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norway's a high-cost country with dirt cheap electricity most of the year, including a huge part of our motor pool and industry our power consumption is completely bonkers
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Feb 11, 2021 19:57
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Facebook Aunt posted:If you make everyone join the military the public may be less supportive of pointless meatgrinders. Defend the homeland, sure. Send kids your kids halfway around the world to fight for oil profits? Nah. there's plenty of ways that having everyone serve can be turned toward hawkish ends while a draft does make people much more sensitive to the deaths of troops, that can lead to more support for things like excessive force and war crimes, as well as a general hardline approach for example, you know those POW/MIA flags you see everywhere? they may seem politically neutral but they're the product of extremely successful pro-war propaganda campaigns. soldiers whose bodies weren't found were marked MIA even if they were most likely dead, so hawks argued that those MIA soldiers were actually alive as undisclosed prisoners in extra-secret prisons the US didn't know about. so the argument was that the US had to keep up the war and defeat North Vietnam at all costs so that the US could be sure they got everyone back to this day there's still Vietnam truthers convinced that thousands of US POWs were left behind in Vietnam by the uncaring peace-loving hippies to be tortured to death by the NVA or shipped off to the Soviet Union or whatnot if you'd prefer to see modern-day examples of conscription countries engaging in pointless wars, just look at Israel
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Feb 11, 2021 20:43
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BonHair posted:I mean, yeah, it's probably very far from ideal because of the great culture that militaries have, the hierarchy and being forced to live together on a base. But it's still a lot better than getting your back and knees hosed while you get to kill brown people who might kill you back. But the problem is probably not worth conscription, but with having a military at all. There are some countries where the army is much better despite conscription, like I bet IDF stamps out abuse in its own ranks. Of course they're israel and in wars constantly so... anyway, just sharing stuff I know from a post-soviet country that used to have conscription.
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Feb 11, 2021 20:51
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dex_sda posted:There are some countries where the army is much better despite conscription, like I bet IDF stamps out abuse in its own ranks. Of course they're israel and in wars constantly so... anyway, just sharing stuff I know from a post-soviet country that used to have conscription. lol i bet  https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/nov/22/exposed-israel-photo-exhibition 'We Are All Sexually Harassed in the Israeli Army, Almost on a Daily Basis' Dramatic rise in number of IDF soldiers reporting sexual assault ekuNNN has issued a correction as of 20:58 on Feb 11, 2021 |
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Feb 11, 2021 20:55
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ekuNNN posted:lol i bet Well, scratch that then lol
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Feb 11, 2021 21:08
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most moral army in the world
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Feb 11, 2021 21:13
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paul_soccer12 posted:most moral army in the world Just following God's orders.
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Feb 11, 2021 22:11
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My boss at my old job was a middle-aged Ukranian dude who had a lot of stories from his mandatory time in the Soviet army and used to say fun inspiring quotes like "in Soviet military we had saying: soldier with idle hands is criminal"
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Feb 11, 2021 22:19
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He was actually a pretty nice and smart dude for the most part, kinda forced to be a manager though because of how dysfunctional that company was and he was poo poo at it. He was super surprised and delighted when he found out that I knew what Hedgehog in the Fog was 
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Feb 11, 2021 22:22
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I did my national service in the norwegian army and it was a complete waste of a year, there was no money in the budget to do basically anything so we all just sat around a lot, listening to our sergeants and grenadiers tro to convince us signing up to go to afghanistan was a good idea. This was in 2007/08.
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Feb 11, 2021 22:23
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Shame Boy posted:My boss at my old job was a middle-aged Ukranian dude who had a lot of stories from his mandatory time in the Soviet army and used to say fun inspiring quotes like "in Soviet military we had saying: soldier with idle hands is criminal" Hazing in the Soviet / Russian military was always extreme, and by all accounts still is, at the peak of the problem hundreds of conscripts would be outright killed by fellow soldiers every year, and hundreds more would commit suicide. There even is a specific term for it, dedovshchina.
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Feb 11, 2021 22:25
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Main Paineframe posted:to this day there's still Vietnam truthers convinced that thousands of US POWs were left behind in Vietnam by the uncaring peace-loving hippies to be tortured to death by the NVA or shipped off to the Soviet Union or whatnot it was even the plot of the second rambo movie
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Feb 11, 2021 22:28
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steinrokkan posted:Hazing in the Soviet / Russian military was always extreme, and by all accounts still is, at the peak of the problem hundreds of conscripts would be outright killed by fellow soldiers every year, and hundreds more would commit suicide. Oh yeah I read about that once I think. Made my boss' "like soviet military service" jokes to a Russian coworker make a lot more sense in retrospect 
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Feb 11, 2021 22:29
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The_Franz posted:it was even the plot of the second rambo movie And that X-files S2 episode.
