#discussion about

[justinmontgomery]

https://www.homeworkminutes.com/questions/general-questions/442036-GC-PCN505-Week-2-Discussion-1-2/

[mrsbluebertgreggleson]

In 2014, the Defense Department spent $41.6 million on Viagra.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday cited “tremendous medical costs” as one of the reasons he will no longer allow transgender people to serve in the U.S. military.

Since the 2016 Pentagon decision that allowed trans people to openly serve in the military, health care costs have risen by between $2.4 million and $8.4 million a year, according to one estimate. A separate study from 2015 predicted that additional health care costs for trans soldiers would come to just $5.6 million a year ― “little more than a rounding error” in the context of the military’s nearly $50 billion health care budget.

For perspective, here are a few other things that cost way, way more than health care expenses for trans troops:

Trump’s trips to his properties

Since becoming president, Trump has spent 25 days at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach, Florida. Estimates on the cost of a single trip range from $1 million to $3.6 million.

Congress also allocated $41 million to reimburse places that Trump visits, like Palm Beach and Bedminster, New Jersey, where he owns another club. The funds cover security costs when Trump comes to town, which he has done frequently.

Trump security

The New York Police Department spent $24 million from Election Day until the inauguration to protect Manhattan’s Trump Tower. The city’s fire department expects to spend another $4.5 million on security there in 2017. The Los Angeles Times estimates that travel and protection costs for the Trump family during Trump’s first 100 days in office came to at least $30 million ― compared to an average $12 million a year for President Barack Obama and his family.

A border wall with Mexico

An internal report by the Department of Homeland Security estimated that building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border would cost $21.6 billion. Senate Democrats have estimated the wall, one of Trump’s signature campaign promises, could cost $70 billion to build and $150 million a year to maintain.

Erectile dysfunction medication

In 2014, the Defense Department spent $41.6 million on Viagra and $84.24 million in total on erectile dysfunction medication. From 2011 until 2015, the Defense Department spent $294 million on erectile dysfunction drugs, according to the Military Times.

Wasteful spending

A Defense Department study last year found the Pentagon could save $125 billion over five years by making its operations more lean. Officials buried the report amid concerns that lawmakers would use it as an excuse to cut defense spending.

A “clean coal” plant

A Mississippi “clean coal” operation conceived under President George W. Bush closed last month, having cost $7.5 billion in all. The plant was supposed to provide a viable energy alternative, but it failed.

Article published July 26, 2017.

[ligerzeroschneider]

Hey! I don't know why, but the Liger Zero, whenever I take pictures, always looks pink. The red is slightly darker than a Coca Cola can, for reference. It's just something about the lighting in the photos, because the Shield Liger is much lighter in the pictures too. I've changed my phone settings, but it always looks lighter. I'll have to find a way to make a more accurate photo of the LZ.

Maybe because you’re using a phone? I don’t know much about phone cameras, but could it be on some setting where it tries to correct color? (Nvm, for some reason my brain didn’t actually process that ) Or maybe it just isn’t the quality needed? I saw it as red in the picture where it is in the background. But the other ones I totally thought it was a hot pink Liger Zero! (which isn’t bad, that would totally look awesome). 

Anyways, maybe try taking photos outside if possible? I know for my camera (a small one, nothing fancy), it does best in brighter, natural light (though in the shade, if it is really bright out). Also make sure to have the sun to your back, since the bright laptop screen facing the camera made it hard to see the Shield Liger. And a white background might help too?

 But I’m no photography expert, and that is about the extent of my knowledge I’ve gathered from experimenting and others. I just know that our older camera would often screw up the colors on my models when I tried to photograph them inside, so it could totally just be the poor quality. XD Maybe others have some better advice?

[zhaozhou]

"Yes, people need to be calibrated so that they can hear the music in the way that it was intended to be heard. If all you've ever listened to is pop music then the nature of the vocals is going to be way more distracting than intended. The surface harshness will be impenetrable for the first time listener. Also, one has to abandon assumptions about what the music is supposed to be before one can let the music show what it's really about. Then, there's the simple fact that a lot of metal is just too complex to understand on the first listen."

"Its like coffee. No one starts out drinking black coffee. You drink it with cream and sugar and flavoring with friends at night until you acquire the taste. Soon you'll just be drinking it with a few ice cubes so it doesn't burn when you guzzle it in the morning to wake up."

"There's just way too much to absorb in an extreme metal song. Unlike a pop song which is structured to cater to the ADD generation (short song, chorus comes in quick, simple), you won't be able to fully appreciate a song with just one listen. Almost every extreme metal song I listen to nowadays requires multiple listens before I actually enjoy it."