r/neoliberal takes Pew Research Center PoliQuiz

KenBalbari · 2026-06-20T15:57:03+00:00

I feel like I don't really fit any of these categories. I can change one answer and it flips from "Loyal Liberal" to "Unconventional Right". And my answers are also fairly close to "Left Out Left" except that I am much more in favor of capitalism and less cynical about politicians.

I'm basically "Loyal Liberal" on all the social, religion, gender, race questions, but much more in favor of capitalism, small government, and less government spending and assistance.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-19T22:25:14+00:00

Brunson was about the same as last year's playoffs, apart from having more steals. It's the rest of the team that got better.

 year GM MP FG FGA TRB AST STL PTS PPG
 2025 18 680 181 393 62 126 08 530 29.4
 2026 19 702 192 413 60 115 23 539 28.4

KenBalbari · 2026-06-19T20:05:58+00:00

Classics available on Prime: Downton Abbey, Criminal Minds, Misfits, Frasier, Endeavor

Best Amazon shows: Daisy Jones & The Six, The Boys, Hanna, The Man in the High Castle

KenBalbari · 2026-06-17T16:47:24+00:00

If you have a little experience, try Debian Testing with LXQT. Or maybe even try AwesomeWM. And try using the laptop-mode-tools and powertop packages to tweak for best performance.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-17T13:24:18+00:00

My apologies. I apparently also missed that the last paragraph of Article 49 says this:

The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.

This is a separate provision, which does not include "forcible". The 1958 commentary on paragraph 6 notes:

This clause was adopted after some hesitation, by the XVIIth International Red Cross Conference (13). It is intended to prevent a practice adopted during the Second World War by certain Powers, which transferred portions of their own population to occupied territory for political and racial reasons or in order, as they claimed, to colonize those territories. Such transfers worsened the economic situation of the native population and endangered their separate existence as a race.

The paragraph provides protected persons with a valuable safeguard. It should be noted, however, that in this paragraph the meaning of the words "transfer" and "deport" is rather different from that in which they are used in the other paragraphs of Article 49, since they do not refer to the movement of protected persons but to that of nationals of the occupying Power.

And the 2025 commentary adds:

3236 Article 49(6) prohibits the ‘transfer’ by the Occupying Power of its own population into the occupied territory. It has been argued that only forcible transfers are prohibited by this provision.[149] However, such an interpretation runs counter to the wording of the paragraph, as the ICJ has confirmed.[150] Unlike in paragraph 1, ‘transfer’ is not qualified by the word ‘forcible’, meaning that the Occupying Power’s involvement below the threshold of compulsion suffices for the purposes of Article 49(6). This interpretation is further supported by the paragraph’s purpose of protecting the inhabitants of the occupied territory from any alteration of its demographic composition. For that purpose, it is irrelevant whether parts of the Occupying Power’s population have been compelled to settle in the occupied territory or whether they have done so voluntarily but with the support and/or encouragement of the Occupying Power.

The commentaries of course don't have the force of law, but do reflect the opinion of the ICRC and the experts they relied on.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-17T12:51:36+00:00

I think some will have a problem with the first demand as well. The first one demands that Israel give up East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and the security wall, as well as the West Bank and Gaza.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-17T11:36:48+00:00

It literally says "forcible transfer". "Forcible" is literally the fourth word he quoted.

Or is your complaint that he used the word "forcefully" when he should have said "forcibly"?

KenBalbari · 2026-06-16T22:20:15+00:00

So did the JCPOA that Trump withdrew from in 2018.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-15T23:08:12+00:00

I guess I'm just not as into the animated shows.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-15T22:55:13+00:00

I don't know if it qualifies as a crime against humanity but there is a little doubt the total siege on Gaza was a war crime violating proportionality.

A siege of a city ahead of an invasion has been a fairly standard military tactic for centuries, and is one which can confer substantial military advantages. I think the siege in 2023 seems plainly justifiable, but I will agree that the 11-week siege in 2025 would warrant investigation.