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Feb 12, 2021 05:15
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MorrisBae posted:The recruiters lie Man, Forever War is so on-point. "Hey, your tour's over, but join back up and you'll get whatever position you want, guaranteed." And they do! Of course, they never said Mandella would stay in that position. IIRC it was literally like 30 seconds before he gets reassigned to the front lines.
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Feb 12, 2021 05:38
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indigi posted:lol sounds like you have to be a real loving idiot to join the military
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Feb 12, 2021 06:53
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fair. but at least I wasn't dumb enough to join the military lol
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Feb 12, 2021 06:56
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130-car pileup in Texas. It was on a privately owned road, and the owners decided not to put salt or sand on the road surface after freezing rain. Six people have died. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqNy7v5YekM
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Feb 12, 2021 08:15
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Chamale posted:Texas ... privately owned road Oh texas  e: Wait a minute that video says it's I-35, are you saying Texas found a way to loving privatize an interstate?
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Feb 12, 2021 08:17
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Shame Boy posted:Oh texas Yes. Only a small stretch of I-35W, which is where this disaster happened. 
Chamale has issued a correction as of 08:30 on Feb 12, 2021 |
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Feb 12, 2021 08:26
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Shame Boy posted:Oh texas none of the news articles say anything about that, so it's probably nonsense they heard on social media it's far more likely that the Texas DOT just responded poorly to the surprising icy weather and Texas drivers responded even more poorly, because Texans aren't used to seeing ice in February
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Feb 12, 2021 08:27
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Main Paineframe posted:none of the news articles say anything about that, so it's probably nonsense they heard on social media I mean I absolutely would not put it past the Texas DOT to privatize poo poo like salt and gravel either but yeah. Chamale posted:Yes. Only a small stretch of I-35W, which is where this disaster happened. I was digging around the wiki article and figured it was either I-35E or W after I saw those existed, but didn't see anything about either of those being privatized. However I doubt that many people regularly update the wikipedia articles for loving highway spurs so 
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Feb 12, 2021 08:32
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Shame Boy posted:I mean I absolutely would not put it past the Texas DOT to privatize poo poo like salt and gravel either but yeah. I did some digging as well, and according to the North Texas Tollway Authority's Facebook it's a private company called NTE Mobility Partners Segments 3, not NTTA. Strange times when Facebook has more current info than Wikipedia. (Edit: Their comment referenced Google's auto-answer algorithm, which was wrong but pointed to some correct information) "The accident that occurred this morning on an express lane was very tragic. NTTA does not own, operate or maintain express lanes. They are not part of NTTA's system. The express lane where this tragic accident occurred is owned and operated by a private comany." Chamale has issued a correction as of 09:03 on Feb 12, 2021 |
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Feb 12, 2021 08:38
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Are you saying it was just one lane of the highway privatised, or is this an Australian - American wording misunderstanding?
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Feb 12, 2021 08:49
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The express lanes are privately built (and operated I guess?). LBJ is the name of the one that operates a highway named The LBJ Expressway. I-35 W is "North Tarrant Express".
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Feb 12, 2021 08:54
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cintra this is the company that owns the toll roads (the one the crash happened on, unless I'm mistaken)
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Feb 12, 2021 08:58
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starkebn posted:Are you saying it was just one lane of the highway privatised, or is this an Australian - American wording misunderstanding? The two lanes in question are miles apart, I-35 splits into two separate highways for roughly 150 kilometres. It looks like the accident happened on a stretch owned and operated by NTE Mobility Partners Segments 3, a part of the NTE Mobility Partners corporate family, which is a subsidiary of the Spanish company Cintra, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ferrovial. All those layers of ownership mean that no one will ever be held responsible for this.
