So how does a trip from Old Bucharest to the savage lands of the Americas work? As someone who undertook such recently, I can tell a tale.
First, I booked the flight to the more civilized parts of the North American landmass. Lufthansa from Bucharest to Toronto with layover in Munich. The total cost was about 1100 euro, including paying extra for more premium seats. Alas, economy class, such is the cruelty of the world. After that, I booked various accommodations including and Airbnb with some hippy chick in upstate Nuevo York. And I was all set.
The flight to Toronto was decent. Daytime, no turbulence, full of Sikhs, mediocre food, pricey beer. I saw Project Hail Mary which, unlike the general opinion, I did not much like and found silly. I also so a flick called Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die which was mildly entertaining but still meh.
Having arrived in Toronto at 6PM local, I got scammed by my accommodation and had to find another one. Fucking Canadians – although I suspect a bit of Indian in my “host”, motel not casino. But I blame myself, I did not check the reviews properly for that. In the end I slept quite deeply that night in a Radisson and woke up in the morning refreshed and not-jet-lagged which was good. After partaking in some steak and eggs and coffee, I went back near the airport, picked up my rental Toyota and away was I.
This was the part of my trip that caused me most anxiety. I had not driven a car other than my own in years, and I had not driven more than 2 hours in one sitting in years. I did not know how it would go. Before booking the rental, I searched many a way to get from Toronto the Gulch, and all fell short. I was worried for nothing. The drive went quite smoothly; the car did not feel uncomfortable and after almost 4 hours I was not even that tired. This is good because it removed a sort of mental block I had against renting cars on holiday.
Overall, the drive was nice and almost uneventful. The border crossing started smoothly enough when the guard took a look at my passport, said OK, park over there and go upstairs to get it stamped. Here is where things took a turn towards the farcical. There is a 30-dollar stamp tax, ink is expensive in the US I suppose. For a bit of context, my mom had since 2010 some US dollars kept in cash in a secure place – as many in eastern Europe, did not fully trust banks and wanted some cash on hand. This money was purchased and kept neatly in an envelope, and a part of it was given to me as a birthday gift as some spending money in the US. This caused the trouble when I attempted to pay the stamp tax at the border, as the bills were more than 15 years old yet brand new and the guy thought they may be fake because it did not make sense. I slowed things down for everyone | think as most of the personal were engaged looking at my money. In the end they decided it looked real enough; I paid my 30 and moved on.
Side note: I knew on a knowledge basis that y’all have some big ass lakes there, but daaamn y’all have some big ass lakes there.
I have to say I liked my drive through upper NY state, outside the ridiculously low speed limits y’all seem to have. I never drive under 85 mph on highways in Romania. But I took the scenic route, mostly off highways, as the speed limits seemed similar, and quite enjoyed it. Wooded hills are some of my favorite geography, and everything looked quaint and American. I saw Amish buggies, yard sales on the side of the road, churches, stores, houses that looked thoroughly American. The roads were decent, the cars were few, I saw no cops. And thus, I arrived at the gulch and met some suspicious auspicious individuals. I was staring at the café when a person of the beard variety initiated conversation, and the rest is… Well the NDA does not allow me to disclose too many details of the meeting. The town was nice, quiet, clean and smelling of fresh air and luxury beliefs. The Airbnb was comfortable. The artsy hippie owner was artsy and hippie. The weather was great and the lack of AC in the Airbnb (bunch of ameripoors no AC) was no issue. At nighttime it was even a bit nippy which never happens in July in Bucharest.
Many things happened over the span of a couple of days. Much booze was consumed; good whisky, fantastic wine and so-so fondue. Great people, good conversation et cetera. The only disappointment is that at no time I was there did I see Warty deadlift 5 plates. Maybe next time. Also the Florida Man seemed kinda quiet, not wild and rambunctious at all.
On the second day part of the group went on a nice wine trip in the Finger Lakes (unlike finger Kari Lake which is a different matter entirely) while another part of the group slowly turned towards Niagara falls. The wine was good, the scenery was nice, and I got a taste of the terroir. A nice highlight for the trip because I am quite unlikely to encounter the wine in Old Europa.
