Yeah that’s fair and they aren’t my first choice but I trust them to be reliable. If they have what I need then I know I can buy the product and receive it.
Read the books and got maybe to the 5th book? 6th? And gave up. It stopped going anywhere, the politics went away, it was just people going from A to B and getting killed somewhere along the way. Just like the show, they lost direction and floundered, Martin couldn’t finish it off.
Probably the fifth since GRRM has not yet published book six (TWoW) or 7 (ADoS), unless you count the spinoff books and/or the history book (A World of Ice and Fire).
I agree that the books fizzled out, but that’s kinda the only interpretation possible since we haven’t gotten 6 & 7. Theoretically the whole story has been building to those books (7 most of all based on how the show presented their likely events), but 5 (A Dance w Dragons) was definitely a chore to get through. That whole book felt like filler imo
You definitely saved yourself, the show took out so much stuff, which was kind of inevitable, but the amount they took out in order to slap in some trash was a bit aggravating. Spoilers below.
. ———— .
And even knowing how seemingly pointless some of the stuff would turn out, it’s odd they kept any of the Dorn stuff in in the later seasons. I get that Pedro Pascal was awesome, but the Dorn stuff in the show was even more pointless than it was in the books.
Biggest sin I think though was leaving out Lady Stoneheart. In GRRM’s mind, I suspect Arya’s story is so deeply intertwined with her’s that to leave her out just basically knee-capped Arya’s revenge-fueled character arc, she’s headed for a confrontation with LS, to see a sort of mirror-image of herself. In the show she was given a somewhat unearned “consolation prize” that just seemed stupid.
Or illegal content because of the way content replicates unfortunately. I don’t care about people’s opinions, I actually want to see the actual, real range of human opinion and ideas, but I worry about content - it’s why I would never consider hosting my own instance.
Move to Czechia! Amazon’s presence is negligible here, we have our own local alternatives (Alza.cz being the biggest one, but we also have a plethora of e-commerce sites in general).
In Switzerland we don’t even have Amazon. We can order from one of the neighbourhing countries’ Amazon, but they don’t always ship here. There are a lot of alternatives though.
Really it’s the internet that enables these monopolies. It nullifies space for information. Like a little pizza place can only have so much reach. But if the product is teleported, then that little pizza operation can just keep growing and growing smoothly and taking more of the market. And it can happen really fast.
I advise that you just don’t give a fuck if the order is coming through Amazon or not. Who’s to say whether they’re more evil than some other company that might fulfill your order. The thing you’re buying was probably made with exploitative labour practices from unethically sourced materials anyway. Simply shipping it to you is probably dependent on a global logistics network of fossil fuels and colonialism.
Just don’t think about it. There’s no way to buy things in this world and “do good” at the same time.
While it’s true that the U.S. is the most convenient market for Mexican cartels, it’s worth knowing that it’s far from the only one. Mexican drug cartels have major connections to markets across the globe. and that Mexico specifically is the de facto administrator of drug trade in the western world. For example, a drug bust in India found fentanyl that had been purchased in Mexico from China. . That’s not the sort of arrangement that the US can ever hope to do away with through domestic legislation without undermining the autonomy of dozens of states around the globe.
While removing the cartels’ access to the American market via decriminalization would certainly take away a lot of funds, let’s not act like black market operations don’t exist in legal markets anyway.
In this hypothetical situation where the US is responsible for Mexico’s drug cartel problem (which I disagree with), I don’t think the road to success ends at the US legalizing drugs.
This is true, another example is Ecuador who is fighting an incredible surge in gang violence because the Mexican cartels are now operating in the south American country.
When there’s a clean supply of drugs green-lit by a superpower like the US, wouldn’t it naturally be exported to other countries? Sure, the cartel would still exist, but for the drug trade specifically, better availability of safe, quality drugs internationally would reduce international demand for cartel drugs, no? Wouldn’t other countries start manufacturing said drugs to import into the US as well, making it easier to fill the black market with regulated products?
Bathroom mirrors that don’t steam up after taking a shower.