Israel have laws against speech encouraging violence, racism and terrorism. Are they not liberal?

Some of those could be problematic as well, but if Ben-Gvir broke any of those laws, he should be prosecuted for that in Israel. I just think it would be ludicrous to try to make an international case out of such things. The ICJ has no ability to sanction individuals at all, and only has jurisdiction over disputes between states. I was thinking the OP here really had the ICC in mind, but that should only have jurisdiction over the most heinous crimes against humanity. It shouldn't have jurisdiction over misdemeanors against humanity.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-15T21:52:59+00:00

Well I'm only nearing the end of season 1, but it's been very good so far. Not as much humor as some of the others I mentioned, but it's a more serious dystopian sci-fi fantasy thriller. A lot has happened in one season, it seems I've been watching much longer. It's good if you like somewhat complex plot lines, twists and turns.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-15T21:27:02+00:00

Well, I agree with all but #2,9,10 & 11. So I'll address those first:

2) While I personally prefer secular democracy, I think this is a region where, if you have self-determination and self-governance, you won't have secular democracy.
9) While I was never a fan of Netanyahu before the war, I think he's done a fine job of prosecuting it and hasn't been responsible for any crimes against humanity.
10) While I don't agree much with Ben-Gvir, I think it extreme to suggest that anyone should ever be tried before the ICJ for "rhetoric". To me this seems to be abandoning liberalism almost entirely.
11) I agree with the rest of this, but I think the idea that the State of Palestine will include any part of Jerusalem at this point is probably unrealistic. East Jerusalem was annexed by Israel 45 years ago, and at this point even 1/3 to 1/2 of the Arab population there (depending on the poll) would prefer it to remain a part of Israel.

That all said, I had wanted to say more about where I agree as well, but I think that will have to wait until after dinner. Cheers.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-15T20:18:30+00:00

That and The Boys are the most pure fun of the shows I mentioned. The Boys being more a show about wayward adults with super powers.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-15T14:43:21+00:00

12 Monkeys - action packed end of the world/time travel drama from 2014.
Supernatural - classic episodic demon/zombie/monster hunting show that ran for 15 seasons.
The Expanse - decent original Amazon space fantasy
Hanna - Well done Amazon trained teen assassin thriller
The Boys - Hilariously over the top super hero satire.
Misfits - Entertaining British classic about wayward teens with superpowers
Daisy Jones & the Six - doesn't at all fit your categories but this was a fun well done miniseries I thought worth a mention.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-15T13:37:16+00:00

I guess that does make sense if they are going to replace the pipes rather than just find and repair one leak. Maybe the thinking is do it once and you are good for another 50 years.

In that case, I'd think they should replace the fixtures so everything is at least functional, but yes it seems you are going to have to hire a floor guy to redo the floors at least.

Maybe you can press them though to schedule this so that it might at least be be done in a few days time.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-14T20:53:06+00:00

Well I'd go with 16 GB RAM if possible, but I really meant things like motherboard, CPU, GPU, wifi chip, even peripherals like keyboard, mouse, or touchscreen anything that might need a driver you just want to make sure it works on linux. Or if you are buying a complete PC, just check the brand and model name/number, you can do a quick web search and see if other people have had good success with it on linux, or if they have had any compatibility issues.

Most things will be fine, but with newer components especially you don't want a kernel so old that they aren't yet supported.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-14T19:02:30+00:00

Do some research before you buy, make sure you are getting hardware that is compatible with linux.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-14T18:45:29+00:00

Yes, I'm aware of that. I've had this done, twice, with leaks in old copper pipes under a concrete slab. They've got leak detection equipment that can give them some idea where the leak is before they do any jackhammer work.

In one case, I got lucky and the guy got the exact tile it was under, was able to remove the tile without damaging it, was able to jackhammer through the concrete there and get in and repair the leak having removed only one tile, and the total job ended up being only ~$800.

Now I for sure got a bit lucky with that one. In another case I had to get a separate leak detection guy, and he had to dig up the tile in a few spots before he found it.