Overall it was quite the experience and I am very pleased I was able to join the party, as it was not the easiest decision for me to commit to it. I am convinced that I want to see the U S of A again. Maybe even with the group of friends I went Canadianing with later, as they liked the nature in Canada and would like to see the one in America in the future.
After two days and nights, I had to turn back towards The Great North, laden with treasures of wine from the Lakes and fine whisky gifted to me by The Most Generous Swiss, Neph and SugarFree in no particular order. I took the same lovely trip through northern New York State to the Canadian border and was generously allowed to not pay any tax on the whisky at the border as I stated it would not be consumed in Canada. And I did not tell a lie, neither wine nor whisky was opened, all came with me back home.
I arrived at the airport, refueled the car and left it by accident at terminal 3 not 1, thus paying a 20 dollar fee. Fuck it. Went to Toronto, set up in my hotel, and now relaxed, as all my driving was done for the trip, I joined my friends for a nice steak dinner. And journeyed through Canadia. But that is a story for another post, which I may or may not write, depending on the breaks.
Don’t take the scenic route in the “free state” of Texas. Speedtraps everywhere in those shitty little small towns for just that purpose.
To be fair, most of Texas isn’t scenic.
Both of you are correct.
Scenic Amarillo …
Desolation can be quite scenic in a scary sort of way.
Driving from Vegas to St. George UT I asked myself, “how is this desolate, completely hostile to life landscape somehow beautiful?”
kinnath gets it
I did get hosed for 18 canadian… just this week i got a bill from the rental company for some toll I apparently did not pay from Toronto to Gulch City
I mean, fuck Canada. I don’t know why you’d ever even be back there. What are they going to do you? Send the Mounties to Romania?
as many in eastern Europe, did not fully trust banks and wanted some cash on hand.
There are Americans like that too. Like me.
I pfui on your fiat Federal Reserve banknotes. Specie, or GTFO.
The roads were decent
NY roads decent? Your bar is low.
Outside the cities the roads are usually fine. You know you’ve just crossed a city or village boundary when suddenly the roads turn to shit.
Parts of the Thruway are OK. I-84 is going downhill. All the roads south of I-84 I’ve been on are garbage.
Which I guess agrees with what you are saying. But on the other hand, I’ve been living in NH for a long time and roads in NH tend to be excellent except for some municipal maintained roads which are merely OK.
OK is Oklahoma not New York
It is difficult to overstate how different OK is from NY.
Oklahoma, from what I recall of it, was very flat and sunny – two things you don’t get in New York.
Didn’t have much interactions with the residents. Did end up on highways that felt like they’d been built in the sky around OK City (Either that or Tulsa, but I think it was OK City). New York usually puts those on the nearest available hill.
So, you’re saying New York is not OK?
I can agree with that.
To be fair I’m more familiar with upstate roads.
But PA has NY beat – it seems like every road there is terrible.
Oklahoma, from what I recall of it, was very flat and sunny – two things you don’t get in New York.
And the roads were better.
One thing I’ll say about Oklahoma, when I drove the toll road, I had the pay by plate bill when I got back to NH. I still have never received a bill for driving on the toll roads around Dallas. That trip where I drove the Dallas area toll roads and the Oklahoma toll roads was in 2025.
But PA has NY beat – it seems like every road there is terrible.
There was a brief time when PA roads were getting better.
Then they reverted to normality.
Though one thing that saddened me was PA recently (meaning a few months ago) repaved a road near where I grew up. I swore before the repaving that some of those bumps and potholes were there when I was a kid. Now the road is smooth. They took my childhood away.
OK has heavy clay soil with dwarf misshapen trees. Between the ice storms and the tornadoes, all trees are damaged and leaning in the direction of the wind, but their roots are absurdly strong and well developed.
NY has tall skinny trees with such shallow root systems in sand that you can push them over.
While there is significant commonality in the birds, the trees are completely different. No maples or birches in OK, no hickory in NY. Different pines and oaks. I haven’t seen a dogwood in a NY forest, nor beech in an OK one.
More mammals in NY, vastly more reptiles and insects in OK. Both of them have possums, squirrels, coyotes and raccoons. Supposedly there are bears in OK, but I’ve never seen one. There are wild tarantulas in OK.
