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CynthiaW's avatar

I learned that Trump is here in my area this afternoon. Fortunately, he should be gone before I have to go anywhere else. When I saw the item, I thought about the traffic jam on the way to the library, but that was caused by a fender-bender in the middle lane.

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M. Trosino's avatar

It appears the hurricane down in the Gulf will take a tack to the northwest, probably missing your neck of the woods. Which is good, since it would be a shame to have one blow hard blow out of town just to have another one blow in right on his heels.

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Kurt's avatar

"In sum, warming temperatures would probably be conducive to fabulous coral reefs in all the world’s oceans, it seems fair to say. They should not be a cause for alarm."

Who wrote that? That little piece is an object lesson in specious reasoning. Forget any personal, political, or scientific viewpoint that inspired it. That's bad writing.

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IncognitoG's avatar

ChatGPT’s take:

The statement you provided is not accurate and does contain reasoning flaws. Here’s why:

1. **Scientific Consensus**: The overwhelming scientific consensus is that warming ocean temperatures are harmful to coral reefs, not conducive to their health. Coral reefs are highly sensitive to changes in temperature, and even small increases can cause coral bleaching, which leads to widespread death of coral ecosystems.

2. **Specious Reasoning**: The argument presented is an example of *specious reasoning* because it makes a claim (warming temperatures will be beneficial to coral reefs) that contradicts well-established scientific facts, without providing any valid evidence. This type of reasoning may seem superficially plausible, but it's misleading.

3. **Lack of Nuance**: Coral reefs thrive within specific temperature ranges, and extreme heat disrupts their symbiotic relationship with algae, which is essential for their survival. The generalization that warming would benefit coral reefs is overly simplistic and ignores complex ecological dynamics.

In summary, the statement is both scientifically incorrect and logically weak, making it an example of bad writing and flawed argumentation, regardless of any personal, political, or scientific viewpoints.

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Kurt's avatar

I’m still learning how all this comment stuff works. Is ChatGPT agreeing with me? Seems like it. My attention span for internet comment sections is about 1 ½ minutes, so I apologize if I don’t answer sometimes.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Here’s a Perplexity.ai rebuttal to ChatGPT:

Evidence suggests that coral reefs are expanding in certain areas due to warming oceans. Tropical corals are migrating to cooler, subtropical waters, such as southern Japan and the Atlantic coast of Florida, where they are forming new reefs[1]. Additionally, recent satellite imaging has revealed a larger global coral cover than previously estimated, indicating potential areas for coral expansion[2]. However, this expansion is limited by factors like ocean acidification and light availability[1]. Despite these expansions, coral reefs face significant threats from climate change and bleaching events[3][4].

Sources

[1] As Oceans Warm, Tropical Corals Seek Refuge in Cooler Waters https://e360.yale.edu/features/as-oceans-warm-tropical-corals-seek-refuge-in-cooler-waters

[2] Coral reefs cover more of Earth's surface than realised, new ... https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2024/february/coral-reefs-cover-more-earths-surface-than-realised-new-estimates-reveal.html

[3] Coral reefs are critical for our food supply, tourism, and ocean health ... https://sciencepolicyreview.org/2020/08/coral-reefs-are-critical-for-our-food-supply-tourism-and-ocean-health-we-can-protect-them-from-climate-change/

[4] Scientists say Earth is in 4th coral bleaching event amid rising ocean ... https://abc11.com/coral-reef-bleaching-global-event-reefs-around-the-world/14681550/

[5] Is the Great Barrier Reef making a comeback? https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/is-the-great-barrier-reef-making-a-comeback/

[6] Coral Reefs in the Warming Ocean - MDPI Blog https://blog.mdpi.com/2023/06/07/coral-reefs-in-the-warming-ocean/

[7] Coral Reefs: Status, Risks and Outlook | World Resources Institute https://www.wri.org/insights/decoding-coral-reefs

[8] Coral reefs 'will be overwhelmed by rising oceans' - The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/23/coral-reefs-overwhelmed-by-rising-oceans

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Jay Janney's avatar

I personally think the climate "scientists" like all the frozen scenarios because they think it is cool.

I've done winter camping. It got so bad the scouts cancelled the balance of the campout, for safety reasons (Wimps! just because our tents were so frozen we couldn't take them down).

If I have to live with extreme heat or cold, I'll take extreme heat for $200, Alex.

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Kurt's avatar

Winter camping...been there. Not going back. Hot summer camping...equally disgusting. Reasonably high altitude mountain camping...priceless Lately, I've been sleeping outside on my roof. I'm about 35' above grade, no bugs, pleasant temps, no stray urban bushwhackers sneaking up on me, and in the morning a hot shower and cappuccino downstairs.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

I’ll take neither!