Vending machines that are competent at accepting cash. Everywhere else that I’ve been to, you have to smoothen the bill and make sure it has no wrinkles or bended corners, and even then the machine would sometimes give you a hard time. In Japan, you just insert a stack (!) of bills, and the machine will count them within seconds, and also give you change in bills, and not a gazillion of coins.
Gates at the train stations are also better than everywhere else. You don’t have to wait for the person in front of you to pass the gate, you just insert your ticket and go. You also don’t need to look for arrows or notches or whatever on the ticket to insert it correctly.
Electric kettles that are very quiet and keep the water hot for a very long time.
Trains where all seats face the front, so you don’t have to sit against the direction of travel.
That reminds me. All of the change machines I had the pleasure of using were very gentle when taking your money. Felt kinda jarring coming back to the US where they fucking jank the money our of your hand the second you insert it.
Trains where all seats face the front, so you have to sit against the direction of travel.
I recently took a ride on a historic restored railroad where they run sightseeing tours on period accurate trains with period engines and coaches from the turn of the century. The trip was an out-and-back, and there is nowhere for the train to turn around before the return journey. Everyone was immensely surprised, then, when the conductor came down the aisle and demonstrated to everyone that the seats in those old coaches are reversible, and you can flip the backrest to the other side so you’re facing the right way regardless of which way the train is going. They’re otherwise 100% symmetrical.
Apparently this arcane technology of the reversible seat has been lost somewhere in the intervening 100 years, never to be discovered again. (In America, anyhow.)
Reversible seats sound marginally more expensive to install and maintain. The benefit is to make the customer’s experience better while adding no revenue.
Sounds like some anti-American euro-commie bullshit to me!
“do we straight up invade… like we did…” Do you know the mess that actually comes from there? And How much it had enforced extremist behaviour in other countries.
“What US needs to do?” Start by taking care of your own issues like guns, they will inevitably end up in dark market serving cartels and others, it would also stop massive killing happening in your own country at the same time… Priorities to education and healthcare, Stop invading countries (can’t remember last US invasion which was actually useful…), start supporting smart guys instead of bad/extremist guys so they don’t get more powerful (exemple: Masoud instead of Bin Laden in Afghanistan against Russia).
For insulating stuff: dry socks, waterproof boots and gloves, blankets, sleeping bags, jackets, CLEAN cardboard layered several inches thick and sealed in plastic (wrap or trash bag) for use as a make shift sleeping pad.
For shelter: tents and tarps are always in demand. Just cutting the wind will help a lot and a tent can provide minimal insulation.
For active heating: Sternos, candles (once the wax is melted mix in hand sanitizer for a warmer heat), those hand warmer things, propane camping stoves (DANGEROUS. They are very effective, but 100% will be used in tents or under tarps which can very easily cause a fire or ventilation issues), you can also buy some 1lbs propane tanks and fill hose to siphon gas from a larger 20lbs tank (this might be illegal where you are).
You might want to check if any moving companies have some old blankets they are willing to donate (used to protect furniture, but if they toss them when they wear out can be useful for warmth or bedding). Also call up local theaters, zoos, aquariums, etc and ask if they would be willing to donate unclaimed lost and found clothing. This can be a good source of jackets. Also worth seeing what’s in your thrift stores, especially if you have a smaller local one instead of Goodwill.
I recommend distroing cinder blocks along with the Sternos or candles. You can place those inside the block (so the flame hits the inside of the top) which helps contain the flame and resists getting knocked over. Another option is to hot glue some empty cans to a large flat piece of plywood. This cannot tip over even when kicked so it will provide a simple place for the heat producer to go. Just keep in mind not all unhoused people will want those safety devices as they are heavy and cumbersome, so don’t get disheartened if they are turned down, but it doesn’t hurt to have a few available and be prepared to demonstrate.
If you do choose to provide candles, Sternos, or ovens, be sure to also provide matches or lighters.
Oatmeal also is pretty easy to make and can serve several people. I use a stock pot and can cook about half a large container in one go, just dump it into some sealable bowls or whatever and serve it out of your trunk.
