That reminds me, I’m overdue to “descale” my coffeemaker

It’s a very small percentage of people who would come across a bear and need a weapon. Here in eastern us, you shouldn’t have them for black bears. However I can see long guns in places with grizzlies …… im not convinced it useful, but I can understand feeling threatened

That’s certainly part of it - here in the US, police need fewer guns, harder to get, better training. They need to be demilitarized. I don’t think I’m naive about what police need to be able to handle, but all too often it seems like their first reaction is to start blasting. Most police interactions by far do not need a weapon. Most do not need the escalation.

And of course a big part of that needs to be restoring “qualified” to “qualified immunity”. The current blanket immunity makes bad situations worse

Before the current political climate I would have said it should be a lot harder to get a weapon (except maybe a long gun), and we need to reduce the quantity at least three orders of magnitude (thousandth).

But the current political climate really makes it a stark choice. My visceral reaction is that with the gestapo kidnapping people off the street and sending them to remote gulags, the suspension of due process and constitutional rights, political leadership holding themselves above the law …. We really need guns. All of them. For everyone, to defend against tyrants as the gpframers f the constitution intended

Then I came to my senses. My more considered reaction is the anger, divisiveness, bigotry, and general craziness accepted out in the open, is just going to lead to untold deaths, feuds, more spite and anger, more lawlessness. We need to send Sherman through the south, confiscating all firearms

When I was in a similar situation, I wish I thought of “one way”. I realized after the fact that many people were walking one way to the store but taking a taxi back with their load of groceries. However I have no idea whether it was actually affordable or if that was their only choice.

You should look into that. How affordable is a taxi if you only take it one direction?

As an American I’m still not convinced.

Apple successfully sold themselves as a better choice, the “in”thing - to adults. Most adults I know have iPhones and the ones who don’t seem self-conscious about it. It might have partly to do with Android phones originally sold as the budget alternative. We’re the shallow ones.

Kids can take their cues from adults: they see iPhones as the “better”, more desired choice. But also take it to the next level, with teasing and bullying.

I find it hard to believe anyone cares about the color of text bubbles, especially since kids don’t use iMessage, despite all the media making that claim. It’s just an excuse, but the social stigma is real

The specific request is kind of interesting - when I was a kid, everyone had to wear Nikes or get teased. However for my kids, Nikes were always out.

Fads always come in cycles

Competency implies having some qualification other than loyalty, listening to subject matter experts, considering consequences. The result of competency could easily be just a matter of degree and awareness.

For example, tariffs can be a powerful tool for addressing specific trade inequities or supporting local production, especially in conjunction with other tools. Many US administrations have successfully used them. Only an incompetent buffoon would just throw them down everywhere all at once as the only tool, or as a bullying tactic.

And some turnip brain has thrown down a random slalom course of giant boulders of tariffs, terrorizing immigrant labor, and a full clown car of national “leadership” whose only qualification is personal loyalty

That makes sense. Thanks for helping clarify

When someone says you stand like you have a stick up your ass, they mean the other way. It should help keep you vertical

It’s perfectly legal to install a 240v outlet. They’re most common for electric stoves and dryers, but you also see them for machine equipment in a garage or workshop, air conditioners, electric heaters. There’s no reason you couldn’t have one in a kitchen.

Finding an appliance to use it might be different. Not only would an appliance for another place be designed for different electrical system (eg 50Hz instead of 60 Hz) but there would be none of the typical certifications and it would have a different plug. Technically there’s nothing stopping you, but you’re probably past the threshold of plausible deniability.

That being said, it was tempting!

Maybe I read this differently than you. I don’t see this as volunteering personal time, but asking people during their work time to help iwith a different job. Not that the article says either way, but volunteering personal time seems unlikely

https://www.amazon.com/Radio-S-Localized-Programming-Emergency-External/dp/B0BTM29SZB

But the question is deaths by car and you don’t need to entirely get rid of cars to make a huge difference.

• inspections. It boggles the mind that some places don’t have them

Traffic calming really can work. I’m not talking about speed bumps, but things like curb bumps to narrow the road at intersection while increasing pedestrian visibility, traffic islands, roundabouts. Even repainting lines can make a difference. My town’s master plan is driven by accident stats, so every road rework is a noticeable improvement

A couple years ago my town repainted a two lane road into one lane plus turn lanes. Now traffic is slower and calmer yet you get through that area more quickly. Most importantly it’s no longer one of the most dangerous roads in town

Most recently they built a median. This was a dangerous intersection because it always backed up so impatient people would blast straight through in the turn lanes, causing accidents. Now they can’t

And yes, because of Florida Man, my town built medians at every railroad crossing so idiots can’t go around the gates. We never had that problem, but idiocy is contagious.

Every city and town can make a difference. Now. Relatively cheaply. Just by collecting accident data and prioritizing by that. Just by making small changes a little at a time

My ex is on one of those for blood sugar. She’s not losing weight but she said it made a significant difference controlling her blood sugar.

On the other hand her Dad is also on one of those for blood sugar but he’s never hungry and forgets to eat for days so has lost too much weight. It’s to the point where the doctor said anything he wants, load him up on chips and ice cream if necessary to get him back to a healthy weight

As someone working in a hospital, how are you not on every vaccine, especially those for world travelers? If someone picks up something unusual from a different part of the world, they will be going to the hospital, they will be exposing you to it

That’s a bit of an edge case but why not? If they earn enough to live the way they want, are secure from immediate financial catastrophe, and can afford some luxuries, then maybe they are wealthy, despite being subsistence

Meanwhile someone can earn a nice fat six figure salary but be over mortgaged for house and car, not living comfortably, and paycheck to paycheck on the edge of financial disaster. They’re poor, despite it being by their poor choices

Wealth is freedom from want and financial anxiety

Maybe I was looking at the bougie ones then.

My kettle is glass and stainless, and everyone I noticed was either glass or stainless. Plastic is only on. The outside: lid and base, and you’re not drinking out of those

My pour over funnel is silicone. Like plastic but different. Assuming it’s food grade, less likely to be harmful