Hrm. No one has mentioned the decline of middle class wages.
I remember in the ... late 70s/early 80s my mother would drag us to the mall nearly every weekend. She was there to buy clothes. She always wanted something new and she wanted to try on at least a dozen items before buying one or two. I was thrilled when I was old enough to go off to the record store and/or hobby store while she did that. Earlier, I begged to go the the toy store, but was typically refused. Later, I was at the book store getting paperback scifi.
I don't think people have as much disposable income as they did then. I don't know many people who can buy as much frivolous stuff as my folks used to. I guess I could technically buy stuff all the time, but I want to save fore retirement. My folks had pensions. I have to put it away myself.
Sadly, the effect of not voting for one of the 2 candidates is to intensify the power of the most extreme views. Say 100 people can vote. 25 on each side are going to vote for their party no matter what. 20 want something crazy in one direction and 20 in the other direction, and both sides are likely to protest and/or not vote if their guy doesn't pander to them. That leaves 10 persuadable people -- mostly people who are busy with other stuff and not paying attention to the minutia of various policies and the likely after effects they will cause.
What is a candidate to do? They pander to the crazies. They can hardly bother to assuage the persuadables because those folks aren't paying attention anyway. They have to go after the people who might bail if they aren't appeased. I hate the system, but there it is.
I have my TV, sound system, and computer all in my living room. They all use the same amplifier and speakers. Would that work for your situation?
I used to visit communities like you did, then I took an arrow in the knee.
But no, seriously, if you don't like the how people are talking, don't bother going there. I don't know people who use Steam's community hubs for actual community. I see them getting used for info/joke sharing about their given games, but not for social bonding. Personally, I like the guides. Sometimes I search the discussions for a piece of information on an issue that I'm hoping someone else has already encountered and worked around. That's about it.
That said, I generally don't mind that people make memes. If it makes them happy, then good for them! If other people get a chuckle, that's even better. For me -- and like my opening line -- any amusement quickly turns to eye rolls as the same things get repeated over and over and were never very funny from the start.
Both tburkhol and I posted about Coon Chicken Inn -- a place for white people BY white people with a denigrating caricature of a black man as their logo (on their delivery vehicles, menu, and even entrances).
spujb links to the chicken stereotype.
It is one thing for a group of people to choose what food to serve themselves, and something else when an oppressed group is mocked, denied rights, and then illustrated as liking foods that EVERYONE likes as if those foods are somehow a hilarious thing for them to eat. Side note: Sooo many places serve fried chicken that the only reason it is racist is associations like Coon Chicken Inn (and the racism leading to its creation). Lots of BBQ places in particular serve collards as well as Caribbean spots. Jollof is specifically African (not American). If I see Jollof or Fufu on the menu, I'm hoping for cassava leaves instead of collards, but I understand it isn't as available in the U.S.
Came here to say that. Barring a few contrarians, EVERYONE likes both watermelon and fried chicken. I know vegetarians who will admit that fried chicken tastes fantastic, even if they no longer eat it.
I also wanted to link to some info about the "Coon Chicken Inn" chain -- founded by a white guy, of course.
- http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/coon_chicken.htm
- https://jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/links/essays/chicken.htm
No, but if you use natural peanut butter (even Costco has natural peanut butter) and an actual a whole wheat bread without all the additives, it isn't the worst meal. Maybe throw a sliced banana in there to help round it out.
Also, the low-sodium soup base is still rather salty, so you end up with a dip that has more than enough salt to go with (also salty) potato chips -- and even enough salt for a crudites dip to serve with celery/carrot sticks or whatever.
Oops, I will edit the post to be more specific. I mean the Kirkland brand "Organic No-Salt Seasoning" in the 15.5 oz square plastic jar.
I usually make dip with a packet of soup mix powder, but I was out so I did the following and it turned out well -- and since it was mostly with Coscto items, I thought I'd post here.
