once upon a time I had very strong opinions about hypothetical imperatives.
iran should absolutely milk the shit out of this. make up for decades of oppressive sanctions.
Bill GrueskinReuters: Iran wants fees of 5%-7% of the price of cargo from ships using the strait; Oman wants 3%. "Making fees voluntary, at least nominally, could be a way out of the impasse, although an implied threat of Iranian attacks could mean shippers would be unlikely to risk transit without paying."
well that killed my appetite for the rest of the week.
Ben CollinsOh my god the dietician who is telling everyone in the White House to only eat steak and sauerkraut doesn't wipe his ass.
seems to me like generalizing in any direction can get you in trouble here. speaking of stuff I know, you can absolutely save by spending on a technics 1200, a fancy DSLR, or good cookware (all-clad / lodge / le creuset range).
Will StancilI thought we all understood this in the year 2026, but in general quality of goods increases with price, but price increases much faster. There may be a point where you can “save by spending” but it’s typically a lot closer to the bottom of the range than the top.
one last one. to get a better espresso than this, you have to spend about a thousand dollars.
Elizabeth PicciutoWhat is your favorite example of when the cheap version of a product is legit better than the expensive one?
more generally, I think "cheap" vs. pricey is hard, but for a ton of household goods and esp. kitchen items, the mid-range functional option is genuinely superior to the fancier option (glasses, cutlery, all of it really).
Elizabeth PicciutoWhat is your favorite example of when the cheap version of a product is legit better than the expensive one?
indian food (in this country, and esp. in new york).
Elizabeth PicciutoWhat is your favorite example of when the cheap version of a product is legit better than the expensive one?
this is how social services work, yes. meanwhile I'm also subsidizing free street parking for a bunch of jokers. somehow that's not a "socialist trap".
USA TODAY OpinionOpinion: Mamdani's idea may sound appealing, but it's NYC taxpayers who will take the hit, subsidizing discounts they may never even use.
I watched this a few years back on @criterionchannl.bsky.social, I think as part of a Sundance '91 collection. anyway, I really liked it. highly recommend (esp. i'd like me you're a lennon partisan in the beatles' context.)
tnyfrontrowTerrific to find Christopher Münch's The Hours and Times, his nuclear theory of Beatlemania as filmed within the reactor, on the @criterionchannl.bsky.social : www.newyorker.com/culture/rich...
Blondie is _by far_ the best band to come out of the CBGB scene (tho Marquee Moon may be the single best album.) the Ramones are kind of the like the NY Sex Pistols, undoubtedly influential and lots of fun but not as good as everyone else around them.
lil miss big boyPost your hottest music take. Mine is New Order is better than Joy Division.
man, the entire time scrolling down the list, I was like SANDANISTA! SANDANISTA! SANDANISTA! but then it turns out it's been done. so it must be: TAKING TIGER MOUNTAIN (BY STRATEGY)
Stop Calling Me FrankYou have a month to write a 33 1/3 book about the album of your choice. Which record are you going to write about? (No previously covered albums allowed; new shit must come to light: see below.) (For all books in the series: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/33_1/3) (H/t @monostich.bsky.social
"working out" is for losers. I'll eat a couple of hot dogs amd buy a nice bottle of scotch.
The Deceitful Grin of CivilityWould you rather, for the rest of your life: 1) Get $50 for every hot dog you eat (meat and bun) 2) Get $2 for every pushup you do