gowestyoungman's recent activity
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Comment on Reddit will lock some content behind a paywall this year, CEO says in ~tech
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Comment on When it comes to Canadian politics, all bets are now off in ~society
gowestyoungman (edited )Link ParentBecause its the magnitude of emissions that cause the climate change effect, not the per capita amount. And yes we have high per capita emissions. Because we live in a very cold country thats the...Because its the magnitude of emissions that cause the climate change effect, not the per capita amount.
And yes we have high per capita emissions. Because we live in a very cold country thats the second largest country in the world. It takes a lot of resources to keep us from freezing and to deliver our goods and services across nearly 10 million sq km. eg. When I lived in Hawaii I didnt have a furnace nor an air conditioner, our minimal power needs came from the sun, our water from the sky, and some of our food grew in our yard but the furthest you could go to get food was across the island, one hour drive max. Thats nearly impossible in Canada. Does that mean that Canadians higher per capita emissions mean they are more wasteful than Hawaiians? No, they just happen to live in a huge country with a hostile environment that requires a lot more resources.
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Comment on When it comes to Canadian politics, all bets are now off in ~society
gowestyoungman Just posted a rather long diatribe about this on this thread.Just posted a rather long diatribe about this on this thread.
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Comment on When it comes to Canadian politics, all bets are now off in ~society
gowestyoungman Like it or not, Im of the opinion that nothing Canada does matters to carbon emissions. We produce 1.3% of the worlds emissions. Even if we could somehow radically cut that in half, which would...Like it or not, Im of the opinion that nothing Canada does matters to carbon emissions. We produce 1.3% of the worlds emissions. Even if we could somehow radically cut that in half, which would mean RADICAL changes, the loss of many jobs, the shut down of a huge part of our energy sector, major restructuring of transportation, heat and power generation, the globe's atmosphere would notice so little it just doesnt make a difference. The remaining 0.65% would be a margin of error in the modelling used to calculate emissions.
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Comment on When it comes to Canadian politics, all bets are now off in ~society
gowestyoungman (edited )Link ParentI didnt start out to write an essay but once I got rolling I wanted to address the points you brought up, which are often given by those who opposed the Freedom Convoy. So I hope you'll bear with...I didnt start out to write an essay but once I got rolling I wanted to address the points you brought up, which are often given by those who opposed the Freedom Convoy. So I hope you'll bear with my TedTalk.
My primary point was to refute the idea that Jan 6 and the Freedom Convoy protest were similar, other than being large protests at the seat of power. Not only was there no physical violence, vandalism or deaths from the convoy protesters, Police Chief Peter Sloly said there was a 60% drop in petty crime in Centretown during the protest. That's not the characteristic of a riotous mob.
The Freedom Convoy protest was indeed a powerful protest and a landmark event in Canada's history, but it was largely mischaracterized by almost all of the mainstream media - and obviously thats where most people get their information. My sources however were not the mainstream media. a) I had direct contact with friends who attended the protest, b) I have spoken at length to one of the primary organizers, c) I watched many days of livestreaming during the protest (which has been archived at convoylive.ca), d) I watched the entire 6 weeks of Public Order Emergency Commission live, e) I have closely followed the legal proceedings of the main organizers' trial, e) I have closely followed the work of The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) and the Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) lawyers in proving that the Emergencies Act was used illegally to shut down the protest and who also have been instrumental in getting hundreds of covid restriction charges and protest charges dropped and fired workers reinstated.
All that to say, this matters to me and I have dived into the details to get facts as straight from the horses mouth as possible.
Were some people in Ottawa annoyed and angry at the protesters? Yes, indeed some were. Thats true. Especially those living on or near Wellington Street in Centretown.
But many Ottawans supported the protesters. Some brought food and gave them cash to keep them going. The most obvious sign of public support was when the police tried to ban the semi trucks from getting fuel and dozens of citizens showed up with fuel cans to refill their tanks.
