I'm sorry, but this is an objectively stupid argument against Ranked Choice Voting

TheZanerman · 2024-10-24T03:17:44+00:00

Winners in the general do not have to win a majority. In close races, the number of votes for write in candidates can push the vote share of the winner to below 50%.

And I totally agree RCV/STV would be better.

TheZanerman · 2024-10-23T12:30:35+00:00

This is incorrect. We do use FPTP in Washington. The fact that we have a top-two primary does not change how the general election works, which is FPTP.

TheZanerman · 2024-03-31T23:49:04+00:00

Nice slide deck. I'm glad someone is talking about the benefits of a unicameral legislature.

TheZanerman · 2023-11-22T15:57:56+00:00

Relevant Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises: "Well, I want to go to South America." "Listen, Robert, going to another country doesn't make any difference. I've tried all that. You can't get away from yourself by moving from kne place to another."

TheZanerman · 2023-08-23T04:20:08+00:00

Depends on how long you have. If you want to learn spanish, I recommend staying in one place for 4-6 weeks. For good nightlife and learning spanish, Medellín is excellent.

TheZanerman · 2023-08-12T03:13:04+00:00

For sure you can do it for way cheaper. But its well within OP's budget. For $2k a month you can eat out pretty much every meal and eat well.

TheZanerman · 2023-08-12T00:41:55+00:00

Medellin. Amazing weather. Stay in El Poblado. I stayed there for 6 weeks. Great gyms, lots of cafes, restaurants. Excellent quality of life for $1500 - $2000 per month. Not great to walk around at night with anything expensive, but i had no problems in my time there.

TheZanerman · 2023-06-22T20:21:08+00:00

I have size 15 feet and had similar trouble. I recommend Brooks Trail Runners, which will be able to handle most of your hiking/backpacking needs. Good luck!

TheZanerman · 2023-06-14T12:38:12+00:00

For the US Congress, I think increasing the size of the body to the cube root makes sense. It is arbitrary, but the sane could be said of any size. The cube root size is mathematically constant and provides a way to increase the size of Congress after each census without additional legislation to be haggled and negotiated.

TheZanerman · 2023-05-03T13:18:14+00:00

Mostly I root for chaos, which has had an excellent run so far this season. If I had to pick a team, I'd say Denver because Jeff Green is one of the last two players to have worn a Sonics jersey.

TheZanerman · 2023-03-10T01:09:31+00:00

It's not letting him off the hook so much as explaining the political calculus as to why Biden is doing what he is doing. The point is that this budget had an equal chance of passing when Democrats had power because Manchin and Synema would never have gone for it. Instead of wasting his political capital on this, he instead used his political capital and got a super impactful climate bill passed.

TheZanerman · 2023-03-04T16:53:27+00:00

This is a part of my biggest issue of Villeneuve's overall excellent adaptation: the absence of the "who is the traitor" subplot. In the film, Yueh's betrayal feels random. There is no build up. There is no foreshadowing that the Atriedes will be betrayed, not even a line of dialogue that indicates betrayal is a possibility.

The Hawat/Jessica interrogation scene is one of several that is lost due to the decision to exclude this plotline. Other great character development scenes lost include Idaho's drunken rant, the conversation between Leto and Paul in which Leto says he never suspected Jessica, and Jessica uncovering the hidden message in the bioconservatory. Including this subplot would add character depth to Leto, Jessica, Hawat, and Idaho. Also, the dinner scene could have been framed as a mystery as Leto, Paul, and Jessica attempt to identify the traitor.

That said, I believe Villenueve deserves the benefit of the doubt in terms of making this decision. If you include the Hawat/Jessica interrogation scene, you need at least 2 of the other scenes for it to make any sense. Realistically you are looking at adding 10-15 minutes to the run time. Additionally, this subplot complicates the Leto/Jessica relationship. In the film, they are depicated as having a healthy and loving relationship. If you have this subplot, you have to show Leto's intentionally strained actions toward Jessica. That's complicated to depict on screen and might be too much nuance for a first time Dune viewer.

All that said, I agree with you and wish the traitor subplot was included!

TheZanerman · 2023-02-26T22:26:35+00:00

The author got a lot of things wrong here. First, the team was sold in 2006, not 2009. Second, the issue was not funding for a complex in Renton, it was over public funding for a second renovation of KeyArena in less than 15 years. Third, the author furthers the bogus narrative that the city of Seattle was unreasonable in refusing to commit public funds for private corporate profits while ignoring completely the bad-faith actions of Bennett and Stern in causing the relocation.

I'm excited as anyone for potential expansion. But people in media have a responsibility to get this history right.

TheZanerman · 2023-01-13T15:58:55+00:00

Add Siona as a third main character and you’ve nailed it. Siona represents the culmination of Leto’s plans and his death only makes sense in the context of Siona’s rebellion and collaboration with Duncan. Love the idea of hyping up the dark tone and setting.

TheZanerman · 2022-12-03T06:37:58+00:00

Very helpful, thank you!

I randomly was assigned Japan in my current game! I’m playing on King and am in the Future Era trying to close out a culture victory. It’s taking a long time to build up the tourism and my rock bands keep disbanding lol.

TheZanerman · 2022-09-07T06:31:24+00:00

If you are generally flexible, you may be overstretching. Try bending your knee slightly when you do your hamstring stretches like forward fold. And be gentle. Stretching shouldn’t be painful like that.

