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STUPID STUFF - APRIL/MAY, 2019: SPEEDING PIDGEON, LYFT, US TAXES, REALITY, AND MORE

A German speed camera recently snapped a picture of a pidgeon flying 45 kph in a 30 kph zone. Law enforcement does not believe that an arrest is imminent.

In response to a lawsuit concerning the Americans with Disabilities Act, Lyft's lawyers argued in court that Lyft is not a transportation company. They are a technology platform. That's like Ben and Jerry saying that they don't make ice cream. They provide cultural commentary that tastes good. UPDATE: The EU courts have just ruled that Airbnb is not a real estate company. It's a technology platform! Live long and be amazed...

The US Congress has moved forward the (intentionally?) misnamed Taxpayer First Act that would prohibit the government from developing free tax preparation software. Sellers of for-profit software who distribute campaign contributions on a bipartisan basis helped write the legislation. But campaign contributions have nothing to do with the legislation, right? And contributions from Big Pharma had nothing to do with Congress forbidding Medicare from negotiating prescription drug prices either. Right? Or am I missing something?

"[If he] was smart, he would’ve put his name on it  You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you."
Who said it? Where was it said? Who might we forget?
During a recent visit, Trump said that George Washington should have put his name on Mount Vernon. Otherwise, why would we remember him? I guess that Washington wasn't smart.


A scientist from Harvard says that it is likely that we are living in a computer simulation, that a sufficiently technologically advanced society could create such a simulation and that we could probably do so ourselves in 100 years or so.
      Scientists at Oxford say that they have proven, using quantum physics, that the reality that we experience could not be a simulation, that there is such a thing as a discernible, definable objective reality. Let the debate begin. Is there such a thing as objective reality or is all that we experience a shared construct? Is Schrodinger's Cat alive or dead? Is Schrodinger's Cat alive AND dead?
      A more important question might be: Will global warming effect the taste of my favorite wine or the price of my favorite wine? These are the sorts of problems that define my reality for me.

Mitch McConnell, who loves to call out Democrats for obstruction, has approved a re-election video touting his obstruction of Obama's pick of Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court.

Theresa May is the PM. Jeremy Corbyn is the leader of the opposition. Nigel Farage is running in the upcoming EU elections to represent the UK in an institution that he wants to leave. Boris Johnson could very well be the next PM, otherwise it might be Corbyn.

You can't make stuff like this up. That's why it belongs in Stupid Stuff.

Comments

  1. What kind of Visa did you get? Does setting up a business to get a Visa help?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sorry that I haven't responded sooner. I was out of the country for a week and not keeping up with things. If I understand your question, it relates to the post below about a French long-stay visa and healthcare. To get a long-stay visa, which is the right to stay in France for longer than 90 days in a six-month period, you have to show that you have sufficient income so that you will not be a 'burden' on the French social system. Unless you have a running business that's generating income already, I don't see how planning to set up a business helps with the application. Let me know if that doesn't answer your question.

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