Some citizens, notably a black Ottawa businessman, showed up to say on camera he came down to see it for himself and concluded that this protest isn't the way its being portrayed in the news. 'We've had no problems here and the people are all friendly.' Michelle Ferreri, MP for Peterborough/Kawartha who has an apartment within walking distance of Parliament, made a livestream while she walked home, alone at night, stopping to chat with protesters along the way. Not only were they friendly, she met Quebecers partying with Albertans and it was obviously safe for a single woman to be out there, despite the media portrayal.
As for the guy with the swastika flag, after looking at the totality of circumstances, I can only conclude he was more than likely a plant. His face was covered - almost everyone was unmasked, and protesting mask mandates, so why cover his if he believed he would be supported? He walked into the crowd and the protesters around him were not impressed. There is video of protesters telling him to move on and he got harassed into leaving. But he also came with a photographer with a professional camera, which is pretty suspect for a single protester with an objectionable flag. When he was pushed to leave the crowd he walked up the steps to the Fairmont hotel and disappeared inside. That was the hotel being used by the out of town police, not the protesters, also very odd. There were many upset protesters who wanted to identify him even offering a cash reward to anyone who could find out who he was, but he disappeared and he and his flag were not seen again.
Im not saying there couldn't be a nazi wingnut in the crowd, but the fact that there were thousands of protesters there jubilantly protesting with their faces uncovered and one suspicious anonymous guy with his face hidden is carrying a nazi flag - and that's the thing the media grabbed onto to portray the crowd as nazi sympathizers is just well... highly prejudicial and inaccurate.
As for the disruption to supply lines, if you read Canada's State of Trade report for 2023 you would see that while the press was trying to portray the stall of trucks coming over the border as Canada "losing millions of dollars a day" in fact, overall trade rebounded quickly after the protest and overall trade was not impacted. While the Ambassador Bridge was blocked, there were two other crossings that were open within a short drive, so suppliers could reroute their shipments. Trade was disrupted, yes. But damaged? No. If you listened to the media reports at the time, the protest was quickly killing Canada's economy. It just didn't.
It's also noteworthy that the convoy organizers never asked anyone to go block the border crossings, some protesters took that into their own hands and while the gov partially used the blockings to justify using the Emergencies Act, they were in fact cleared before the EA was enacted on Feb. 14.
The "US influence" on donations, also portrayed as the 'dark international money' was entirely fabricated. Someone hacked the gofundme database (reporting based on an illegal hack is apparently not a problem for the media if it fits an agenda) and wrongly made the assertion that much or most of the protest donations were coming from the US and even "Russia". The CBC jumped on that assertion and CBC's Nil Koksal conjectured openly in an interview about Russia's interference with no evidence to back it. It was just plain false. In subsequent investigation, GoFundMe executive Juan Benitez stated that 86% of the donors to the original Freedom Convoy campaign were Canadian, and 88% of the donated funds came from Canadian sources. Its not unreasonable that much of the remaining 12% came from Canadians living in other countries and a small amount from sympathizers who weren't Canadian. But you didnt see that stated in the press. They went with the hackers narrative because that supported the media agenda that this wasn't a grassroots Canadian protest, which it was.
Same with the 'dancing on the tomb of the unknown soldier' incident. It was one person and the media used that to portray the entire protest as disrespectful of our military. The dancer wasn't even officially linked to the Freedom Convoy, and leaders of the convoy themselves publicly condemned the act. Ottawa police later identified the person involved and she issued a public apology. The press coverage largely ignored the contingent of Canadian veterans who were there in support of the protest and who put up a fence barrier around the monument after that and stood guard around it to make sure there would not be another incident. One person did something disrespectful but the press leaped on it to blackball thousands of people who were also upset at her.