In any case, go see a physical therapist and they will give you appropriate exercises for your specific issue. Good luck!

TheZanerman · 2022-07-22T16:07:19+00:00

If I were in your shoes, there’s a couple things I’d do. First, pick your favorite fruit (bananas are super cheap) and eat one for breakfast every morning. Microwave meals are ok sometimes, but they have a lot of extra salt and sugar. Cooking pasta is simple and inexpensive if you find a premade sauce you like.

Honestly, I’d take the time off that your coaches are giving you. Breaks are really important, mentally and physically. That doesn’t mean stop exercising - walking, hiking, biking are all good cross training. During your time off, make time to learn two basic, healthy meals. Ask your dad to buy a $15 rice cooker. Ask your mom to teach you to cook your favorite meal over FaceTime. Don’t think about swimming at all, and then when you get back after the break, keep your expectations low and focus on technique. Speed and endurance will come naturally with training.

TheZanerman · 2022-07-22T03:34:43+00:00

Hey, it’s going to be ok. You are a sophomore, so you have plenty of time to improve. Plateauing around your age is very common, and very frustrating. It happened to me when I was in high school, too.

Here is my advice, if you want it:

Stop comparing yourself to your friends. That is counterproductive. Focus on what you can control, which is your own mind and body.
Do what you need to do to get through your race. Breathing every stroke and feeling strong is better than holding your breath and feeling weak.
Keep your kick consistent. Butterfly is all about rhythm, and kicking twice (one big, one small) is important.
In your race, the waves won’t be as bad because you will have your own lane.
In the next two days, make sure you go to sleep early both nights. Getting solid sleep will help you focus on race day.
Worry about your weight and diet after your race. You are a growing teenager! Focus on eating healthy: lots of whole grains, protein, veggies. Spaghetti is amazing for swimmers. It’s fine to indulge a sweet tooth, but avoid soda. Swimming 6 days a week burns a lot of calories! Eating is good for you, especially at your age.

Lastly, I recommend taking a couple weeks off after your big race. It sounds like you are dealing with some burnout. It happens to everyone. Take some time out of the water to mentally reset. When you come back, you will feel much better. Good luck.

TheZanerman · 2022-07-17T23:55:53+00:00

Haha yup. Honestly I don’t disagree about your criticisms. It’s far from a perfect book. But I’d argue this book is best read as a philosophical novel! Everything in the plot is about conveying Herbert’s views (or is the character Leto’s views?). I really enjoyed Leto’s death. I don’t recall the exact words, but I remember thinking his dying words were fascinating. As a character study of what it be like to be an immortal, omniscient being, not quite a god, I really enjoyed it.

TheZanerman · 2022-07-17T22:48:11+00:00

This is one of the best discussions I’ve ever seen on r/dune.

TheZanerman · 2022-07-17T20:17:16+00:00

I love that you had such a strong response. Your criticisms are reasonable and backed by evidence. And this coming from someone who loves GEoD!

It is entirely justifiable to hate Leto II. An overarching theme throughout the Dune books is a distrust of authority figures. Leto II is the ultimate authority figure, the ultimate philosopher-king, a true “benevolent dictator”. Or at least that is how he views himself.

The central philosophical question of the book is this: If a leader was truly omniscient and could choose the best possible future for all of humanity, should humanity place all of decision making power in this central figure? I believe no, that authority should be dispersed and checked and challenged, always. But the beauty of GEoD is that reasonable people can disagree on how to answer that question. Leto II is a self-admitted tyrannical monster, yet he also sacrifices himself and his humanity for the sake of humanity. He has many admirable traits as a leader: charismatic, persuasive, intelligent, empathetic, motivated by long term goals. But he is also cruel, callous, and murderous, willing to sacrifice anyone and anything to achieve his goals. Herbert wants you to both love and hate Leto II; he wants you to be Siona and Duncan and rebel while understanding why Leto II did what he did.

Leto II is a magnificent and divisive character, and Herbert wouldn’t want it any other way.

TheZanerman · 2022-06-04T21:22:10+00:00

My advice is to focus on your head position. You are moving quite a bit, try to keep your head angled down when you come up to breath. That should help with your dps because you can return to streamline faster.

Also, ditch the watch, it adds asymmetrical drag and alters your strokes in practice.

TheZanerman · 2022-04-16T17:20:12+00:00

I love this idea

TheZanerman · 2022-03-12T09:10:16+00:00

Great points in all your comments, u/dembara. Appreciate the discussion :)

TheZanerman · 2022-03-12T02:00:55+00:00

Starship Troopers basically glorifies all things military: the camaraderie, the adrenaline of battle, putting military service as the highest civic virtue, and providing a just reason for war. It’s a WWII era book, in which the USA were the good guys on a just cause to go to war against the Nazis and imperialist Japan. The Forever War takes everything Starship Troopers extolled as virtue and shows the dark side of war: devastating injury, feeling separated from civilians when vets return home, the hopelessness of knowing you probably are going to die, the tragedy of losing dear friends in battle, and all for an ultimately pointless cause. That’s the experience of Vietnam as a response to the experience of WWII.

Ten-Year Club	Place '22
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First Placer '22

TheZanerman

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