All measurements were eyeballed, so change as you desire:
- 10oz frozen chopped spinach (cut spinach is too stringy, but if you want to use a food processor, you could use either, or substitute fresh spinach, kale, Yu Choy, Dau Miu, or anything else -- or skip completely)
- 1 cup mayonnaise (from the giant jug taking up all that refrigerator space)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1-2 tsp "Better Than Bullion" "Seasoned Vegetable Base" ("Organic Reduced Sodium") soup starter -- this is in the spice aisle and any variety will do
- 1 tsp Kirkland "Organic No-Salt Seasoning" -- also in the spice aisle
- a chunk of a pepper, minced (Italian long hot) -- can sub red bell pepper, another hot pepper, or omit
- 2-3 fresh garlic cloves, minced (or skip if you don't love garlic)
Optional stuff you might like: chives/scallions/red onion, goat cheese, artichoke hearts, chopped mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, or go traditional and fry up a good sized onion until it is brown and caramelized to make more of a traditional 'french onion' dip.
Directions:
-
In a small mixing bowl, microwave frozen spinach until warm, then lightly squeeze out excess water. It should be damp (to absorb the no-salt spice mix), but not so wet that the dip becomes soupy. If using a fresh veg, cook as desired.
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Add No-Salt Seasoning and Better Than Bullion to vegetable and mix together. Taste to ensure a bold flavor (the flavor will be softened by the dip base, but also bloom a bit as the dehydrated bits absorb moisture).
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Add garlic and fresh bell/chili/long-hot pepper, and any optional items you desire. Mix. If you are using a food processor, this is a good time to pulse everything together ... but you can also wait until the end if you need more bulk to mix properly.
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Add the sour cream and mayonnaise. Stir together. Add optional ingredients as desired. Refrigerate for an hour. Note: You can it serve immediately, but it is weird to have warm dip for potato chips.
It depends on the weather and the cost. I remember when gas stations offered "full service" or "self service". Full service cost more per gallon, but in addiction to pumping gas, they cleaned your windshield, checked your oil and wiper fluid levels, and might even put air in your tires if they were obviously low. If you wanted it done for you, you paid more. Seemed fair. These days, gas is cheaper in New Jersey than surrounding states, so you pay LESS to have someone else take care of you.
I'm one of the old people. I WAS a speed runner. About 40 years ago, I got a union job as a cashier. The customer put their items on the belt, the cashier scanned the items, and the bagger sorted the items and put them in paper or plastic bags. Cashiers were required to memorize the produce codes and process at MINIMUM 30 items per minute. The timer ran from the moment you unlocked your register to the moment you relocked it or opened the drawer. You would leave your register locked while the customer started putting things on the belt. You greet them and make a mental note of what sort of items are where while the belt brings the load to you. Once the belt is at least half full, you'd unlock the register and start grabbing and scanning items in a fluid motion that passed them over the scanner and on towards the bagger -- sorting as best you could as you went. As soon as you were done, you'd hit 'total' and lock the register until the customer was ready to pay. You'd help the bagger and chat while this happened. Then the customer would hand over cash or check (they were just starting to do credit and debit in grocercy stores so those weren't common), so you'd unlock the register, take their payment, open the register and get change. Your best speeds were always going to be for express checkout (10 items or less), but there is a cruel loop in that because managers schedule fast people for express, but you won't be as fast unless you get scheduled there.
As I recall, we didn't get to see our items-per-minute until the end of the day -- not per-transaction, but it was still fun to see who had the best scores.
As a customer, I NEVER use self-checkout because: 1) I'm not working if you aren't paying me, and 2) every time I've tried to use self-checkout, the machines could never, ever keep up with me. Sometimes the issue was the bagging area was trying to weigh things, sometimes the scanners themselves were bad/slow, and sometimes ... I don't know, the dang machines are just barely working? Anyway, it is never worth it for me. Additionally, I find it better to do my own bagging than to allow anyone else to do it.
Side note: The typical bagger can not bag as fast as a cashier can scan because they have to wait for: cans on the bottom/bread on the top, frozen in one bag/lettuce no where near frozen, detergents and chemicals by themselves/pet foods also by themselves.
