civilians while Arafat shit on every peace proposal that was put in front of him. Gazans then went ahead and voted in Hamas. The Israelis got sick of it and went to full-blown zero tolerance on any even remotely potential threat, which to them does even include stones and bottles.

What happened yesterday disturbs me but buses in Tel Aviv being blown to shit and rockets being fired from Gaza City schools targeting Israeli settlements disturbed me too.

The Palestinians created this mess. Nobody with a memory longer than a few weeks can be surprised that the Israelis turned hard to the right on this stuff.

 

[KennyBanyeah]

When I started driving in 2003, gas was 65 cents a litre.

Now that I think about it, I'm kinda surprised it's only doubled in the 15 years since.

It was $1.61 a litre here in Burnaby this morning as I hoofed it past the Chevron station. Inching closer to $2 dollars as we get closer to the summer driving months.

And still comes cheaper than a bottle of water.

One litre of gasoline has the ability to move my ~2000 kg car about 15 km, give or take. And it's cheaper than water if you got to a Shell station. Even at $1.61/L it's still an unreal bargain for that much potential energy.

 

[dash]

And still comes cheaper than a bottle of water.

I'm a heathen, I drink my water straight from the tap

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

And still comes cheaper than a bottle of water.

One litre of gasoline has the ability to move my ~2000 kg car about 15 km, give or take. And it's cheaper than water if you got to a Shell station. Even at $1.61/L it's still an unreal bargain for that much potential energy.

I can buy 24 bottles of water at a grocery store for $2 on most days. I can't buy 50 gallon drums of gasoline for $5.

I'm a heathen, I drink my water straight from the tap

I bet your teeth are fantastic though.

 

[dash]

I can buy 24 bottles of water at a grocery store for $2 on most days. I can't buy 50 gallon drums of gasoline for $5

Don't forget the garbage bags you need to haul that gas away

 

[elocomotive]

All this over god-fucking-damn religion.

People are insane.

God isn't real. He's a social construct to help fragile humans emotionally deal with the fact that their lives are not special, that nature is chaotic and random without any greater meaning, and that death is inevitable. The real "heaven" is getting to fucking live. We exist in a vast vacuum of the universe which is 99.999999% devoid of life and then greedily ask... "well, isn't there more?" Spoiler alert: There isn't.

There. Does that help?

 

[elocomotive]

Don't forget the garbage bags you need to haul that gas away

 

[dare2be]

God isn't real. He's a social construct to help fragile humans emotionally deal with the fact that their lives are not special, that nature is chaotic and random without any greater meaning, and that death is inevitable. The real "heaven" is getting to fucking live. We exist in a vast vacuum of the universe which is 99.999999% devoid of life and then greedily ask... "well, isn't there more?" Spoiler alert: There isn't.

There. Does that help?

It would have been better if you had extolled the evils of cats in there somewhere.

 

[KennyBanyeah]

I'm a heathen, I drink my water straight from the tap

Me too.

My point was that gasoline, for what it does, is still ridiculously cheap. At least in my eyes.

EDIT: Of course I commute by bike and generally try to drive as little as possible around town. Traffic is NOT good for my mental well-being.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

EDIT: Of course I commute by bike and generally try to drive as little as possible around town. Traffic is NOT good for my mental well-being.

Which is great if you can do it.

Many people, especially in our largest cities, are completely priced out of living in areas that are close to where they work. Politicians today celebrate every bike lane they open in a downtown area while the sad fact is most people who work downtown don’t make enough to live within 10 km’s of downtown, a range I’d say is about the maximum for biking to work, which means those bike lanes are mostly for the use of people who, while benefitting from it by not being in their vehicles, aren’t actually the people who need commuting help the most financially speaking.

It can be even worse if you work in a more suburban part of the region – say for whatever reason anywhere within 15 km’s of your workplace isn’t a suitable place to live. Transit options are almost non-existent in these scenarios let alone having the option to bike to work.

Then we have the construction industry. 10% of Canadians are employed in construction directly (not including suppliers). These people never have a fixed work address. Many companies do arrange carpooling in some instances but in many cases you’re left to your own devices to get to and from sites that in a major city can be over 100 km’s from where you live.

And of course, there’s the effect that fuel price increases has on the cost of construction. All those machines, trucking, winter heating etc. costs all rise considerably when the cost of fuel goes up. Those costs all wind up passed down to the end user – the home buyer, the business owner, the road-user – further adding to the burden of the average worker, not to mention contributing further to the already crisis-level housing problems we have.