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IncognitoG's avatar

Here’s a recent project, before I had put the realtor’s info on it.

https://youtu.be/KGgcCHRk6Lc?si=bFDjcqpAV1iMLShz

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BikerChick's avatar

Why is the other house so close? My goodness you could shake hands out the windows? Cool drone work!

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Drones do come in handy! We don’t have one; they seem invasive, and I don’t like the idea that people are looking at us! Fortunately, I’m always completely dressed when I go outside! 😂 (See you soon!)

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IncognitoG's avatar

Lots are 25 ft wide! 🤩

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Wilhelm's avatar

cool!

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CynthiaW's avatar

Cute house. Is it supposed to be a short-term rental? What's the attraction for visitors?

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IncognitoG's avatar

Here’s the Zillow link of the listing. Have a Kleenex on hand for the nosebleed after you see the price…

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/213-N-East-St-Lake-Worth-FL-33460/46827535_zpid/

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Phil H's avatar

That's less than the appraised value for my suburban Columbus house, which is over 100 miles from the nearest beach (Lake Erie, to be precise). Of course I have a larger (hot not luxurious) house at 1800 sqft.

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BikerChick's avatar

Pretty similar price for a small ranch in Madison, WI. Insane.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Really?! I had no idea, although I imagine some of the homes on the lakes are pretty high. Our area continues to grow as people keep moving further out, and the roads sure are busy! (We need to talk about all those damn RTVs!)

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IncognitoG's avatar

It was used as an Air BnB by my sister and her husband. They’re selling it because too much aggravation for the payoff. Lake Worth Beach is just south of West Palm Beach.

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Kurt's avatar

Rental property management ain't for those uninitiated in how this stuff actually works. "Passive" income it ain't...

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IncognitoG's avatar

Also, the covid-induced Air BnB bubble deflated somewhat.

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CynthiaW's avatar

My husband gets the urge to buy a vacation rental sometimes. I discourage it forcefully.

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CynthiaW's avatar

1927, oy. The size and price are similar to what you'd pay in Charlotte, but you might get another bathroom.

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IncognitoG's avatar

The town has the look and feel of downtown Tegucigalpa or Managua, local population included.

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CynthiaW's avatar

To be fair, so do parts of Charlotte. Different weather, though.

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Phil H's avatar

Good morning. Chance of more rain today. The mothership is reporting on scandals of the Eric Adam’s mayoral administration in New York City, if you care. But there is also a question asking if sports betting should be banned (I answered ‘yes’).

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M. Trosino's avatar

#1 & #2 in yesterday's Triad at the Bulwark seem germane to the thread you started here about gambling.

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/robot-gamblers-are-making-people

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

We have so much open corruption in government, it makes me wonder if it’s always been this way, and we just didn’t have all the easy access. Now, we know “everything.”

I HATE gambling! I’m completely against it, even though I know it will always be there. But, the idea of our state governments using it, and selling it, as a way to keep taxes lower, is disgusting. The downsides are awful. Also, being someone who loves podcasts, I’ve noticed that even TD podcasts have ads for gambling. I hear them when I’m listening to Commentary, and other podcasts that I know do not support state gambling. I’m not sure how that happens, but just shows how much money gambling brings in.

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Kurt's avatar

".....it makes me wonder if it’s always been this way,...". Yes, it's always been this way. It started fairly quickly after the Founding documents ink was dry.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

I suppose, but I think that there’s too much government to begin with now, and I also think the ability to hide in plain sight is much easier. I was reading about all the corruption within in Mayor Adams administration. They’re dropping like flies!

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Wilhelm's avatar

Gambling is lucrative, *generally. But that is true whether legal or not. And it will happen either way. Or both.

*-- It’s hard to lose money owning a casino, for example. But I recall one in Atlantic City that went bankrupt.

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Kurt's avatar

I thought it was 6, not just one.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Did Trump happen to own it? 😉

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Phil H's avatar

Actually, he did! That great businessman, Donald J. Trump!

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

He was the first thing that came to mind. I was listening to (I think) KDW talk about him on The Remnant, and apparently he’s only managed to build a few successful places compared to most of the NYC real estate moguls. And, I have a friend who worked at one of the Casinos, who said he didn’t pay his bills, and actually put one contractor out of business because of that.

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Wilhelm's avatar

Hmmmm. Maybe the slot machines only accepted Trump coinage.

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113175718594981285

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

RealTrumpCoins! OMG, that guy never quits. How do so many people support him with enthusiasm? I’ve thought about joining Truth Social just to read the crazy stuff, but I’m already despondent about the elections as it is. I’ve found myself wondering what happens IF something caused Trump to be unable to run??? (Read that any way you want. 🙃)

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Wilhelm's avatar

That does seem vaguely familiar.

