I get what you're talking about, but this always seemed like a petty point to me... yes perhaps the correct technical terminology is a "suppressor" but in legal documents it's referred to as a silencer, and in colloquial use by 99% of the population that isn't ex-military or involved in gun culture then "suppressor"…

I just gave you an example where the government of Canada does subsidize groceries, because under particular geographic circumstances it makes sense.

As I also outlined in my first response to you, given the government track record on efficiency, I don't foresee a slippery-slope slide into government-store-everything,…

Look, the federal government already subsidizes fuel production, to make it cheaper for consumers. We've already agreed as a society that fuel is something we all use (for everything), and we're willing to spend our collective tax dollars on it.

But what exactly are you arguing, that the government should never enter…

I this topic has topic has been done to death in all these comments, but to answer your question "if the city city came in and said..." : yes.

If there are services the government could provide (especially essential ones, like gas) better than private companies, I think they can (and should). I understand that a…

My folks had some suburban neighbours who were police officers, and they had a few big dogs, and the dogs were loud but whatever- the problem was they had various water fowl which ran around their swimming pool (ewwwwwww), and the untrained dogs barked at and threatened the birds, and on one occasion ate one: cloud of…

Can you talk in confidence to someone who is an administrative role, like a secretary you are on good terms with? They would know the official policies, so that when you tell the program director the news you can frame it the right way.... I think medical leave (perhaps they might require a note) is generally in it's…

It's actually somewhat of a cultural myth too about the Germans.... FKK (Free Body Culture in German) was an Eastern thing, and while many Germans do swim naked it's by no means a universal thing on every beach, and it really depends on the beach (and also the crowd, and location: at your cottage vs Berlin beach)...…

And this is why after clubbing in Germany I will probably not do so anywhere else... hell, the best clubs in Berlin do have an aesthetic and strict door policy, but that aesthetic is jeans and a black t shirt, knowing the name of the performance, and not being dressed-up because it's all about the music and dancing…

Japan is buying 42 F-35s, and participating in parts manufacturing (as someone else pointed out they will be making Japanese versions of the electronics systems), so actually this Mitsubishi airplane is expected to benefit from shared knowledge derived from the F-35 program.

France and England have pretty sizeable armed forces... and French COIN operations are top notch; the other countries of Western Europe at least have militaries using advanced equipment although small in size.

The order was so far only tentative, and there are as of yet no cancellation fees.

See that's what I'm not convinced of "that institutions in effect have adapted to nature, not the other way around." I think you're taking for granted that the physical requirement as presently stated by the army/marines are the only standards possible- because we know that the present standards have problems (like…

I feel though that the solution is to re-examine the physical standards and physical activity practices of the army: it's not about "watering down" the army/marines, but being smarter about the system as a whole works. The often cited "marching with 100 pound packs" example is perfect: because it's a figure that has…

Good luck! Toronto can be a really expensive city- but it's also very large, so don't be discouraged at first, just keep looking around till you find something.... I don't know where the cool kids live these days, but they can't all be paying $1000 month rent. The music scene is also supposed to be pretty good, but…

Champ. +1

Is it possible to visit the city before hand? Honestly having internationally swapped cities four times in the past six years, even the "tough" markets aren't that bad as long as you're diligent about sending out emails (sometimes alot of emails- and of good quality, not 20 copy-pastes)... and really search out new…

My Canadian highschool (near Toronto) changed its mascot from "Redmen" in the early 2000s because it is totally racist. :/

As an another ex-pat in Berlin (student!) you're both right... I see/hear "Nazi" and "Neo-Nazi both used interchangeably here... I suppose to American English speakers though the term "Nazi" refers only to the historical figures and not really contemporary ones, and so (with the prefix) "Neo-Nazi" would always be used…

Not sure about reggae, but Germany has since the 80's had its own German-language native hip-hop scene, which while obviously influenced by American culture, it is its own thing now (with local topics etc). It's also very popular... so like anything other culture medium I guess some assholes make a racist version of…

This is a bit of a myth about Europe though... cause like nudity depends greatly on where you are, even in Germany which is infamous for nudity (hahaha)- it's much more an east German thing than a western thing because of cultural reasons (the "Free Body Culture" movement specifically), and it also depends on rural vs…