solanaceous @ solanaceous @beehaw.org

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2 yr. ago

On the subject of Biden’s segregationism: this wasn’t closeted. He said that “jungle” bit as part of his enthusiastic and long-lasting opposition to busing to integrate schools, preferring the status quo of segregation. Kamala challenged him on this during one of the 2020 primary debates, and he refused to apologize or back down from that stance.

On a related note: pixian doubanjiang. It’s a spicy bean paste and a key ingredient in several well-known Sichuan dishes: hot pot, spicy poached fish, mapo tofu, ants climbing trees, etc

Slay the Spire maybe?

I worry that Buzzfeed’s meaningless AI regurgitation is what most of the internet will look like in 10 years. Ask an AI for its take on an already silly question (Europe is large and diverse) which it is patently unqualified to answer. Maybe ask in English for good measure, guaranteeing further bias. Then take the meanest, most body-shaming and stereotyped answers and post them straight to the website, with a disclaimer that the assholery therein isn’t your assholery, it’s the AI’s assholery.

It really feels like a scene from Idiocracy, but with the dysgenics replaced by AI.

Some further flavor to reinforce this: as I understand it, abortion is legal in the Netherlands until the fetus is viable, which was estimated to be 24 weeks but due to better care for premies IIUC it’s moving toward 22. After this time it is only legal in the case of serious medical problems: eg a risk to the life of the would-be mother, or because the fetus isn’t viable due to a defect. Until this year there was also a 5-day waiting period for abortions; I think that’s no longer legally mandated but the doctor still has input. I believe they also require more medical scrutiny after the first trimester.

IMHO these are common-sense restrictions, though you could argue about the exact details. Abortion is accessible if you need it, but after a certain point a fetus is close enough to a person that its interests must also be taken into account.

The official abortion rate in NL is slightly over 1/3 of that in the US. It may or may not actually be the lowest in the world: it’s hard to collect statistics in some places, especially where abortion is discouraged or illegal, or even in places where you would get one with no medical supervision (by pills taken at home).

The Netherlands also has a low maternal mortality rate, around 1/5th of the US, and also one of the lowest in the world (says CIA world factbook), though I’m not sure how consistent these measurements are across countries.

The US could achieve these things too, and likely have a lower abortion rate than it can achieve even through draconian restrictions. But it would require proper education and medical care, and that’s not what certain states want… they want the crueler option.

A absurd grump for an absurd headline: What toasts my buns about this article is that it uses hot dogs as a unit of “size” when it really means length. The asteroid is actually the size of millions of hotdogs, because asteroids and hotdogs are both three-dimensional.

Beep boop.

Sure, peanut butter and jelly is the classic, unless you grew up listening to Raffi, in which case it’s absolutely made with jam. But to me, jelly just isn’t as tasty as jam, or honey or bananas. And if you take it on a hike it can make the bread soggy. And at home I’d usually rather have meat or cheese in my sandwich. But I still go through a ton of peanut butter for rice cakes. And occasionally for a PB&J, and once in a while for hot pot sauce.

And Jif tastes weird to me, but you do you.

@sleepybisexual, I'm so sorry that you have to go through this terrible situation.

I agree with the others that counseling could be useful, if you can access it safely. Please take care of your mental and physical health as best you can. I don't know much about your situation, but it sounds like the kind of thing you can go through and be stronger on the other side. And one of the best ways to help your younger siblings not become bigots is if they can look up to you as they grow up. Once you can safely come out of the closet, they can understand that LGBTQ+ people are people just like them.

Is there somebody on staff at your school, or a doctor in your area that you can reach out to? There may also be a number you can call in your area. These people are obligated to help you, even if your parents and church disagree.

It's a good idea to look into this, but double-check the policies in your area: in particular whether these services are legally required (and socially expected) to maintain confidentiality.

Yeah, crêpes seem like the wrong dish.

As an American, I think that natural peanut butter is delicious in the right context. It goes well on puffed rice cakes, with a little salt if it’s unsalted. It’s good with celery as a snack, and it’s an ingredient in some sauces. It can dry out your mouth, so make sure to drink water too.

The classic American use is peanut butter sandwiches, optionally with jam. IMHO these are pretty mid, but their main advantage is that they’re energy dense and don’t require refrigeration. So they’re good for hiking, at least if you have enough water.

Edited to add: also good in cookies, with chocolate, with bananas, and probably some other things I’m forgetting.