Follow up thought after sleeping on it. You might want to check with some outdoor retail stores, especially those that offer used gear. Some of them trash used gear that doesn’t sell. I got 3 full Kia Souls worth of used tents that just had rips or a missing rain fly for free to distro from one such store. This particular avenue is more likely if you are working with a group that can give a tax deductable credit to the store for their donation. It doesn’t hurt to ask or write an email, just do it when they’re not too busy, be polite, and avoid coming off as too commie.
Some of them trash used gear that doesn’t sell. I got 3 full Kia Souls worth of used tents that just had rips or a missing rain fly for free to distro from one such store. This particular avenue is more likely if you are working with a group that can give a tax deductable credit to the store for their donation
You are a kind person, but as others have said try not to take on this large burden yourself. Do what you’re comfortable with and be satisfied with that. This is an ongoing and largely intractable problem that you cannot solve alone.
It’s possible, especially when it comes to things like luck or illusion. Most people know that magic isn’t real, but some still tend to fall back on magic as an explanation for a really good illusion.
There is a fine line between holding two beliefs that are in direct contradiction and understanding that something you want to be true is something that you also understand is a misconception, is my point.
There is a term for things like that: “mental gymnastics”
People can naturally hold conflicting ideas or sometimes feel the need to believe things they know aren’t true. It’s extremely important for people to become more self-aware in that regard as it is something that can be exploited by religions, politicians, cults or scam artists.
Everyone is vulnerable to it, to different degrees. Even in the privacy of our own thoughts, most of us have tried to convince ourselves of something that wasn’t true, regardless of any facts we have seen. It’s just human nature.
Its a bad deal doing extra at an employer expecting a raise or job security. You do the extra to learn the newer/better skill, gain the experience, then take those new skills to a new employer who will pay you more for having it. This is how you move up the ladder in the 21st century.
Anywhere that I’ve learned a new skill in hopes of getting a promotion, the response has either been “why did you waste time learning that? That’s not your job.” or more commonly “great initiative! Now we can add that work to your workload without having to pay you a cent more! This is great management because we can have one employee do the job of 1.5, and we didn’t even have to pay to train them! Thanks for that and here’s your extra work! Deadlines and expectations remain the same on your old work of course.”
In a few cases, once that inevitably led to job change, they had the gall to try and shame me with a line like, “You know, that’s a skill you learned under this roof, to do work for this company. While we are professionals here, if we weren’t, this might feel like a betrayal…”
I would also add “Repeal Section 1” to this list. Let Philip Morris, Phizer, and their ilk deal with the problem. The cartels think they have power, they have no idea.
Ah gotcha, makes sense, and I absolutely agree, however we still need some form of control on the sale and distribution (like what we have on alcohol for example), as well as a system to be able to help addicts with the medical help they need to get out of addiction.
I think you’re referring to the Controlled Substances Act, which details all the shit.
Fun fact, all the links I found at the top of a search about this law seem to have “DEA” in the URL, rather than any regular link to actual legislation. It’s almost as if they’re monitoring them. Most of them were broken lmao.
The thing is, a law needs to exist, it just needs to be written by people who don’t chew crayons. I’m not talking about those tasty ones the Marines gnaw on, but the dodgy import ones that the DEA think make them look classy.
In all seriousness, we don’t need to remove the law (which has a pretty solid name) we just need to reclassify all the drugs and change the penalties to be appropriate for the good of society. Possession of anything in general should not be a crime, except for possession of a significant amount of a potentially fatal drug, as such possession could only reasonably point to intent to supply. Supply of fatal drugs (eg fentanyl, maybe certain bath salts or whatever) should remain illegal. Beyond that, recreational drugs would be better legitimised such that any issues with them can be faced in daylight, instead of dark alleyways. Even the worst of the major recreational drugs wouldn’t be all that harmful if people had support around them - certainly no more harmful than alcohol.
However drug policing is literally the DEA’s bread and butter, they’re not going to give up their job for the greater good.
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