“tell me something you accomplished or learned this year”
That's gonna sound hostile to a good chunk of people. Rather than asking 'what', it demands 'tell me'. Next, it supposes the other person be accomplished in act or learning. It is the difference between saying, "How you doin'?" and "Prove you are worth my attention."
When asked for my favorite color or song, I figure the person wants to talk and is looking for a way to start (or continue) a conversation. Maybe the person is just bored and looking for something to talk about. Maybe they are hoping I wax rhapsodical about how how awesome my song is and my detailed evidence proving why all must acknowledge its true greatness. Okay, strike that last bit. No one wants me to go one that long.
Not new, but I use my electric blanket as a foot-warmer all winter long. It is more properly a 'throw' since it isn't big enough to be a blanket. Using it now. I can keep the heat lower as long as my feet are toasty.
Good point.
Well, if you ARE in the US, here's a sample 2.1 cable for $5
I generally agree except I try not to shop Amazon. For stuff like this, monoprice is my jam.
I love Amy Good, I love Democracy NOW! That said, Russian disinformation in the US is always going to be different from US disinformation in the US. At the very least, when the US does it, it'll benefit a rich American rather than a rich Russian.
If you trust this source, it turns out that it is pretty easy to see your camera feed even if your camera is off: https://techxplore.com/news/2024-02-camera-hackers-spy-cameras-walls.html
I read about it on lemmy, too. I guess I -- or one of us -- should have cross posted it here from its .world source: https://lemmy.world/post/12081766
Edit to add excerpts:
Results vary on how far away someone would have to be in order to eavesdrop on these different devices. For some, a peeping Tom would have to be less than 1 foot away; for others, they could be as far away as 16 feet.
For consumers, Fu says a plastic lens cover might not be guaranteed to protect you—infrared signals can still get through them––but it is a good first step to battling this kind of cyberthreat.
I think it is getting downvoted because most things you buy (like toasters and shoes) can be used once you buy them. Nothing keeps you from continuing to use them after purchase. Even with computers, you agree to the OS license on purchase/install, and then you get to keep using it. At least historically, if a new update has a new license, you could refuse the upgrade and keep using the old version. For recurring payment items like monthly subscriptions, it makes sense that you can't keep the original terms, but for one-time purchases, you should not have to change what you bought unless they are willing to take it back for a full refund.
cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/12136649
> politico archive: https://ghostarchive.org/archive/PS7WH > > see also: https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-politics/ap-supreme-court-moving-quickly-will-decide-if-trump-can-be-prosecuted-in-election-interference-case/ | thehill archive: https://ghostarchive.org/archive/W6bFe > > Excerpts (politico): > > In Wednesday’s order, the Supreme Court granted Trump’s emergency request to maintain that pause while the justices hear Trump’s immunity appeal. > > > But the court’s decision to keep the pretrial proceedings frozen is a blow to special counsel Jack Smith’s effort to bring Trump to trial this year. Smith has charged Trump with four felonies stemming from his bid to subvert the 2020 presidential election. > > > If they deny the immunity bid by the end of their term in June, it may still be possible for the trial judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, to schedule a trial to begin in late summer or fall. > > > > The timing of the justices’ eventual ruling could be critical since Chutkan has vowed to give Trump roughly three additional months to prepare for trial if the case is returned to her courtroom. > > > That hypothetical schedule would guarantee that much of Trump’s general election calendar is consumed by his mandatory presence in the courtroom, perhaps overlapping with the Republican National Convention or even Election Day itself. > > > Chutkan had originally intended to begin the election-subversion trial on March 4, but she nixed that start date due to the delays caused by Trump’s immunity claim. The trial, if it happens, is expected to last several months. > > > Excerpts (thehill): > > That timetable is much faster than usual, but assuming the justices deny Trump’s immunity bid, it’s not clear whether a trial can be scheduled and concluded before the November election. Early voting in some states will begin in September. > > > In the end, the timing of a possible trial could come down to how quickly the justices rule. They have shown they can act fast, issuing a decision in the Watergate tapes case in 1974 just 16 days after hearing arguments. The decision in Bush v. Gore came the day after arguments in December 2000. > > > > By taking up the legally untested question now, the justices have created a scenario of uncertainty that special counsel Jack Smith had sought to avoid when he first asked the high court in December to immediately intervene. In his latest court filing, Smith had suggested arguments a full month earlier than the late April timeframe. > > > Though their Supreme Court filing did not explicitly mention the upcoming November election or Trump’s status as the Republican primary front-runner, prosecutors described the case as having “unique national importance” and said that “delay in the resolution of these charges threatens to frustrate the public interest in a speedy and fair verdict.”