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Feb 12, 2021 09:02
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The express lane was just a little too express - the market was too efficient in this case
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Feb 12, 2021 09:36
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starkebn posted:Are you saying it was just one lane of the highway privatised, or is this an Australian - American wording misunderstanding? Express lanes in the US can either be one specific lane of a highway that you pay extra in tolls to use (usually separated from the other lanes with those sticks with the reflectors on em'), or a completely separate road running parallel to / over / whatever the highway that you also pay extra in tolls to use, but which goes directly between two high-traffic areas without the other exits in between that the normal highway has. e: Oh and they usually change what direction they go in between the morning and the afternoon, so like they'll head towards the city in the morning and away in the afternoon, etc. They have automated little gates that handle the switch-over. Shame Boy has issued a correction as of 09:40 on Feb 12, 2021 |
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Feb 12, 2021 09:38
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Chamale posted:The two lanes in question are miles apart, I-35 splits into two separate highways for roughly 150 kilometres. It looks like the accident happened on a stretch owned and operated by NTE Mobility Partners Segments 3, a part of the NTE Mobility Partners corporate family, which is a subsidiary of the Spanish company Cintra, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ferrovial.
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Feb 12, 2021 11:25
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Thanatosian posted:If you think you weren't a complete loving idiot when you were 18, you're loving delusional. the air force propaganda almost got me at 17, with my dad pushing me too. luckily i was too fat to enlist at the time
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Feb 12, 2021 13:20
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Stevie Lee posted:the air force propaganda almost got me at 17, with my dad pushing me too. luckily i was too fat to enlist at the time 
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Feb 12, 2021 13:34
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Stevie Lee posted:the air force propaganda almost got me at 17, with my dad pushing me too. luckily i was too fat to enlist at the time The air force is more like a real job with a workout routine and occasional travel. It's still mil, but way more laid back than army/navy. I was about 40 pounds overweight when I showed up to army boot. It took care of that. The rest of my time in beat the poo poo out of my back, which caused problems in my right leg. Having sciatica problems in your 20s loving sucks and is no more pleasant in your 30s. Spent about 18 months with a cane, too. Anyway, thanks for paying your taxes. I'd be homeless or dead without the VA and service connected disability payments. Gonna hit a few morning dabs so I'm mobile enough to walk the dog in 30 minutes.
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Feb 12, 2021 13:37
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Chamale posted:130-car pileup in Texas. It was on a privately owned road, and the owners decided not to put salt or sand on the road surface after freezing rain. Six people have died. time to declare bankruptcy!
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Feb 12, 2021 13:53
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Chamale posted:130-car pileup in Texas. It was on a privately owned road, and the owners decided not to put salt or sand on the road surface after freezing rain. Six people have died. Were the publicly owned stretches treated with sand and salt?
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Feb 12, 2021 14:41
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Rip Testes posted:Were the publicly owned stretches treated with sand and salt? https://www.focusdailynews.com/north-texas-tollway-authority-preparing-for-winter-weather/
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Feb 12, 2021 15:36
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CRUSTY MINGE posted:The air force is more like a real job with a workout routine and occasional travel. It's still mil, but way more laid back than army/navy. Arguably, but still awful. This video has been passed around a fair bit, the guy talks about what the air force did to people's mental and physical health and life expectancy. One thing he mentions is that the gunners breathe super cancerous substances (e.g. lead). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiXZECAe094
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Feb 12, 2021 15:36
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Yeah, each branch is awful for its' own reasons. Air Force just has the most lenient lifestyle, shortest deployments, laxxer PT standards, it's diet army. You can always find a desk job in the military, and an air force desk job is about as close as you'd find to safe civilian lifestyle in the military. But the military attracts idiots drawn to explosions and weaponry and for the air force cult, massive swords. You pick your job, and a young, maybe college freshman educated type idiot tends to like explodey things and tangential danger. It is still the military and it feeds on bodies, but you can go a route that reduces your exposure to stupidity. I didn't, I was an army wheel mechanic. There are a lot of safe jobs, they're just dreadfully boring and mounded with layers bureaucratic bullshit that make progress seem glacial at best, and you're the till.
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Feb 12, 2021 15:49
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Thanatosian posted:It could be owned by one person, and still no one would ever be held responsible for it. Sure everyone thinks it'd be great to adopt a highway as a Christmas present but they never think about how that highway will grow up into an interstate one day
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Feb 12, 2021 16:20
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Re. air force chat: My dad used the air force to pay for his college because he came from a very poor family, but he also got super lucky and was in for a period of time when we were not at war at all and went in as an officer instead of enlisting, so he spent pretty much his whole air force career flying an F-4 Phantom II around scenic California while doing what amounted to pretend play fights and not much else. Seems like it'd be a pretty sweet gig if you had very limited options like he did tbh, shame about the forever war though. Meanwhile my mom's an old socialist who's very anti-military and anti-war (and got tear gassed by cops on the white house lawn on behalf of Nixon for it) so dad got a commie gayamosexual son, lol owned
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Feb 12, 2021 16:33
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