Military Commission

ELI5 - What is a "commission"? As in "Non-Commissioned Officer"? And what happens when an NCO receives this commission?

An officer's commission is a formal document issued by a nation's head of state, granting legal authority to an individual to serve as a commissioned officer in the military. Commissioned Officers (COs) hold command authority directly from this commission, making strategic decisions and bearing ultimate legal responsibility for their units. Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) are enlisted personnel who assume leadership roles, executing orders and leading small units under the delegated authority of commissioned officers, but without the command authority of a CO. Warrant Officers (WOs) are specialized experts in their fields, positioned between NCOs and COs, with both technical proficiency and limited command responsibilities, often focused on specific technical or tactical areas. The key difference lies in the source and extent of their authority: COs derive theirs directly from the state, NCOs through delegation, and WOs through their expertise and technical roles.

By Alex 1 year ago

Military Commission

ELI5 - What is a "commission"? As in "Non-Commissioned Officer"? And what happens when an NCO receives this commission?

In the military, you can join as enlisted or commissioned. Enlisted soldiers start without formal education and can rise to become Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), who lead troops and ensure orders are executed. Commissioned officers, like the young lieutenant in war movies, start with education and command roles but rely on the seasoned wisdom of NCOs, like Sarge or Chief. Ideally, a leader would have both deep education and extensive experience, but that's impractical, so the military pairs educated officers with experienced NCOs to create an effective leadership team. Historically, classism influenced this divide, but now it's about combining strategic knowledge with practical expertise.

By drollparadox7655 1 year ago

Bank

ELI5 - How do they get profit besides interest? What do they do with our money inside of it?

Banks don't store your money per se, they borrow it and agree that they owe it back to you. They use deposits to fund loans and investments, earning returns by charging higher interest on loans (e.g., 5% on auto loans) than they pay on deposits (e.g., 1% on savings). The difference is their profit.

Less liquid accounts like CDs offer higher interest because banks can lock in those funds for longer-term, higher-yield investments. While banks keep some cash for withdrawals, a mass demand—like in a bank run—would exceed reserves, forcing them to unwind investments and call in loans, which isn't instantly possible.

By Alex 10 months ago

Short Squeeze

ELI5 - What is a short squeeze and how does it work?

A short squeeze occurs when the price of a heavily shorted stock suddenly rises sharply. Short sellers, who have borrowed shares to sell them in hopes of buying them back in the future at a lower price, find themselves facing potentially infinite losses as the stock’s price climbs. To limit these losses, short sellers scramble to buy back shares to return to lenders, which further increases the stock’s demand and therefore its price.

By Alex 1 year ago

Canning

ELI5 - How does meat stored in cans/packets not rot? How can canned tuna sit on a shelf for 2-3 years before it goes bad?

When food is canned, either in a metal can or a sealed jar, the container is first sanitized, and the food is sealed inside. After sealing, the entire package is heated to kill any remaining bacteria. This creates a vacuum environment where no new bacteria can grow, keeping the food fresh. This method applies whether it's beans, tuna, soup, or any other canned food. Because no bacteria can enter the sealed container, the food can't spoil. The expiration date on canned foods isn't about safety but about quality. Even after this date, the food typically remains safe to eat, though its taste and texture might gradually decline.

By Alex 1 year ago

Brexit

ELI5 - What was Brexit and why was it bad? Or good?

Brexit was the UK's decision to leave the European Union (EU)—a political and economic alliance allowing countries to easily trade, travel, and share common laws. In 2016, the UK narrowly voted (52% to 48%) to exit, with supporters arguing it would allow Britain more control over immigration, save money on EU contributions, and let the UK independently negotiate global trade deals. Opponents warned it would disrupt trade, raise prices, create labor shortages, and weaken Britain's international influence. After officially leaving in January 2020, the UK faced ongoing issues like complicated trade procedures, especially around Northern Ireland’s border with Ireland, economic slowdowns, and continued debate over Brexit’s long-term value.

By Alex 1 year ago

Urban Dictionary

ELI5 - What's so great about Urban Dictionary anyway?

Urban Dictionary is a website founded in 1999 by Aaron Peckham. Its original purpose was to create a crowd-sourced dictionary of slang words not found in traditional dictionaries; however it has grown to include definitions of words of all different subject matter, with over 7 million in total.

Its simple voting system uses upvotes and downvotes to rank words, presenting the most relevant definitions first, and removing bad definitions all together.

Urban Dictionary remains a valuable reference tool for informal words, but is also used for entertainment. Many of the definitions on the site include memes or a sarcastic humor, such as the definition of a programmer as a, "Machine that converts caffeine to code."

By drollparadox7655 2 years ago