2
Piroko 2 points ago +3 / -1

I think things start to get interesting though if the regulator can't raise enough money from the sale of SVB's assets to offset the deposits.

The Fed can cheat on that by taking the bank's held-to-maturity securities onto its own balance sheet. It's a bailout "in the present" but will pay itself off because the Treasury never defaults.

3
Piroko 3 points ago +4 / -1

But that doesn't have the same potential to launch the problem into other sectors of the economy.

Agriculture, manufacturing, communications, health care, logistics, technology, and entertainment didn't care about the bankruptcies and defaults. Banks collapsing left and right was just a problem for borrowers, not businesses funded by selling equities. They barely even cared as the rating agencies like Bear Sterns imploded.

But once AIG collapsed, THEN the threat became real for the rest of the economy.

9
Piroko 9 points ago +10 / -1

In 2008 there was a force multiplier:

Insurance companies investing their reserves in improperly rated mortgage backed securities.

When foreclosures started to ramp up, nobody knew how much the investments were actually worth, so suddenly insurance companies were seeing their reserve money evaporate instantly.

1
Piroko 1 point ago +2 / -1

TI, I still don't understand why you haven't just grown a beard and declared for Allah.

1
Piroko 1 point ago +2 / -1

The figure you're complaining about is called "Expense Ratio".

For life insurance, the industry average expense ratio is about 10.5%. For property casualty, it's about 27%.

Health Insurance uses a reversed figure called Medical Cost Ratio, which is legally required to be at least 80%-85% (depending on some criteria). This is because unlike Life and P&C, health insurance is basically always a money losing venture.

5
Piroko 5 points ago +6 / -1

BUT IF YOU BELIEVE IN VICTIMHOOD, THEN I BELIEVE IN VICTIMHOOD, AND THEN THEY BELIEVE IN VICTIMHOOD, AND THEN WE ALL MAKE ALL KINDS OF FUCKIN MONEY!

1
Piroko 1 point ago +2 / -1

Those Hicksites and their progressive heresy...

Someone ought to write a strongly worded letter.

1
Piroko 1 point ago +2 / -1

but I think they should look more "princely" or something

As I mentioned earlier, Cure Chocolat is more butch than Cure Wing.

As in quite literally the character is modeled on a Takarazuka Revue style otokoyaku (lit: "male role", although played by a woman), and the VA did that for 15 stage productions IRL before moving into voice work.

3
Piroko 3 points ago +4 / -1

Is Yellowstone actually any good?

Don't try to pet the elk, or pose with the elk.

But if you see some tourists trying to pose with elk, find cover and watch cuz shit is about to happen.

2
Piroko 2 points ago +3 / -1

It doesn't have to be balanced at all.

It was a mistake to give women authority in the 19th century. That should have been put down with the enthusiasm of fighting a fire.

0
Piroko 0 points ago +1 / -1

As it so happens, I've already managed to find them.

1
Piroko 1 point ago +1 / -0

The art style of A New Hope in that series was really good and I was disappointed they didn't stick with him for the other two.

Any chance you have the full set of scans?

2
Piroko 2 points ago +2 / -0

As in the original three. It was a Dark Horse title. Back around the time the original movies were re-released in theaters before Phantom Menace.

Each movie was done by a different artist though, so the styles diverge.

3
Piroko 3 points ago +3 / -0

In terms of raw collectability, I'd say the ToysPress english run of Mamoru Nagano's The Five Star Stories is probably the most difficult manga set to complete. And it itself is incomplete, cutting off several volumes short of the JP printing.

Some other items that come to mind:

The last volume (10) of the 2009 english printing of Kaoru Mori's Emma is also quite rare, selling for a couple hundred dollars.

Complete sets of the 2004 english printing of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind are getting hard to find.

12
Piroko 12 points ago +12 / -0

You can do many things badly or one thing really, really well.

Waffle House is really, really good at being able to make their actually pretty crummy food.

Imagine there's a cooking skill tree. Waffle House looked at it, decided they didn't like that skill tree, and drew another skill tree next to it labeled "Survival Spec" and dumped all their skillpoints into that.

9
Piroko 9 points ago +9 / -0

Waffle House has disaster menus for:

No Electricity

No electricity knocks out the dishwasher, and over a longer period of time, refrigeration. In a no power situation, they can switch to manual dishwashing for critical kitchenware and use disposable servingware. They have a no refrigeration case as well, but that shouldn't ever happen because after some period of time without power they call for a refrigeration truck. Obviously, no electricity usually knocks out non-cash payment, but I believe they have square over mobile as a backup option.

No Clean Water

Knocks out dishwashing entirely, and forces them to go to bottled water for cooking; anything involving batter tends to be knocked out by no water because they can't wash stuff. They can still operate the griddle.

No Gas

No gas knocks out the griddle, although this situation is extremely rare because every Waffle House has piping to pull from tanks if they have to. If a situation is this bad, the building itself is probably unusable and it's just a matter of time until they get a response team on site to set up temporary cooking.

12
Piroko 12 points ago +12 / -0

if the waffle house in an area is closed

Civilization has truly collapsed.

Because of their roots in the hurricane prone south, Waffle House corporate is willing to go to extreme lengths to ensure that if the map says they're there, they're there. If it is physically possible to sell food, they will do so. Even if that means bringing in reefer trucks, tankers of LP, and in the worst case scenario, RV's converted into kitchens. Their logistics system can be up and selling crummy breakfast food faster than the National Guard can show up with MREs.

4
Piroko 4 points ago +4 / -0

Depending on the neighborhood, yes. There are a handful of restaurant chains that have a reputation for interesting crowds.

In the south, it's Waffle House.

Eastern midwest, it's White Castle.

Out in the empty west, it's Denny's.

-9
Piroko -9 points ago +2 / -11

Their propaganda is intrusive and incessant.

It is not, and if you haven't gotten the message by now that you should do, not watch others do, then I have to think you're an addict.

4
Piroko 4 points ago +4 / -0

"Be sure that all the C's are destroyed so the rascals can no further abuse my name."

-Admiral (RN) Cockburn during the Burning of Washington

1
Piroko 1 point ago +2 / -1

It's almost as if...

The entire social structure of patriarchy was designed to force the creation of relationships, mitigating the problem that men have, on average, lower social intelligence than women.

2
Piroko 2 points ago +2 / -0

I think it would depend on how much and where.

Moving is a pain, but my experience has been your average happiness doesn't change very much.

I think if you tell us which state you'd be moving TO, people would be in a much better position to tell you what that state is LIKE, what you might enjoy and what to avoid.

27
Piroko 27 points ago +27 / -0

That's a myth that Disney perpetuated.

RCID's "debt" is owed to Disney for hard capital improvements Disney has used. The only reason the debt exists on RCID's books as a vehicle for Disney to write off money on its taxes.

Orange and Osceola would refuse to accept RCID's debt, because the RCID's sole creditor (Disney) is also the primary beneficiary of RCID's improvements.

That is, the counties will say:

"You (Disney) had RCID borrow money from Disney, to build roads for Disney. You were deducting the taxes you paid RCID (which serviced the debt) and then not paying tax profits from the debt (because it was a muni-bond). We're not assuming RCID's debt; you wanted roads, you paid for them, you got them. All the rest is clever accounting to convert as much capital improvement spending into muni-bonds TO YOURSELF to shield corporate profits from taxes."

As I understand it there were cases of Disney relinquishing land back to RCID for new roads so that they could do their muni-bond trick on as many improvements as possible. Left to run its course I imagine they would have eventually ceded parking lots to RCID.

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