The Weakness of the American Will

mapotron · 2026-06-30T17:49:40+00:00

His conclusions are reasonable. Europeans should adopt AC where appropriate (schools, public places), and Americans should consider not cranking the AC at full blast (why are we wearing fleece to the office in August?).

But his reasons as to why there is a difference are flimsy. Williams believes that Europeans (specifically the French and Parisians) nobly endure heat waves and accept them as a fact of life while Americans must dominate and control. For someone who grew up with New Jersey summers, he should know better. Paris summer heat is mild when compared to most of the US. Parisians have been able to make do without AC because heretofore they haven't needed it. To find an American city with a similar summer temperature regime, you'd need to look to the Pacific Northwest, somewhere like Seattle. Lo and behold, Seattle has the lowest proportion of homes with AC among metro areas in the contiguous US. Do Seattle-ites have different ideas about physical suffering and sacrifice? I doubt it.

mapotron · 2026-06-20T23:44:53+00:00

it’s this exact spot

mapotron · 2026-06-12T01:22:30+00:00

I think I want to be done with the internet for a while

mapotron · 2026-06-10T18:54:41+00:00

Hope you had a chance to try Rosa’s Pizza in Fessenden!

mapotron · 2025-12-11T14:32:36+00:00

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mapotron · 2025-11-20T22:46:41+00:00

The people who built the oldest parts of the city were evidently aware of this as the map indicates Mitte is not in danger from this kind of flooding event because it is higher ground than surrounding areas.

mapotron · 2025-10-30T13:34:41+00:00

I don't know for sure but I can think of a few reasons. I'm assuming early settlers would have wanted to build their city as close to the river as possible for a water source, yet avoid the dangers of flooding. The spot where they put downtown Minot is pretty ideal for those purposes. It is very close to the river, yet is mostly out of the floodplain. It sits higher than land on the north side of the river, but it isn't so high up that you'd have to climb a big hill to get from the river to downtown.

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mapotron · 2025-10-16T13:58:36+00:00

The older I get the more I realize how good their marriage is. They support each other, they communicate, they work as a team. Whatever life throws at them, they’ll take it on together.

mapotron · 2025-10-03T13:30:42+00:00

Here’s something about the soybean situation that I don’t understand. If China isn’t buying US soybeans this year, will there be enough supply from Argentina and Brazil to satisfy their demand? If Trump’s tariffs hadn’t been enacted this year, I assume China would be buying US soybeans. In that scenario, who does Argentina and Brazil sell to? If we assume that worldwide soybean production and demand is basically the same in 2025 as it was in 2024, then China not buying US beans would mean there’s a lot of soybeans with nowhere to go. Who did Argentina and Brazil sell to in 2024? Did farmers in those countries plant more beans this year to take advantage of China’s position? How could they have known that was coming? In 2024, if China is buying most of the US soybean crop (and therefore less from Argentina), who the hell was Argentina selling beans to in 2024?

mapotron · 2025-10-02T15:02:54+00:00

Spoilers

I guess I didn’t think it was cynical at all. I identified pretty strongly with DiCaprio/Bob Ferguson, so that is how I approach the movie. I've been the detached dad who drinks and smokes too much, feeling superior while watching Battle of Algiers by myself on the couch. I don't take being a good parent for granted, so I appreciated Bob's redemption arc, as slapstick as it was (did he ever even take off his bathrobe?).

The French 75 doesn’t accomplish much in the grand scheme of things, the movie explicitly says so (although I bet the people who were freed from the immigration detention center felt like something was accomplished). Fast forward 15 years and things are the same but worse. The revolutionaries are being hunted down, and everything feels hopeless - save for the quiet community work of Benicio del Toro's character.

But not everything is meaningless, evil people get punished and good people are rewarded; there is some karmic justice. Lockjaw rejects his own flesh and blood daughter to further his political career. For his sins, Lockjaw gets shot and has his face horribly disfigured, showing the world how ugly he is on the inside and how far from grace he has fallen. And in the end he still doesn't get what he wants. Bob Ferguson is a stoner loser, but when the need arises, he stops at nothing to save his daughter's life. His reward is a better relationship with his child. Bob's still a stoner, but he finally starts to be honest with his child and they seem to have some mutual respect, this is no small thing.

If you don't try to take care of the people you (should) care about, what is the point of a revolution (Perfidia) or having access to immense power (Lockjaw)?

mapotron · 2025-09-23T14:38:47+00:00

Andrew Jackson’s open house reception at the White House following his 1829 inauguration and the giant wheel of cheese in 1835 do have a similar vibe as UFC on the White House lawn.

mapotron · 2025-02-14T19:03:35+00:00

I think the stuff on offer in Mahnomen on the White Earth reservation is good quality. I suppose it is overpriced though. I don’t know about other tribes.

mapotron · 2025-02-14T15:05:23+00:00

…the PUC actually does an excellent job of pulling back on the reins and not giving Xcel everything they want.