I assume the road quality in PA is the result of their lower taxes and lower population.
No maples or birches in OK, no hickory in NY.
No hickory in NY? I know of some in NH. It’s not common but there is a little bit of it here.
OK is probably too warm in the summer for most birch trees. I think river birch can grow in parts of Oklahoma but no other variety of birch.
NH is heavy on red oak. I don’t see many other oak varieties in NH. PA is a mix of white and black oak.
I assume the road quality in PA is the result of their lower taxes and lower population.
PA taxes are overall lower than in NY, but I think the gas tax is higher. I’d have to double check the rankings. Yes, PA has a higher gas tax than NY.
PennDOT is not known for doing a quality job. Going way back before I was born, PennDOT workers were the butt of jokes in PA concerning their laziness.
oh, on trees: Dogwoods can grow in PA and NH though I have not seen any in the wild in either state.
The main forest I spent my summers in was mainly oak and hickory, with significant sassafras, winged elm, hackberry, dogwoods, blackjack and sugarberry and lesser amounts of locust.
Pines exist, but in my part of the state were planted. Cedars are native, but uncommon in forests, ususally were pioneers on rock faces.
There are differences by jurisdiction in Virginia. I can tell where the boundaries for some counties are by instant changes in the road.
where i went they were, especially since every rental car is an of road vehicle.
Glad the drive was easy.
At least you weren’t driving on the opposite side from what you were used to.
I need a truck next time, not a toyota. But I did listen to a country music station on the way
My truck is not the smoothest ride, but it is very comfortable.
Narrator: Ron is just stoic about the discomfort.
I’m sure there is a Raptor you can rent.
He has a Dodge.
He has to be stoic about the discomfort.
Shudders remembering the ride in my 93 W350. Seat so hard. Suspension harder.
A 93 W350 still had leaf springs in the front.
At least mine has coil springs with leafs in the rear.
She is a little stiff, but not bad for 25 year old technology.
Since I rebuilt the front end a few years ago, she drives straight.
No more death wobble?
Where is your sense of adventure?
Dodge used the same front springs from 1957 when they introduced the Power Giant all the way through 1993.
Why improve them?
I’m glad you had a good time. I regret not being able to meet you, but I have managed to be unwelcome at TPTB gatherings. I do have a guest room and a dog if next time you’re in the region. It’s kind of boring here, but there is a horse track (in season) and also some low mountains to hike up (technically not seasonal, but some months are vastly more pleasant than others). And (also seasonal) I’m sure I could get you into an appropraite shooting match.
well thank you for the offer I will keep that in consideration
“but I have managed to be unwelcome at TPTB gathering”
Too many puns on a Swiss post?
Too many acronyms around here for me to understand.
We can arrange an invite. Just say so. We have a tendency to only invite carefully after the first meet up.
But that is a story for another post, which I may or may not write, depending on the breaks.
It sounds like you had a good trip. I’d like to hear about the rest.
Glad you had a nice time!
another part of the group slowly turned towards Niagara falls.
+++++!
*snerk*
I missed that.
Step by step, inch by inch!
I had never been. We could only go to the American side because we were traveling with criminals.
I’m sure the convenience/price of the airfare played the dominant role, but Montreal is a more fun city to be in than Toronto. I don’t even remotely blame you for not wanting to add another three hours to your drive. Looking at the route it doesn’t terribly spectacular either, though it might take you through some Injun lands.
Montreal is a more fun city – the cloakroom had a interesting whisky list
I see nothing about guns or bbq.
Did you really even go to America?
NY BBQ?
(I keed, there are some good places. Not many considering people have been smoking meat for 300+ years here, but some.)
Right?
Come to Idaho and pull the trigger on the M82
I see nothing about guns – I cant embarrass you people by shooting better than you even if I am from a no gun country
Come visit in Florida next April! I’ll take you to the GOAT 2-gun championship and introduce you to some real shooters.
No, he came to New York.
And you apparently missed the once-a-day lynching of black men, and the murder of a gay, lesbian or transgender person, not to mention MAGA rolling another grandma off a cliff, and deporting yet another hard-working illegal immigrant rapist. We are told these are daily occurrences in white supremacist America so surely you haven’t seen the real America yet.
