69 Replies to “April 17, 2023: Reader Tips”

    1. Reminds me of a very dark humor line: “Like a Somalian child, this never gets old”.

  1. Sound of Settled Science – Just to be clear, no one ever said the science of astrophysics was settled, or had a concensus, only climate science. Right Al?

    “Webb Telescope Finds Evidence of Massive Galaxies That Defy Theories of the Early Universe”

    There wasn’t enough time for them to get that big.

    https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/webb-telescope-finds-evidence-of-massive-galaxies-that-defy-theories-of-the-early-universe-180981689/

    1. More than market cap, we need to see a drop in revenue. That will get their attention.

  2. Award winning journalist Rachel Gilmore calls out Elon Musk for labelling CBC as “Government funded media”

    https://twitter.com/atRachelGilmore/status/1647803919840444418?cxt=HHwWhICw2ei7lt4tAAAA

    “We as journalists need to reckon with the fact that we’re in a new era where the very thing we strive to share — THE TRUTH — is under constant attack.
    So are our efforts to share it, thanks to politicians and rogue billionaires.
    We need to step up our game, man. This is scary.”

    “Like god damn it — defend your reporters, defend your reporting, defend the truth.
    Don’t cling to ancient mediums while asshole livestreamers use the tools of today.
    Don’t be biased out of fear of the perception of bias!!
    Cut bloated exec pay, and staff your damn newsrooms!!!

    “I’m going to bed now because I’m getting GRUMPY.
    But I really hope we can figure out how to deal with this problem because it’s very scary and frustrating!”

    The CBC should hire Rachel. Her honest and truthful reporting during the Trump Virus was invaluable!

      1. Maybe Rachel should *BE* on that Big Azz rocket, Starship, that’s due to liftoff in about 2 to 5 hours.

        FIFY…

        1. Scrubbed, pressure valve froze up.
          Next attempt is a minimium 48 hours.
          Looks like Musk wants that 420 lift off date , get it, April 20 , weed day.

    1. I always substitute “poorly paid” for “award winning”. It makes more sense.

      1. COLON, butt butt butt the WAR, ewe know the one Hollande’ admitted, it was designed by the PTB who manufactured the Minsk accord , to buy time to train and arm the Ukes for NATO PROXIE war with Russia. You should learn to STFU until your doctor can get yer emotional BULLSHIT under control for you.

        1. “You should learn to STFU until your doctor can get yer emotional BULLSHIT under control for you.”

          The concept of irony is foreign to you, isn’t it?

          1. Do you think he can understand what you just said? I admire your optimism.

    1. And that is including what I am guessing is a response affirming that increasing greenhouse gas is responsible for climate change in the sample question. So more knowledgeable people, despite believing that climate change and increasing greenhouse gas are linked, are still less likely to be anxious about climate change.

  3. I wonder is anyone here other than me having to do this little bit of tax wizardry? This year I find myself paying income tax with money from my “tax free” savings account. Canadians over taxed, couldn’t be.

    1. Insult upon injury. What did a deposit in”tax free” savings account earn last year? 3.5%?
      What did stealth tax (currency debasement) run at? 10+%.
      We are being taxed on measly interest income while the currency has lost buying power.
      In a high price inflation environment, income from investments should be adjusted by the CPI before applying tax.
      Other countries adjust capital gains x the CPI before applying tax. But then this is Canaduh.

      1. It’s not a “savings account”, it’s a tax free growth shelter.
        Funds can be invested in anything under the TFSA. But, “investing” at 3.5% while inflation is running at real values of 10-15%, needs to do better.
        Can’t keep my Maples in there though, they’ve been a great investment over the last 18 months

        1. In the 80’s, gold and silver were hammered by sky high interest rates. They can’t hike more going forward, so the Maples look good. Plus the money isn’t sitting in an account they can freeze cuz you protested the wrong cause.

  4. German wage growth was 12% over the past 2 years, sending worrying concerns about continued high inflation.

  5. Have a buddy who is a professional photographer. Years ago he told me a story of an exchange between himself & his insurance company. Every year, when it came time for renewal, the first question they’d ask him was, “What were your revenues last year?” It seemed to him that they were basing their rates on what he could afford. Despite them denying it, he called up a friend of his who was a VP for the same insurance company he was using. Off the record, she confirmed his suspicions, but noted that there was a base rate, nonetheless. She also noted that they had no other way to determine rates for photographers. After that, every time the question came up, he responded, “$10,000”.

    California Goes Full Communist: Utilities to Base What They Charge on How Much You Make

    https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/robert-spencer/2023/04/16/california-goes-full-communist-utilities-to-base-what-they-charge-on-how-much-you-make-n1687622

    1. The insurance thing is a dangerous game to play. Claim $10,000 of corporate revenue when you earn $1 million and find the insurance companies paying 1 cent on the dollar on your claim. Never lie to an insurance company. Always get multiple quotes so that you can confirm you’re being screwed over.

      1. So, what’s the thrust here? Before you can make a claim, you have to fork over your tax forms? Not bloody likely…

        How much money a photographer grosses has no, zero, bearing on what his premiums are. Cover his gear, building, some liability insurance, disability, done. Why should the guy grossing a million pay a higher premium than the guy making 1/4 million for the exact same coverage?

          1. Steve and Biker – Liability might well, but coverage for gear should be strictly on the value of the gear. And even liability insurance isn’t on a linear scale; it’s more usual to see it jump in increments as the revenue also increases beyond a set point.

          2. “Liability exposure.”

            Gross revenue is not necessarily a direct function of activity . I know a guy who does only about a dozen or so high end weddings a year. He grosses well into 6 figures. I have a niece who does ~40 weddings/year, plus family sessions, and doesn’t break $50k. She’s far more “active” than he is.

          3. Frances: ” And even liability insurance isn’t on a linear scale; it’s more usual to see it jump in increments as the revenue also increases beyond a set point.”

            Right, but why? There is no other correlation save the fact that the bastards charge higher premiums as you make more income. There’s a good chance you are actually working less as your work improves & you are able to charge more.

    1. If those new overdoses result in death, then I’d say well done. Less addicts dirtying up the place.

    1. Why not bring out the Clydes? Those horses put out a lot of Bud light in a day.

  6. Even before the questions arise, there’s no way in hell…

    The Lab Grown ‘GOOD Meat’ Company Has a Murky Past, and They’re Extremely Sensitive About It…

    https://thenationalpulse.com/2023/04/15/the-lab-grown-good-meat-company-has-a-murky-past-and-theyre-extremely-sensitive-about-it/

    “Can eating lab-grown meat – which is essentially a form of deliberately grown cancer – actually give you cancer? How can you convince the public that it won’t, when nobody has ever eaten it before? And is a man with a troubled business history – a history he’s done his best to hide – the right person to do it?”

    1. “Lab-grown meat … is produced in a bioreactor [and is the food of the future] along with so-called “plant-based meats” and new … protein sources like insects and algae.”

      That sentence is driving me right into the arms of a rib-eye.

        1. Ask yourself what future Martians will be eating in Musks encampments, it sure ain’t gonna be cooked cow.

          1. Don’t care. Ain’t gonna be going to Mars, myself. ‘Sides, they know what they’re getting into when they climb into the rocket.

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