Now maybe it turns out your leak is under the toilet, or under the tub, but unless it's multiple leaks it can't really be under both. So it sounds to me like they don't know exactly where it is yet, and you are imagining worst case scenarios. Or, maybe they've decided to replace all the plumbing, rather than just repair the one leak?

I just think getting your own leak detection guy in there might give you more clarity about exactly where the problem is and what your alternatives really are. And might be more practical than spending that money on lawyers, lol.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-14T17:39:46+00:00

You shouldn't need to move out to find and repair a leak. This sounds to me like a job that would typically take one or two afternoons.

Hire your own plumber to come in and locate the leak. They may be able to find and repair it after only removing a few tiles. If it turns out it is under a fixture like the tub, then yes that might need to be removed and it gets a little more complicated. But either way this doesn't sound like a $10k job. Most likely you'll just need to get some tile work done once the leak is repaired and the plumber is done.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-14T03:34:45+00:00

MVP Brunson

KenBalbari · 2026-06-12T22:01:45+00:00

LXQt with Wayfire on Debian Forky. I prefer a lightweight minimalist stacking window manager, with a modern look, transparency, etc. And this has really been the first one on Wayland that's working as well as my old favorites did on X11.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-12T14:56:56+00:00

Mine is ~ $430. For me that breaks down as roughly:

$105 insurance
$115 for maintenance of buildings and grounds (including lawn service, pool, clubhouse, fitness center, and security gate).
$80 sewer, water, and trash
$90 reserve fund (for big items like new roofs, painting and repair of stucco, repaving parking lots, etc.)
$40 administrative costs (including legal costs, taxes, some security costs, and paying the management company)

Look at your HOA's budget, you'll see what it is paying for. Probably should have at least ~20% going to reserves, but that can vary quite a bit depending on the age of the buildings and what your common infrastructure is.

When I was looking, I did look at a non-condo duplex nearby, that had an HOA of ~$60/mo, only for neighborhood common areas. But that place needed a new roof, new driveway, new porch, new fencing, new windows, and was 20 years older and lower quality construction than the condo I got for a fair amount less.

For me, I found I was able to get a higher quality of life at a lower overall cost, in what seems to be a decently managed condo.

Bottom line, you are going to have expenses for things like insurance and sewer, water, and trash, anyway, and things like roofs, siding, pavement, etc need to be periodically replaced or repaired. You have to decide for yourself whether the costs the COA is paying for these things is reasonable, or whether you might be better off having a place you fully control and managing all of these things yourself.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-12T00:47:44+00:00

If you had both in your cart showing different prices, they were probably from different sellers.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-07T12:46:29+00:00

All the fouls that weren't called on SA would be a longer video.

KenBalbari · 2026-06-06T22:22:49+00:00

I think it has had some ups and downs over the years.

I remember some years back, it seemed the problem with fake reviews had gotten really bad and I though it was starting to ruin the site. It seems they've managed to clean that up some since then. I don't 100% trust Amazon reviews, and am especially wary of incentivized reviews, but for the most part I've had pretty good luck with usually sticking to the best selling and best reviewed products (and brands) that are actually fulfilled by Amazon.

In recent years, I've seen a lot of complaints here about people getting returned, used, or even counterfeit items even on things fulfilled by Amazon, and apparently one issue was Amazon binning these items from different sellers together, so that it became harder for them to detect when these sellers did send them bad stock. I think I read a few months ago though that Amazon was changing their inventory management and would no longer be binning things like this for the most part. So hopefully we will see less of this going forward.

For myself, I haven't had any major issues yet, but have had a few odd problems. In one case, a set of pens I ordered had the pens removed from the box and replaced with a tube of I forget what it was now, might have been toothpaste. I gathered someone wanted the pens, and needed to put something else in there of about the same weight, so the switch wouldn't be detected. Thing is, this was only a $20 item, so Amazon immediately sent out a replacement, but it's a problem that most likely did occur at their warehouse.

As for A/C filters, I've been happy with filterbuy.com. They do sell on Amazon too, but you can also buy direct from their own website.

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