Biggest Cat?!!!!!!

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by ArtM

Indian growth is quite rampant, and they are in the process of opening up their economic and social borders with China. Even with their aggressive efforts at restricting population growth, the Chinese fertility rate falls only slightly below the US with their voluntary growth restriction program - their population is not declining (at least, not yet)

To personalize this, I ask people to think of every single adult woman they know - how many have (or are planning to have) more than 2 kids? How many have had or plan to have only 1, or none? Among educated people I've spoken to in the U.S. and Canada the consensus has been that most people know of FEW people having more than 2 kids, but know many people have 0 or 1 kids. This makes me wonder where our current population growth (if in fact we do have a positive growth) is coming from.

23 million with the amnesty pen, I understand.

(not being politically judgemental, just reading the newspaper.

[Normanby]

Apropos of property ownership; the term "Real" as in "Real Estate" is Spanish for "Royal" - i.e. the land is owned by the Crown.
I liked one of Robert Kiyosaki's missives; to paraphrase - "If you're ever feel like you "own" real estate, just stop paying your property taxes for a while. The true owners will soon be in touch with you..."

[ArtM]

Originally Posted by Normanby

Apropos of property ownership; the term "Real" as in "Real Estate" is Spanish for "Royal" - i.e. the land is owned by the Crown.
I liked one of Robert Kiyosaki's missives; to paraphrase - "If you're ever feel like you "own" real estate, just stop paying your property taxes for a while. The true owners will soon be in touch with you..."

Right. In the US, they will sell the right to collect the property tax to another citizen (this is what a "Tax Lien" is). If you don't pay it after that, that citizen can file for your deed, and get it for the cost of your owed property tax plus some legal fees. This doesn't smell like a invention of the US government, so I'm pretty sure we adopted it from the Brits, who likely carried it over the Down Under with them!

[cfarrar]

This is a fun artist's conception and nothing more. Two carriers would have much greater operational flexibility. They can undertake separate missions, work together, or rotate to maintain a constant presence on station. Two angle-deck carriers would also possess a superior launch and recovery capability. They can shoot 8 catapults at once, or they can shoot 4 catapults while simultaneously recovering aircraft in two landing areas. They don't have to worry about conflicting traffic patterns (one right hand and the other left hand), staggered parallel approaches at night or during instrument conditions, or wake turbulence in the landing area. In carrier aviation it's all about how quickly you can launch and recover aircraft.

[Barra]

Originally Posted by Normanby

Apropos of property ownership; the term "Real" as in "Real Estate" is Spanish for "Royal" - i.e. the land is owned by the Crown.
I liked one of Robert Kiyosaki's missives; to paraphrase - "If you're ever feel like you "own" real estate, just stop paying your property taxes for a while. The true owners will soon be in touch with you..."

I dont pay property taxes here in sydney - just council rates. I do wonder what would happen if i said hey dont worry about collecting my bins etc - take it off the rates but then i guess i would need to use their roads to get to a non council dump etc etc.

either way if i didnt pay rates sure they could sue for for them but they cant take my house....

[ArtM]

Originally Posted by cfarrar

This is a fun artist's conception and nothing more. Two carriers would have much greater operational flexibility. They can undertake separate missions, work together, or rotate to maintain a constant presence on station.

You don't think there would be operational value in a supercarrier with extended range and larger-aircraft capability? Such as the KC-135 looking airplane in this picture?

The interior volume on this thing could be massively larger than two carriers, meaning greater capacity for parts, supplies, crew, ordinance, and fuel (not sure whether fuel capacity is meaningful on a carrier)

I would think that these features would be valuable in extended range operations - how far do you think China needs to extend it's naval range. Let's see, there are the neighboring countries with shorelines, then there is Japan, then some tiny sandy isands with coconut trees, then... what? My geography is not too good.

[sparau]

Originally Posted by Barra

either way if i didnt pay rates sure they could sue for for them but they cant take my house....

I'm not sure how it works but i only heard the other day of an elderly person being forclosed for not paying rates (property taxes) for 20 years in country NSW, Australia.

[Barra]

Originally Posted by sparau

I'm not sure how it works but i only heard the other day of an elderly person being forclosed for not paying rates (property taxes) for 20 years in country NSW, Australia.

well we are waaaay off topic now but did a quick search on what ownership here in australia at least actually means and its pretty reassuring. We own most property as "fee simple" (check your deed) which means we bought it off the crown originally. ie we own it no ifs no buts. if the crown wants it back they have to pay us for it ala "the castle" (great movie)

If the old bloke was foreclosed then it must have been as part of a settlement where the council sued him for rates but not sure why he couldnt just arrange for a weekly payment or similar - reckon he got screwed as council rates would sit as any other debt to be collected against all your assets and future income (pension?) and usually your principal home is excluded (unless theres a mortgage and we are talking about not making payments on that).