Trump threatens to nuke N. Korea, GOP threatens to nuke healthcare. Also hurricanes: Today in Tweets

@Victorious Parasol

Thank you. She actually may have a potential law suit against them, so there is that, but its all a little fuzzy right now.

I just can’t believe we still live in a country where health care access for everyone is not considered a human right. There are millions out there that have treatable, preexisting conditions that are left to become major health issues because of our broken system. Your income bracket should not determine whether you deserve medical care.

As a few have pointed out in this thread, this zombie-zombie-zombie version of the bill is only being pushed because many republicans don’t want to lose the support of the Koch Brothers. That these two men can determine health care access for millions of Americans is something we should all be terrified about.

Miss Edgy Nation,

Agreed. It’s really hard to not conclude that the right isn’t indifferent to suffering but they actually enjoy it. They really do seem to be sadists (and not in a consensual BDSM kind of way).

In other news, Trump’s approval ratings have somewhat improved.
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/20/trump-rebounds-after-polling-slide-242895

@Diego:

The entire UN Trump speech was rage-inducing

Of course it was — it was a Trump speech. They’re designed that way: to enrage the Trump base at blacks, Hispanics, gays, transfolk, Muslims, liberals, leftists, etc.; that they also enrage liberals and leftists against Trump is no doubt considered by them to be a happy side effect.

@Buttercup:

I’m sorry that we have to keep reliving this zombie ACA repeal nightmare, over and over.

I guess it’s like in Quake. Just shooting it won’t work. We need to grenade it, or maybe Quad super shotgun.

Any idea how to do that to draft legislation?

@Gussie Jives:

Apparently reality hasn’t slugged him in the face hard enough; frankly, I have no idea what would.

Hopefully, Special Counsel Mueller would.

@Dimmy:

Are these photovoltaic installations, or solar-thermal? I know solar-thermal’s been in the 10-to-11-ish range for a while now, but last I heard, PV was still languishing in the 8:1 range.

http://www.resilience.org/stories/2016-12-22/eroei-estimates-show-pv-to-be-a-fully-mature-technology/

The key conclusions:

The study harmonization yielded a mean Energy payback time for mono- and polysilicon solar-PV of 3.9 and 2.9 years, and a mean Net Energy Ratio (EROI) of 8.6 and 9.2 times, as expressed in solar energy output gain per unit of energy input, respectively.

The average time between study publication and sourced data was established at 7 years within a 2–18 year range, due to which energy input costs are typically overestimated as recent technological improvements are not captured. When filtering for studies with manufacturing data collected after 2008, the harmonized average EPT for mono- and polysilicon was found to be approximately half (e.g. 2.0 instead of 3.9) and NER (EROI) double (e.g. 14.4 instead of 7).

An input correction with recent technological improvements for all studies resulted for mono- and polysilicon solar-PV in an adjusted mean harmonized EPT of 3.5 and 2.4 years and NER (EROI) of 9.7 and 11.4 times, respectively.

@Herbert West:

In other news, Trump’s approval ratings have somewhat improved.

How’s he faking that, do you think? Maybe bribes to key people at polling companies? Or his Russian pals fiddling with online poll-taking systems?

(It’s not like anything he’s done could possibly have made his real approval ratings move in any direction but down. Since before he even threw his hat in the ring seeking a nomination as Presidential candidate. The first time, back in 2000.)

I faxed both of my senators.

Hey David, have you seen this about a Daily Caller reporter who was outed as a manospherian, red piller, race realist and all around dirtbag, Chuck Ross of Gucci Little Piggy fame?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2017/09/14/daily-caller-reporter-renounces-racist-misogynistic-writings/

Very off topic, but there is no recent open thread.

I am spending the night in my new house for the very first time tonight. It’s exciting to have a new place but also exhausting and my mental health is not the best right now. I’m swigging wine right out of the bottle and I haven’t even made my bed yet or set my alarm clock.

I reckon I should do those things.

Anyway, I needed to share. Also: the rain on the carport is … obnoxiously loud. I hope it becomes white noise eventually.

Thanks, KindaSortaHarmless. I’m slightly drunk now so I feel better already.

Thanks, Ooglyboggles.

Also, congrats to you on your self-realization. I don’t think I ever said this, so I’m saying it now. It’s hard to understand these things about ourselves so you’ve taken a very difficult step and I admire it.

Under such a system I’d either be dead, or dying. Either way I’d have had to sell my house.

@Ooglyboggles,

Thanks for the number. This time I actually went ahead and set it up while still thinking about it. Got one message out to my Senators, at least. Should be able to do more later.

@Alan,
Ooh, that’ll make a nice change, and I’m glad the statue’s of Millicent Fawcett.

OP: *groan* Trump made a fool of himself at the UN. It’s not unexpected, I suppose. USian Mammotheers have my condolences.

You also have my support in the fight to stop this ridiculous healthcare bill. It confounds my understanding that one of the wealthiest nations in the world has such a ridiculous healthcare system. People shouldn’t be dying because they can’t afford medical care, damn it! I can’t do anything, being in the U.K., but you have my support nonetheless.

Re: Maria: stay safe peeps.

r.e.:The dog video : made me laugh more than it should.