I didn't realize they were running two sets of this argument in here. For what it's worth, you're right. An orbital impact ejection in low earth orbit creates an eccentric orbit where the debris skims even lower in the atmosphere than it would have in a circular orbit, dragging it out of the sky far faster than it would have otherwise. And while the debris could hit a satellite in a higher and therefore more problematic orbit, it's so wildly unlikely that it's not meaningful to consider.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure they blocked me, so I figured I'd send a distant affirmation of support.

It wasn't until I got to the cigarettes and cunts as currency that I realized this was not a particularly hardcore monologue from Gravity Falls, a popular show I had not watched, but Gravity's Rainbow. Great excerpt though.

Even the most well trained and socialized cats will still bite or scratch sometimes when excited or startled. Pretty much every cat owner has a story where their cat suddenly zoomed across them with claws out or randomly chomped instead of play biting. It's going to happen eventually, and that goes double with an undomesticated predator.

There's a reason why zookeepers are extremely careful with large cats, even when they raised them from cubs. No amount of professional socialization makes them safe.

You're saying that like cats socialized with humans never once bite or scratch hard enough to harm. It's not the thousands of play bites that are the problem, it's when they randomly crunch down and unmake your shoulder instead of making you dig out the neosporin.

"Hey, it's cold out here!"

That said, I'm somewhat in awe of your standards given its thirty foot tall height.

Alright, but that's not what the article says. I even went back and the read the first of the three-parter, where the businesses they interviewed confidently stated

MP’s Rosenthal, USA Rare Earth’s Althaus and McCarthy all said their companies — or proposed companies — could withstand a price war brought on by China. Which fundamentally requires China not be selling at a loss, unless it's actually cheaper to mine and refine rare earths in the US than it is in China.

The closest thing to what you claimed was a snippet from the 100-day government review stating that “China does not operate on market principles of cost or pricing structure.” According to your own source, they never drove anyone out of business or sold at loss, they just happened to be the first to invest in rare earth production and processing, and nobody else wanted to build the facilities for it. At worst they provided subsidies, just like the US which also ignored market principles of cost or pricing structure, and allocated 400 million (Defense Production Act) to develop local mines and refineries.

More than anything your article series blames a 1980 government regulation that requires US mines to seal mine leavings or risk liability for mishandling thorium.

... Do you have a source for that, because it kinda seems like you made it up.

Feels like the first piece of good news I've read in days.

This is the funniest thing I've read all day. Just the fact that you think companies will just swallow lost profits instead of bleeding actual customers (that being you and me) dry.

China is the world's second largest economy and they make all their own stuff. The entire US market is only 15% of their exports. That, with a centrally managed economy means that they can easily ride out the trade war while the US burns to the ground.

There is, but it's basically made up to support the notion that it's very difficult to stay rich. It's actually very rare for subsequent generations to lose inherited wealth, it just gets partitioned out so there are dozens or hundreds of rich people instead of one disgustingly wealthy individual.

Similar to lottery winners losing everything, it makes a much bigger headline when one loses everything despite it being incredibly uncommon.

Probably not, because they aren't soldiers. Private military contractors and random citizens can be found fighting all over the world. If China's military got involved in Ukraine it would be an enormous geopolitical issue that would be akin to shooting itself in the face for an unreliable partner.

Yeah, I excitedly checked out the environmental, non-google, private search engine I'd never heard of, only to discover that Ecosia "only" shares all your data with Google and Microsoft Bing, as it uses their search engines and ad services. They do plant trees, but, their website doesn't even pretend to be interested in privacy or avoiding Google.

No idea what that walnut is smoking.