A binder containing highly classified information related to Russian election interference went missing at the end of Donald Trump’s presidency, raising alarms among intelligence officials.
Archive link | Excerpts: > A binder containing highly classified information related to Russian election interference went missing at the end of Donald Trump’s presidency, raising alarms among intelligence officials that some of the most closely guarded national security secrets from the US and its allies could be exposed, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. > > Its disappearance, which has not been previously reported, was so concerning that intelligence officials briefed Senate Intelligence Committee leaders last year about the missing materials and the government’s efforts to retrieve them, the sources said.
-----
> The former president had ordered it brought there so he could declassify a host of documents related to the FBI’s Russia investigation. Under the care of then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, the binder was scoured by Republican aides working to redact the most sensitive information so it could be declassified and released publicly.
> Instead, copies initially sent out were frantically retrieved at the direction of White House lawyers demanding additional redactions.
> Just minutes before Joe Biden was inaugurated, Meadows rushed to the Justice Department to hand-deliver a redacted copy for a last review. Years later, the Justice Department has yet to release all of the documents, despite Trump’s declassification order. Additional copies with varying levels of redactions ended up at the National Archives. > > But an unredacted version of the binder containing the classified raw intelligence went missing amid the chaotic final hours of the Trump White House. The circumstances surrounding its disappearance remain shrouded in mystery.
---------
> One theory has emerged about the binder’s whereabouts. > > Cassidy Hutchinson, one of Meadows’ top aides, testified to Congress and wrote in her memoir that she believes Meadows took home an unredacted version of the binder. She said it had been kept in Meadows’ safe and that she saw him leave with it from the White House. > > “I am almost positive it went home with Mr. Meadows,” Hutchinson told the January 6 committee in closed-door testimony, according to transcripts released last year. > > A lawyer for Meadows, however, strongly denies that Meadows mishandled any classified information at the White House, saying any suggestion Meadows was responsible for classified information going missing was “flat wrong.”
Penn says president Liz Magill is staying put while rebukes increase over her comments on antisemitism on campus made on Capitol Hill earlier this week.
Excerpt: > “President Magill’s actions in front of Congress were an embarrassment to the university, its student body, and its vast network of proud alumni,” the six congressmen wrote in a news release. “She has shown the university and the entire world that she is either incapable or unwilling to combat antisemitism on the university’s campus and take care of its student body. As such, I respectfully call on you to relieve President Magill of her duties as president to protect the lives of Jewish American students at the University of Pennsylvania.”
cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/10115569
> > Norman Lear, the television writer and producer who introduced political and social commentary into situation comedy with “All in the Family” and other shows, proving that it was possible to be topical as well as funny while attracting millions of viewers, died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 101. > > > >His death was confirmed by Lara Bergthold, a spokeswoman for the family.
Denny Laine, who founded the Moody Blues before helping Paul McCartney kickstart Wings, has died after a short battle with a lung disease.
cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/10112418
> >Denny Laine, the original lead singer of the Moody Blues and Paul McCartney’s co-founder/guitarist in Wings, died December 5 after a short battle with Interstitial lung disease. He was 79. > > > >“I was at his bedside holdings his hand as I played his favorite Christmas songs for him,” his wife Elizabeth Hines wrote in a statement. “My world will never be the same. Denny was an amazingly wonderful person, so loving and sweet to me. He made my days colorful, fun, and full of life – just like him.”