🤔
I’ve never seen any of those. Mostly I’ve seen Criminals of Color go unpunished and brazenly continue their offending.
No. He went to New York.
If your travels on the Canadian side of the border didn’t take you to Lake Superior, I highly recommend you make a point of seeing it on your next trip here. You can get to it from three different U.S. states, but I’m partial to the views from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (the best part of Michigan,) particularly from charming Munising, with a side trip up to Copper Harbor (on the Keweenaw, the Upper Peninsula’s upper peninsula.)
You mean Lake America, don’t you?
And Erie is the ‘small’ Great Lake.
You can drive 80 in southern Idaho legally. Not much to see on that stretch though.
Is that new? I think it was 75 on I-15 when I drove it in 2025. I was driving between 80 and 85 with no scrutiny from the cops.
It’s been 80 just in the last 18-24 months on 84&15.
That’s new since I was there.
The only cops I saw when I went to Wyoming last year was one stater in WY, a couple in Boise and the goons at the new mega $$& chicken coop before the 84 15 split.
Best part of it is they got rid of the 10mph split for trucks.
Sadly most commercial trucks are fleet vehicles and governed at 62mph.
I am convinced that I want to see the U S of A again.
There is plenty of it.
On driving the only sketchy parts is I ran a yellow light making a right turn at some point and also I am not sure I properly navigated one of your weird 4 way stop intersections. yáll need to replace those wit roundabouts
If you didn’t run into anything and didn’t get a ticket, you’re fine.
We need to remove 99.9% of the roundabouts we have.
Damn things are dangerous and expensive.
Too late. The Treasure Valley has embraced roundabouts like long lost cousins.
Indeed, the entire PNW has gone ahead and had their
loveidiot children everywhere.I like roundabouts, I cannot lie.
When the feds pay 90-95% of the bill thanks to the Obama administration, and the wink wink nod is you don’t get federal funding for your intersection project unless you choose a roundabout.
Throw in WA, OR and the blue parts of Idaho being anti car. You get retard circles cropping up everywhere.
Home of unabashed racists
On paper, Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race seems like the perfect place for a political upset this year, an assertion President Trump’s Monday rally there seems to support.
It has the highest share of Black voters in the country, at close to 40%. It’s a rural, agriculture-heavy state that is also among the poorest, so higher prices are felt harder.
But President Trump won the state by 23 points in 2024, and it’s extremely racially polarized, meaning not enough white voters back Democrats for the party to win statewide.
Them darkies had better oughtta stay on the plantation, if they know what’s good for them. If Trump wins, they’ll be put to sharecropping. The weak ones will be hunted for sport
Sharecropping? they are gettin’ chains!
I need a truck next time, not a toyota.
To haul your plunder?
Hilux haz a sad.
“Before, we didn’t realize how bad it was, but now it’s obvious,” she said. “The moral compass of this country is gone.”
Rice said many people took for granted an era where it seemed the country used to be more focused on taking care of its citizens and now they see that “big money, it doesn’t trickle down like they said.”
Yes, I’d say the moral compass is severely skewed when a majority of the people believe they may rightfully sustain themselves by stealing from the more productive members of society.
That’s correct, big money doesn’t trickle down. It pours down.
Officers did not cite the family for trespassing or eject them from the park, explaining to the organizer they did not have the authority to do so.
Wait. The cops were rational here. I’m shocked.
Police called to remove family of 3-year-old from Florida soccer game
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/50290518/police-called-remove-3-year-old-florida-soccer-tournament
FL Man starts early!
Release the hounds! Also WTF?
With nearly 90% of the military’s working dogs purchased from overseas, Warhound also wants to increase the number of domestically sourced working dogs./em>
Do we only buy German German Shepherds?
The Plan to Put Super Dogs on the Battlefield of the Future
An Anduril-backed venture aims to genetically engineer faster, sharper-nosed military dogs
https://www.wsj.com/business/entrepreneurship/the-plan-to-put-super-dogs-on-the-battlefield-of-the-future-02fbca9a?st=YBb7NL&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
they need to uplift the dogs.
