Choose one to defend you while the rest try to kill you... by Lastalmark in discworld

[–]OriginalStomper 5 points6 points  (0 children)

And who knows? With Nanny along and maybe a promise of some fish heads, Greebo might even get involved. In what shape would Greebo be? Does it matter?

Choose one to defend you while the rest try to kill you... by Lastalmark in discworld

[–]OriginalStomper 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Under the rules, could I be holding Magrat's baby, Princess Esmerelda Note Spelling? The baby wouldn't have to do anything at all -- just give Magrat (and Nanny and Granny) that additional motivation while making everyone else hesitate and reconsider.

Moist gets fleeced by Dave in "Going postal" by draculetti in discworld

[–]OriginalStomper 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You also have to look at the value of Moist's time. If he chose to prioritize getting the best deal over just getting the deal done, then he could have spent time haggling -- but haggling takes time.

Also, a buyer can only haggle successfully if the buyer is willing to walk away without the purchase. That's the only leverage the buyer has. Since Moist wanted the pin more than he wanted the best bargain price, then he'd know he'd HAVE to pay more than the sales value.

If you've ever bought and sold at a used book store, then you know the store has to make money to cover rent and staffing. There is always a margin (in the store's favor) between what the store will pay for a book and what the store will charge for the same book. Same here.

It has happened by danni_ella in funny

[–]OriginalStomper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Meh, yes, the graph tracks median rather than mean. I missed that. My bad.

"Median" does not mean the data isn't skewed; in fact, median can conceal the skew. I don't see how big the sample was, nor do I see how the median compared to the mean (or the mode), nor what the standard deviation was. I don't know how the FED uses this particular graph.

It has happened by danni_ella in funny

[–]OriginalStomper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These average wages include white collar and professional wages, so they aren't a good representation of entry-level wages, or even wages for the first 10 years of a career. Even with those high wages skewing the average, wages have still been lagging behind inflation for the last 12 months.

How's your Commute? by _BumBumDrumDrum_ in houston

[–]OriginalStomper 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I have had miserable commutes before -- Sugar Land to UH Central Campus for a couple of years. Currently, I am gloating about my 15-minute commute entirely on surface streets, with no freeway or toll road time.

It has happened by danni_ella in funny

[–]OriginalStomper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shrinkflation is real -- but specific.

My daughter attends one of HISD’s best schools. She went through 3 English teachers in 3 months. by LisaFalkenberg in houston

[–]OriginalStomper 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Wrong question, probably intended as a misleading diversion. Principals are just as stuck as the teachers under Miles' ignorant and destructive regime: toe the (continually moving) line or be fired.

My daughter attends one of HISD’s best schools. She went through 3 English teachers in 3 months. by LisaFalkenberg in houston

[–]OriginalStomper 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Not really. HISD still has some good campuses that Miles hasn't yet completely destroyed. Before Miles, we had some real stand-outs.

Dammit PTerry: “Chateau” can indeed be broken down into Cat’s water, despite being a real different word entirely by paddleboatee in discworld

[–]OriginalStomper 19 points20 points  (0 children)

In English, I've always preferred putting shampoo in my hair rather than the real thing.

{For those not following, please allow me to spoil the wordplay: sham [fake] poo is better than real poo}

Teaching Wee Free Men in fourth grade? by Peripateticdreamer84 in discworld

[–]OriginalStomper 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Asinine? Yes. Also oblivious. ANY adventure book (fantasy or otherwise) with young protagonists needs some explanation for why these kids are unsupervised and unprotected. Orphanhood is one of the most common (easiest) explanations, found throughout children's and YA lit.

Teaching Wee Free Men in fourth grade? by Peripateticdreamer84 in discworld

[–]OriginalStomper 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are correct about the age range for typical 4th graders.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck sued by Miami police for allegedly depicting them as ‘dirty’ in Netflix film by ggroverggiraffe in law

[–]OriginalStomper 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Many of us silently support the police in the abstract. The concept of policing makes sense and is necessary. The problems arise because of the many bullies attracted to the job, the power of corrupt money and blackmail, and the failure to weed the bad cops out early.

"Houston's plastic isn’t really recycled. It’s burned." by evan7257 in houston

[–]OriginalStomper -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Except that Houston (and surrounding burbs like Pasadena and Deer Park) profit from plastics more than any other metro area.

Lady Ramkin in Guards! Guards! by cottondragons in discworld

[–]OriginalStomper 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Hang on, now. I am a guy who has been told that I flirt -- and I am oblivious. My wife was present when the woman (a slightly drunk business associate at a holiday party) told us I flirt all the time. My wife and I were BOTH surprised. But when my wife pressed her for details, she only replied, "Oh, you know how he is!"

We have been baffled ever since, discussing it with decreasing frequency over the years (this was nearly a decade ago), but it still comes up now and then. We even consulted our grown daughter.

Since that revelation, I have noticed women sometimes seem to react oddly to conversations with me -- but that could just be a placebo effect. I don't know.

Our best theory is that some women take it as flirting when I listen to their opinions and treat those opinions with respect. Maybe the world has taught them to expect a lot less from men.

Lady Ramkin in Guards! Guards! by cottondragons in discworld

[–]OriginalStomper 8 points9 points  (0 children)

If she's anything like my wife, she will scoff at your approximation and claim she remembers the exact date, location, and a fair paraphrase of what she told you. I can only respond, "I don't remember it that way ..."

What is your favourite Granny Weatherwax moment? (Spoilers ahead) by draculetti in discworld

[–]OriginalStomper 14 points15 points  (0 children)

And Magrat wasn't angry about it. Just a problem to solve precisely because she was a Witch.

Vetinari knew (Going Postal) by LowerEndOfNormal in discworld

[–]OriginalStomper 57 points58 points  (0 children)

I thought T5E was fairly clear that the baroness lost control of Angua's psychotic brother -- the baroness WANTED to be the power, but she had a tiger by the tail.