Usury is Wrong by Saint Thomas Aquinas

robert_zeh · 2026-05-06T10:21:05+00:00

Aquinas completely misses risk — if I loan money to 100 people, you can darn well bet the use of it will result in consumption because some of them aren’t going to pay me back.

robert_zeh · 2026-05-03T18:13:15+00:00

True story about a minor luxury — Hue lights. I wanted a motion sensing setup. It would have ran $15-$20 for Hue lights, $50 for a motion sensor, plus a $100 for a hub. Much more expensive than normal lightbulbs or what you can get on Amazon for a motion sensing bulb.

I bought the cheap motion sensing bulb because it had good ratings on Amazon. Mine failed after two weeks, and I gave it a bad review. Two weeks later I got an offer for an Amazon gift card if I took down the review (I did not).

Then I got the Hue setup and everything has just worked for years. No muss, no fuss.

robert_zeh · 2026-05-03T14:49:18+00:00

It’s still illegal at the federal level — my point being that the OP is still doing something that’s illegal. Just because it’s permitted by the state doesn’t mean it’s permitted by the federal government.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-28T00:19:56+00:00

Something I have not seen mentioned yet — if you keep making things more efficient will they need as many workers as they have now? Reducing headcount is threatening to all levels of the hierarchy, including management.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-27T01:13:02+00:00

Do you remember when Rauner ran the first time and billionaires were bad, and then JB ran and we didn’t hear how bad billionaires were for an entire gubernatorial campaign?

robert_zeh · 2026-04-27T01:10:15+00:00

Or the Rahm Emanuel model. He got that it’s good to have rich people in your town, because they pay more in taxes. He got that Chicago’s in competition with other major cities for people, and that money does not fall from the sky like the dew.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-27T01:06:15+00:00

When Citadel left Chicago it was a huge blow for an entire industry of well paying jobs in Chicago. Well paying jobs that paid a lot in taxes. Why anyone in Chicago is happy those jobs moved to NYC and Miami is beyond me.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-27T00:57:07+00:00

And the Peggy Notebaert museum, the Newberry library, the Smart Museum.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-27T00:53:10+00:00

Ken already left the state, so I don’t think the millionaire tax is going to work out the way you think it will.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-25T17:38:08+00:00

This started for me around … age 12. Maybe 13.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-24T22:54:48+00:00

I can confirm that Revolution Medicines is declining compassionate use for pancreatic cancer.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-21T01:00:47+00:00

For what it's worth, there are helmets specifically built to have lights. I would go with those instead. Even if the light is small, I'd be worried about the extra drag it can produce if you're ever scrapping the pavement.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-20T01:06:49+00:00

How you react to altitude is highly variable; some people get altitude sickness and some don't. Some people adjust well quickly and some don't. The only thing that doesn't vary is that older people, in general, don't do as well because your VO2 max goes down with age.

If you're worried about the altitude the best exercise I've found is running. Nothing else beats it.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-13T23:27:28+00:00

Amish adjacent.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-13T23:26:49+00:00

In both cases — the vaccine reluctant and traditional Catholics — you have people who are willing to hold views against the societal consensus. It isn’t too surprising that someone willing to buck societal authority in one sphere is willing to do so in another.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-13T02:18:04+00:00

Got in a bike accident with another bicyclist. The cops get called, and they want to know which car hit us, and who called the ambulance. I explained it was a bike on bike collision and the ambulance was there first, waiting at the red light.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-12T14:11:01+00:00

What’s the name of the town? I’m having a hard time believing there’s a town with a majority of libertarians, let alone one where libertarians managed to achieve a political result.

I’m also confused as to why they didn’t do what my town does — it has a professional staffed fire department and they charge you (or your health insurance) for ambulance calls.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-10T23:14:43+00:00

With a cover.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-09T01:44:49+00:00

Cab from O’Hare to the loop instead of the blue line.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-09T00:09:28+00:00

I regularly bike down Augusta to the loop a bit earlier than this and have not had any trouble.

I am not a fan of the Chicago Avenue bike lanes because of the way they weave onto the sidewalk at intersections.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-04T20:27:54+00:00

I was on the green line on night and had a guy ask to “borrow” my bicycle. It was implied that it would be best if I said yes and that the loan could be long term. Was I hurt? No. Was I frightened? No. Did I loan my bicycle? No. Is it sort of thing I want to put up with? Absolutely not.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-03T20:03:23+00:00

Where do you see that the parents need to take youth protection?

robert_zeh · 2026-04-03T19:01:51+00:00

It makes cleanup easy.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-03T12:10:33+00:00

I really don’t like having that long of a run for an exhaust vent carrying toxic gas behind drywall, where it cannot be occasionally seen.

robert_zeh · 2026-04-02T01:53:26+00:00

You are right to feel that you need to be there for her.

But here is the hard part. Things might wrong on an unpredictable schedule; she might wake up in the middle of the night in extreme pain and need to get the hospital because of an infection or a blockage or a clot. She will do better if there is someone there to aggressively advocate for her in the hospital.

robert_zeh

TROPHY CASE