What an excellent time for my annual re-read of Snow Crash!
I know everyone here loves that book, but I didn’t care for it all that much.
It had interesting concepts, but the story was kind of boring.
The concepts were really what the story was written for. And it was an early work, with all the flaws that entails. I still enjoy it enough to constantly re-read it.
I’m curious, did you like any of Stephenson’s other stuff?
I just checked and after Snow Crash I never tried another one of his books.
I was busy binging Philip K. Dick and Glenn Cook lately.
I am with Ron on this, not worth it
ron73440:
Zodiac is probably Stevenson’s most ‘normal’ book, and a decent read. Snow Crash was the beginning of him getting much more verbose and baroque.
I can recommend The Diamond Age and Anathem for science-fiction-y. Also Seveneves but the previous two are better.
A lot of people like his historicals but they don’t really do anything for me.
Something that makes Snow Crash a lot better, is to read it in conjunction with Professor Julian Jaynes’ The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. It’s a fairly easy read and astoundingly relevant – sort of like syncing up The Wizard of Oz and Dark Side of the Moon, except not gay.
It’s nearly all German Shepards.
They want the dogs to be dumber than their handlers so they have to go down on breed.
So they can stab enemies rather than biting them?
Military-style dogs have a bayonet lug on their snouts.
That makes them illegal Assault Dogs in NY.
what was the first instance of enhanced dogs in SF? Off the top of my head Starship troopers
That was the first thing I thought as well!
Island of Dr. Moreau, kind of. it had all sorts of “enhanced” species
This was earlier, but dog’s with human-level intelligence goes back pretty far.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius_(novel)
Also, if anyone wants PKD advice, I’m available. I was planning on writing a dissertation once and have read every novel and short story and most of his non-fiction. It took years. His early mainstream novels are not good.
Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick by Lawrence Sutin is the most accessible biography if you are interested. He had a life almost as strange as his fiction.
At least they let you pay in cash versus something like Japan where you need to buy a tax stamp at a store that the officials then affix to the application.
One racket the Japanese Post Office doesn’t have a piece of?
Maybe the PO owns shares in Lawson and Family Mart’s holding companies?
#insert crazed conspiracy man gif here
Welcome to our glorious future. Naturally Waymo seems to be the biggest problem here.
https://x.com/iowahawkblog/status/2115066029927735609?s=20
The Tesla goldenrod at least had the right idea to back up out of the conflagration.
The Waymo didn’t gaf
Austin, still behind SF
Pants down and pushing?
Do we only buy German German Shepherds?
I say again- genetically engineered baboons. They are smarter, meaner, bite harder and have hands instead of paws. All in all, more terrifying and effective than dogs.
You want all the army’s cooks to be on a leash?
do you want Planet of the Apes? because that is how you get Planet of the Apes!
It was great to have you here! I’m glad you enjoyed your trip.
thanks again for hosting me.
Have you cracked the whiskeys yet?
The Widow Jane is solid – local sushi place has that and the 13 year old (which I prefer but more $$).
I have cracked the whiskies. I plan a sort of tasting article.
The Widow Jane is solid – indeed though a bit on the low proof side for my taste
Once the bottles started leaking, he had to drink them.
Very much agreed. Even the -10 is a little pricey for my Bourbon rule, but it’s very good.
Do you drink the whiskey directly or do you have a person drink the whiskey and then sample the person?
At least your old US currency was still valid. Some countries invalidate old bills when they issue a new series. I have some Philippine pesos from 10 years ago that are no longer valid.
I also spent some at the coffee shop.
Old school CBDC!
Velocity of money! Keeps people from hoarding. Break some windows to keep the glaziers in business.
Dropped the NOS hubs and rims at the local bike shop to get wheels built. Cool little open-air shop with three techs who all tend the phone and front desk.
The tech who checked me in was genuinely interested in my project and was looking forward to working with vintage NOS parts. He said they don’t get to do that very often.
last time I did that, for a Raleigh 3 speed, they looked at me like I had grown an extra head
glad it was better for you
I went into the shop cold without calling in advance. I was concerned they might be unhappy about working with parts they didn’t sell. I was a big relief that he seemed to think that this was going to be cool.