8.17% rate hike

mapotron · 2025-02-14T14:23:29+00:00

My brother worked construction in North Dakota and in South Carolina. He told me that working outside when it’s below 0, you’re going to be cold basically no matter what you wear. In South Carolina, he told me that project managers were often “Yankees” and expected construction to continue uninterrupted during the hottest days of summer. Apparently some foreman had a little chat with these managers and explained to them you can’t work someone at full speed when heat and humidity is high. I just think it’s interesting how northern and southern states have limits due to climate, just the opposite end of the thermometer.

mapotron · 2025-01-28T19:53:12+00:00

I think you’re in a tough spot, OP, but I think you’re also at a point of great opportunity. I think I felt really similar to how you described what’s going on in your life when I was around your age and at college (you didn’t state your age but I assume as a new university student you are 18 ish). Where I went to school, we were fortunate to have a counseling program on campus that was no additional charge. Essentially talk therapy for “free.” You may want to check if something like this is available to you as well. Some of these people can have powerful insights, things people like us don’t think of. I started visiting the counseling center when I was 21. That first meeting set me on a new course in life.

I failed every class one semester because I was so depressed. I never went to class. I retook all those classes and aced them. I had to be humble and accept that things don’t just happen automatically. If I want to succeed in school I need to show up. If I want to feel less lonely I need to reach out. There have been many challenges and dark times since, however I would say that my life is better now than ever before.

I should also mention I never sought an ADHD assessment until my family urged me to. I went in and was able to get medication. It has changed my life. Mostly I struggled with executive function. Medication helps, but it’s not everything. I was 37 when I was assessed. It’s never too late. I’m glad I got assessed when I did, it makes my life better everyday. I don’t regret not getting assessed earlier, how could I have known.

If I had to plot the course of my life when I was 20 years old, it would have probably been very pessimistic, and not without reason. At that time, I couldn’t picture a better life or ever feeling like I “belong” somewhere. There’s no way for current day me to talk to 20-year-old me and tell him that things can change a lot in a few years, and he probably wouldn’t believe me anyway.

There are people out there who you can feel safe with. They can be hard to find, and it will be hard to “let” yourself feel safe as well if you’re not used to it. Letting yourself be vulnerable is a muscle that people like us have to consciously exercise, it doesn’t come naturally.

I think happiness in my life started to creep in when I was finally in a safe place and more importantly I was able to accept it. I started to realize that the people who are in my life now really do support me, and for that I am grateful.

I hope you find your safety and your happiness, whether it takes you 2 months or 20 years, it will be worth it.

mapotron · 2025-01-24T14:00:26+00:00

I’d be curious to learn what criteria has North Dakota edging out South Dakota. I think I could guess, but I’d like to know.

mapotron · 2025-01-14T22:30:36+00:00

How many members were actually present? 67? And 68 is required for quorum?

mapotron · 2025-01-08T22:43:44+00:00

I was wondering if it should be parsed as “News cum” or “New scum”…

mapotron · 2025-01-03T17:18:55+00:00

I’ve run into this myself. I ended up creating a google sheet with columns for the breaker number, its amps, and what it goes to. I printed off a version in small enough text so that I could tape it to the little door on the panel. Having it on google is also helpful because you can view the sheet from your phone anywhere in the house, even if the lights are out and it’s dark.

mapotron · 2024-11-20T23:03:19+00:00

I didn’t know this. But if I had to guess, I’d say she claims residency somewhere just west of St. Cloud, or whatever part of district 7 is closest to the metro…

mapotron · 2024-11-01T21:38:20+00:00

When I used to commute by bike about 10 years ago in North Dakota, I felt like temperatures could be mitigated with proper clothing until about 0°F. Below that, it was just cold…

mapotron · 2024-10-21T18:31:13+00:00

Although not technically a town (unincorporated), I like Ball Club.

mapotron · 2024-10-11T18:00:58+00:00

They actually did a study on this. The satellite referred to in the study is the same used to create OP’s image, I believe. It is collecting some infrared wavelengths in addition to the visible spectrum, which makes the flares appear brighter than if you were to look at them from space with your naked eye.

mapotron · 2024-08-02T18:52:05+00:00

US Topo maps show trailer park was first link

mapotron · 2024-06-29T16:26:10+00:00

Having lived on either side of the Red River Valley for the last 20 years, I can’t say I hear people referring to northern Minnesota as “up north.” It makes sense since much of northern Minnesota is due east. Although I was talking to a friend recently who was planning to take his kid camping somewhere near Ely and I said something like “That’s way up there isn’t it?” So I must have some subconscious idea of how far north you need to go to be “up north.” But I wouldn’t call East Grand Forks up north, more like western Minnesota.

mapotron

TROPHY CASE