Kmart removed the festive-themed bag from sale after a Jewish group raised the likeness to Hamas.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/5301538
> Archived version: https://archive.ph/BayAw > Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20231109053322/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-67361888
Costco warehouse customers often get free samples of cheese and beef jerky. But members who fill their prescriptions online at Costco pharmacies allegedly get their
The main allegation is that Costco lets Meta collect communications related to health care from its website, violating HIPAA and effectively acting as a wiretap of the customer.
The first lawsuit was news earlier in October, and the new one from the 25th appears to be similar. Links to first suit:
- https://www.classaction.org/news/costco-uses-tracking-tech-to-disclose-online-pharmacy-customers-health-info-to-third-parties-class-action-alleges
- https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/costco-lawsuit-customer-health-information-meta-18420718.php
With Halloween drawing near, Costco has pulled out all the stops with holiday spirit with spooky-themed desserts -- including a webbed and oozing Bundt cake
I got the "Spooky Chocolate Bundt" cake from my local Costco and absolutely hated it. To me, it wasn't chocolatey and the over-sweet icing tasted off. My better half thought it was delightful, so it'll get eaten but not by me. If you've tried it, please let us know which of us is right.
P.S. the only link I could find with an image was the linked yahoo piece.
When a historic coastal town in Hawaii was overrun by fire, many residents fled for their lives — but there was nowhere to go.
excerpts:
... As the fire spread further into town, the problems multiplied: Hydrants ran dry as the community’s water system collapsed, according to firefighters. Powerful sirens, tested every month in preparation for such an emergency, never sounded. Lahaina’s 911 system went down.
Many of those who evacuated said they were corralled by road closures and downed power lines into traffic jams that left some people to burn alive in their cars and forced others to flee into the Pacific. Videos shared with The Times and posted on social media show cars on Front Street crawling in bumper-to-bumper traffic as smoke, embers and debris billow around them.
Government officials have blamed wind gusts that in some cases exceeded 80 miles per hour for fueling the ferocity of the blaze, combined with warming temperatures and drought that left the island’s vast grasslands and brush tinder dry.
The prospect of a destructive wildfire has been a growing concern across West Maui for years, as drought has worsened, invasive plants have created huge swaths of highly flammable grasslands, and worsening storms have spawned winds that can fuel fires. All those perils came sharply into focus in the days before Maui’s fire last week, when a hurricane building to the south, with significant winds forecast, created the very conditions that scientists had long warned could be a deadly combination.
Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii has said repeatedly since the fire that climate change is “the ultimate reason that so many people perished.” He has asked the attorney general to conduct a comprehensive review....
... “We couldn’t see people, but I heard people throwing up, screaming,” said Ydriss Nouara, a sales manager at a local hotel who was fleeing on a scooter with a neighbor. He said he watched as a pit bull threw itself into the water. He called 911, and the operator urged them to get into the water, too....
See full article for full details, but here's the Apple bit that caught my eye:
> Back to that rain chance that your iPhone is teasing you with. It’s all a dirty lie. Aside from a less than 20 percent chance of a stray shower, there’s really not much to write home about in terms of rain chances. To put that chance into perspective, a number of meteorologists don’t even mention rain chances of less than 20 percent.
> What’s causing the error? It’s honestly hard to say with any sort of certainty without working on Apple’s app development team. Weather apps that come preloaded onto smart phones have a notorious reputation for missing the mark when it comes to a forecast. A lot of times, the data that goes into these apps are raw and unfiltered. As anyone who works with data for a living can attest, raw and unfiltered data can be a land mine of trouble. Many of the most utilized weather apps, such as the stock iPhone app, are rife with real-world examples of why you should be getting your forecast from a trusted source. A human meteorologist remains the best source for accurate and reliable weather information.
Thanks to fossilesque@mander.xyz for the link to the gaming bible article and to Die4Ever@programming.dev for the enumeration of games:
Untamed Tactics: The Beginning