The hubs are Suntour Superbe (which were eclipsed by the Superbe Pro). AI tells me the Superbe version is considered rare and highly valued by collectors. So finding a NOS set was like winning the lottery even if it did cost a fortune to have them shipped from Japan.
The tech eyed them like he’d never seen anything like them before.
Those kids today do t even know what a carburetor is!!
There is really good chance the hubs and rims are older than the tech I talked to today.
Ray of sunshine!
‘Screaming into a void’: why the job market in D.C. is uniquely soul-crushing right now
https://51st.news/job-hunting-doge-usaid-dc/
I started applying for jobs earlier this year after losing mine while on maternity leave, and found a confusing landscape. There wasn’t much available in my field of writing, editing, and nonprofit work.
Soo….
Go into a different field. I did. Making money is better than not making money. I am not in my dream field but who gives a shit?
Also regarding working for non-profits: I get an offer at least once monthly to apply to work for libertarian non-profits. Maybe the problem is that commie non-profit work dried up?
If our experience at TOS shows anything, it’s that the commies will work as “libertarians”.
so, Liberaltairian has been replaced by commietarian?
Learn to unclog toilets.
I previously found my whole identity through my career, so the loss feels very big
There’s part of your problem.
Pick up a shovel and buy some boots.
Either your employer violated the ADA, or you didn’t go back when your maternity leave was over.
I know which way I’m betting.
Or once the USAID funding got cut off her quango went bust.
I’m not aware of any “work” that is done for nonprofits that isn’t the same in a for-profit.* The corporate form and tax status really doesn’t change what the worker bees do.
*with the exception of begging donors for money
They have people skills.
They are on a higher moral plain than us capitalists.
Rumor has it that you missed out on some extracurricular pooping on the Niagara trip.
dont believe rumors
There wasn’t much available in my field of writing, editing, and nonprofit work.
She’s been replaced by a million AI monkeys with typewriters?
AI is a million monkeys.
Q for the lawglibs:
Since Trump is offering a million dollar bounty for “finding” voter fraud, what is the penalty for committing voter fraud?
Trick question. There is no voter fraud …
For a million buck though, there could be. Especially if the penalty is like a $100k fine or a month in jail.
Muh free trade
President Donald Trump has threatened to double tariffs on Canadian vehicles and parts from 25% to 50% on Jan. 1 if the two countries don’t reach a deal.
“That really would be catastrophic for the entire industry,” Jennifer Thomas, senior vice president of corporate affairs at American Honda Motor Co., said during a Reuters automotive conference in Detroit.
——-
She said she’s encouraged by recent reports that the U.S. and Canada have reestablished trade talks, including easing levies on critical materials such as aluminum.
“Our message has been clear: We need that trilateral agreement to stay in place in order for the U.S. industry to be competitive,” Thomas said. “It’s integral to our success.”
We have calculated to the last penny how hard we can squeeze the
suckerscar buying public.Jalopnik genius weighs in
Gernot Döllner, CEO of Audi, took the stage with U.S. President Donald Trump at a campaign rally to announce the construction of a new factory. I asked at the time whether hitching your corporate wagon to a historically disliked politician who faces an all-time midterm rout was a good idea, but there was an angle I hadn’t considered: What Audi’s workers, based in Germany, would think. Turns out they’re not huge fans, and they control enough of the company to make that a problem. From Automotive News:
BERLIN — Audi CEO Gernot Döllner’s on-stage embrace of President Trump during the announcement of a new U.S. factory for the brand is drawing fierce criticism in Germany, handing unions new leverage over Volkswagen Group’s restructuring plans.
——-
Volkswagen is looking to shutter factories and lay off workers at home, but it suddenly has money for an all-new factory in the U.S. — all to appease a president who’s not particularly loved by most. I’m no fancy big-city MBA, but I probably would’ve handled just about all of this differently.
He’s bending the knee to Trump!
Well. As soon as you become CEO of a major European auto manufacturer you can show us all how it’s done.
Not just the geniuses there.