People need to stop looking at fuel as a commodity that should be subjected to endless “sin tax” increases in the way alcohol and tobacco are, or as something that “selfish drivers” need to ween themselves off of. Anyone who can bike, or take transit, or walk etc. likely already does. Many, many more can’t. Fix that before talking about carbon taxes or fuel tax increases or anything else that just makes life that much harder on everyone else.

 

[Darkstone42]

C'mon @Darkstone42 . It's basic algebra. You're the top guy in a below average department.

Jk. Congrats on the award! (You should post the pic!)

Also, you should ask them to maybe redo the award and make it into a tiny Cup while they're at it.

Heh, we're actually the best department on campus, according to our award history, and the same people who gave me the department award are the ones who called my performance this semester average.

And what a missed opportunity! They ordered me a new one, and I didn't ask for it in Cup format!

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I didn't ask for it in Cup format!

Nor did your Pens, for once.

 

[KennyBanyeah]

Which is great if you can do it.

Many people, especially in our largest cities, are completely priced out of living in areas that are close to where they work. Politicians today celebrate every bike lane they open in a downtown area while the sad fact is most people who work downtown don’t make enough to live within 10 km’s of downtown, a range I’d say is about the maximum for biking to work, which means those bike lanes are mostly for the use of people who, while benefitting from it by not being in their vehicles, aren’t actually the people who need commuting help the most financially speaking.

It can be even worse if you work in a more suburban part of the region – say for whatever reason anywhere within 15 km’s of your workplace isn’t a suitable place to live. Transit options are almost non-existent in these scenarios let alone having the option to bike to work.

Then we have the construction industry. 10% of Canadians are employed in construction directly (not including suppliers). These people never have a fixed work address. Many companies do arrange carpooling in some instances but in many cases you’re left to your own devices to get to and from sites that in a major city can be over 100 km’s from where you live.

And of course, there’s the effect that fuel price increases has on the cost of construction. All those machines, trucking, winter heating etc. costs all rise considerably when the cost of fuel goes up. Those costs all wind up passed down to the end user – the home buyer, the business owner, the road-user – further adding to the burden of the average worker, not to mention contributing further to the already crisis-level housing problems we have.

People need to stop looking at fuel as a commodity that should be subjected to endless “sin tax” increases in the way alcohol and tobacco are, or as something that “selfish drivers” need to ween themselves off of. Anyone who can bike, or take transit, or walk etc. likely already does. Many, many more can’t. Fix that before talking about carbon taxes or fuel tax increases or anything else that just makes life that much harder on everyone else.

Personally I've made a sacrifice to live in place where I can walk or bike to work. It means a smaller place and less space but my family doesn't need 3000 square feet. It was a choice and most North Americans don't go that route. Good for them but for me and for them it was always buyer beware. There are a variety of reasons why people live way out in the burbs. Plenty that are just selfish and plenty result from poor planning at the municipal and provincial levels. Transit sucks in most Canadian cities but in many places where it doesn't people still use their car. People just love their car.

Europeans generally work closer to where they work, drive less and pay WAY more for gas. Some of that is down to better infrastructure, more transit options, etc.. But some of it is because gas isn't dirt cheap and they have to find other options. In major cities in western Europe you either live close to work in a small place or you commute a long way on transit. Unless you make a ton of money. In NA we're spoiled to believe that we need a brand new house with a huge yard and 3 floors.

As for a carbon tax I'm OK with giving it a try as long as the funds end up being used for things that will alleviate the need for carbon reliance, thereby reducing costs to every day people down the road. Or they're used for innovation and research; an area where Canada has fallen off recently. I'm not overly confident that these criteria will be met. But I think we have to see for ourselves.

 

[dash]

I just wish companies would embrace tele-commuting more than they do. I'm lucky enough to have a 60/40 split with my work (three out of five days on-site, two remote), but I could be easily be five out of five. We have the technology to enable people to work from home and ease traffic congestion as well as the individual carbon footprint, but I guess the trust factor between companies and employees forces employees to be on-site.

/If anything, I'm more productive when I'm remote than on-site, less people bugging/distracting me for one.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

I just wish companies would embrace tele-commuting more than they do. I'm lucky enough to have a 60/40 split with my work (three out of five days on-site, two remote), but I could be easily be five out of five. We have the technology to enable people to work from home and ease traffic congestion as well as the individual carbon footprint, but I guess the trust factor between companies and employees forces employees to be on-site.

/If anything, I'm more productive when I'm remote than on-site, less people bugging/distracting me for one.

I think they've generally found that a 60/40 or 40/60 split (office/remote, respectively) produces the best results because people generally need the social interaction elements of being in an office to help maintain productivity and mental well-being.

I have a similar arrangement to you when I'm not on the road, and two days a week at home is the most I can really handle.