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BikerChick's avatar

My neighbor won a half million when Tiger won the Master’s in 2019. I can’t recall how much he paid to make the bet but it was tiny in comparison to the payout. I expected him to fix his dog’s bad knees after that win but he didn’t and she’s so lame she can barely walk. Tells you what kind of person he is.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

He probably spent a lot of it on more gambling.

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Phil H's avatar

That's how casinos and other gambling establishments make their real money, from people without will power.

If you can't take your winnings and walk away from the table, you have no business gambling.

For that matter, if you lose your stake and can't walk away from the table, you have no business gambling.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

It’s honestly not something I’ve ever been interested in. When I was in my 20s, my then father in law, took my then husband and me to Las Vegas. I got a roll of dimes, and when that was done, so was I. I would rather watch a good movie or read a good book.

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CynthiaW's avatar

My parents used to go to Atlantic City or Las Vegas. They'd have a budget and stick to it. Mom liked $2 blackjack.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

I have NO problem with that at all. What gets to me is how ubiquitous it has become, and that states have become “addicted” to the income.

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CynthiaW's avatar

The New York story is so typical. I look forward to the comments explaining that it's all about Republican corruption, really.

I think sports betting, especially using apps, is utterly pernicious, but - based on the ads I see around here - it would be racist to say or do anything to attempt to limit it.

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Kurt's avatar

It was the logical step after legalizing weed and taxing it. Fling open the doors, it's party time.

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Phil H's avatar

Why racist?

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Kurt's avatar

Are you not in a community where all problems have racism as the underlying cause?

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CynthiaW's avatar

As I understand it, it is racist to disapprove of any product, media, or activity Black people enjoy. For the rest of the population, disapproval of anything is "puritanical" or "judgmental," while throwing up your hands and saying, "Fine, play stupid games, win stupid prizes!" is lacking in empathy.

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Kurt's avatar

So far, there is little pushback from the Black community regarding menthol cigarette advertising. What's the deal with menthol? Why does it have outsize meaning in Black communities? It is a mystery pondered by Blacks and Whites alike....

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CynthiaW's avatar

I remember there was talk of a ban on menthol cigarettes that was shot down because they are popular with Black people.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Everyone in the ads is Black men.

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Phil H's avatar

At least some TV ads I’ve seen for sports gambling online feature white men.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Different market, maybe.

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Phil H's avatar

Indeed. The ad I'm thinking about is FanDuel. I'm familiar (too familiar) with other ads featuring black men, like the ones with Kevin whats-his-name.

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Wilhelm's avatar

I tend to think that advertising for sports betting apps aims at almost the same target audience as those for state lotteries -- that is, people looking for that one big jackpot to solve all their worries.

I gamble occasionally -- a day or two at the horse races each year. And I run a college football pool for my (former) office that has a financial investment of less than $20 for the entire season.

I can probably make a pretty good case that ads for sports betting apps, casinos, Budweiser, and sketchy ED drugs should all be removed from the air waves much like tobacco advertising. But I don't think that will affect the lives of the people who use any of those products one whit.

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M. Trosino's avatar

The world was a much better place when liquor and lawyers couldn't advertise on the airwaves.

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Wilhelm's avatar

If we eliminated ads for magical fruit and vegetable vitamins and special pillows, some cable news "networks" would go the way of the Dumont Network.

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M. Trosino's avatar

So. Any ideas on how to make that happen? 🤔

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Wilhelm's avatar

Sadly, no. I get to hear them with the volume on 11 at my dad's. 🙄

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IncognitoG's avatar

Morning!

Drove back yesterday and hit the rain climbing the I-77 mountain toward Wytheville, Virginia. That rain followed me home last night, and is in progress…

Legalized sports betting, to me, has great potential to be another disastrous bit of social policy. Addictive types won’t be able to contain themselves—and from some reports I’ve seen, it’s already leading to bad outcomes.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Good morning.

"Life is a miracle, but it also entails brutal competition for survival."

Nature is where stuff eats other stuff. There are predatory fungi. Corals are absolutely voracious and totally without mercy toward competitors. Ice sheets will smush you after you starve to death and then freeze solid.

Our species is so bonkers.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

We are under some illusion that we have a lot more control over nature than we do, that’s for sure.

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Phil H's avatar

Sometimes I think that illusion helps us (well, most of us) keep our sanity.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Morning!

It is at least under bonkers’ management.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Unfortunately, and I’m getting tired of it. So far, it doesn’t look like there’s going to be any changes to that.

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