How Audi’s CEO Turned What Should Have Been A Win Into A ‘Disgrace’
https://www.theautopian.com/how-audis-ceo-turned-what-should-have-been-a-win-into-a-disgrace/
The irrational hatred is part of the charm.
Remember the Autopian came from Jalopnik. There is a little daylight between them but not much.
Yes, that is how business decisions are made.
JFC the left is so goddamn retarded.
Audi started shitting the bed in 2017 when they went DEI/Woman power! Then their designs followed suit.
I used to be a fanboy for many, many years, but FUCK ‘EM nowadays. I’m never going back.
Thanks for visiting. Do we have to worry about any vampire enclaves now that you’ve bitten a chosen few?
How would a conclave of libertarian vampires behave? This is a question which needs answering.
You mean the Anarchs?
Murray Rothbard already answered:
“If there were a new species of beings having the characteristics, the nature of the legendary vampire, and [that] could only exist by feeding on human blood, would they be entitled to individual rights? The answer is no, because of their status as deadly enemies of humanity.”
My body my choice!!
The question is a little bit more complicated than that. There’s the possibility of consensual feeding, of course, if you consider consent to be a foundation of, or even important to, morality. On the other hand, in most (but not all) vampire mythoi, vampirism is akin to an infectious disease of considerable virulence, and as such vampires can potentially replicate themselves at an existential-threat rate – sort of a The Mote in God’s Eye scenario.
Off topic about Brazil:
Why would they try to confiscate Bolsonaro’s passports after he lost? That makes the election a lot fishier in my opinion.
Yeah, it was completely fishy then, and will probably be again.
It would only be fishy if he was under investigation before the election. After the election is totally above board.
They have already threatened to jail him.
I said he needs to leave ASAP or his life is probably over.
*checks news*
Oh, he already has. Smart move.
Good. This shows that voting is a farce there. Hopefully not here(ha ha ha ha hhhaaaaaaaaaaa!).
The Morning Dump will wade into politics a bit, but not out of choice.
Stop it. You’re killing me.
When did you autopian simps ever pass up a chance to puke up a batch of Trump SUUUUX!” agitprop?
Why would they try to confiscate Bolsonaro’s passports after he lost? That makes the election a lot fishier in my opinion.
He must be held to account for his traitorous insolence!
Remember the Autopian came from Jalopnik.
Not enough pro-transgender DEI propaganda>
US money that hasn’t been in a strippers G string or used to snort meth yet is always looked at sideways since it wasn’t properly broken in.
so how bout the Israel election will Bibi make it
I just watched the most recent Dune 43 trailer.
JFC, what has Denny done to my Dune?
More whiny cretinous EV moralizing from jalopnik:
That’s the GM EV1, a car that signaled General Motors’ interest in exploring electrification back in the ’90s. Yet, in the 30 years since that car’s launch, both General Motors and the country in which it’s based have largely rejected the EV — a stance that’s increasingly making both company and country international pariahs.
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I’ve long said that the U.S. stands to become a niche market with this kind of decision-making, an isolationist economy that’s out of step with global trends and lacks access to the best the world has to offer. Add in that many Americans are getting broker and broker, less and less able to afford new cars, and it’s no wonder when automakers don’t send their coolest stuff here. We’re not worth it.
Pariahs! Outlaws! Sinners! Lepers!
America has always been a niche market. A really big niche, but a market with unique demands and characteristics. And, until fairly recently (looking at you, Obama watermelons), a comparatively relaxed regulatory framework.
Not like the chicken tax and CAFE created any perverse incentives.
Just tax fuel directly if that’s what you want. The market will sort it out, but that would make it obvious to consumers and cut out special interests.
Like the Europoors can afford new cars.
If the world jumped off the end of a pier….
So let’s proselytize about more expensive technology. And which is more environmentally destructive and is dependent on, uh, questionable labor practices while we’re at it.
Dumbasses.
Just tax fuel directly if that’s what you want.
That’s what the Euros did. And also taxed displacement.
You can game displacement. It gives you puny Ferrari motors in Italy and square inline British 6 cylinders.
If burning hydrocarbons is so poisonous tax them directly. The more you consume the more you poison Gaea.
so-so fondue
How dare you!
I have never had fondu.