The media also said two protesters tried to burn down an apartment building. There were indeed two arsonists who started a fire in a hallway and locked the exit doors. After their arrest and investigation, it turned out they had nothing to do with the protest as confirmed by the police. But that didnt stop the media from immediately and falsely associating them with the protest.
There were some people who got called names yes, on both sides. Is that shocking at a protest? While the name calling got front page news, the press never mentioned the protesters who got eggs thrown at them from buildings or much worse, a group who sneaked into the protest at night and punctured several semi truck tires, causing thousands of dollars in damage. But it was some name calling that got press, not actual vandalism against the protesters. Just like the flag incident and dancing incident, it was annoying that the media focus was on denigrating thousands of people's protest because a small minority were troublesome while more serious issues got ignored. Imagine the outcry if the protesters were the ones throwing eggs and puncturing the tires of police cars.
The main irritant was the honking of truck horns and even that mostly ended after the court injunction. It still happened in bursts. But that's what a protest is. Its supposed to be disruptive and attention grabbing. I do feel for the people who live on or near Wellington St. but to say that the protest should not have happened or gone on so long because it mostly disrupted the lives of some people in a small area near our center of power, while benefiting millions of others around the world seems a bit... short sighted. There was some pain but there was a much greater good. There were thousands if not millions of people who were in despair, some even telling the organizers they were suicidal, until the Freedom Convoy came along and restored their hope. There's a reason that thousands of people lined the highways in absolutely frigid conditions to cheer them on.
A protest is also supposed to make a point and it most definitely did. Once again, our press completely downplayed it, but there were sympathetic Freedom Convoy type protests that started all over the world in response and solidarity with Canada's protest. For once in our life, Canada was at the forefront of an international movement: The US had the People's Convoy that traversed the country in early 2022. In France, there was the "Convoi de la Liberté". In Belgium, truckers and other groups demonstrated in Brussels. In the Netherlands, Dutch truck drivers organized a convoy. Australia had truckers and other citizens taking to the streets, mostly in Canberra. In New Zealand, there was the "Convoy for Freedom". Italy had smaller but similar protests. Germany had a convoy movement with people driving in cars and trucks to show their opposition to government policies. And in many of those protests around the world, people flew Canadian flags because our protest is what inspired them.
All in all, there were millions of citizens worldwide who agreed that they were done with the lockdowns, done with the restrictions, done with the uselessness of things like ArriveCan, done with government overreach and wanted it to end. And it did, starting right after our Freedom Convoy (which again the press will tell you, was just 'coincidence') Do I think some Ottawa citizens had to put up with some pain for almost a month? Yes. Was it worth it? For the sake of the rest of the world and the sake of ending the overreaching restrictions on millions, absolutely.
On a personal note, my wife and I and all our adult children and grandchildren were covid-19 vaccinated. We wore masks in public. Our Christmas gathering was by Zoom. Two of my kids are Canadian physicians - We're not knuckle dragging buffoons or 'racists and misogynists' and we believed we were safer using vaccines and restrictions. However, I DO believe the restrictions had gone too far, had gone on too long and the government overreach was no longer justified and it was time to end it. So obviously yes, I supported the Freedom Convoy protest to end the covid restrictions and give back the public's freedom. I also strongly believe the gov acted improperly and illegally, and the courts have borne that out.
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Comment on When it comes to Canadian politics, all bets are now off in ~society
gowestyoungman Untested, and, given the short amount of time til Parliament resumes, very little time for anyone to try and figure out what he'd be like as a party leader. I dont doubt he's an intelligent man,...Untested, and, given the short amount of time til Parliament resumes, very little time for anyone to try and figure out what he'd be like as a party leader. I dont doubt he's an intelligent man, but Ive heard the adage that the primary job of a party leader is to keep the party together, presumably because infighting will kill a party's power faster than any external force. I have no clue how he'd fare in that department.
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Comment on When it comes to Canadian politics, all bets are now off in ~society
gowestyoungman My beef with the carbon tax is that its not optional to heat my house with anything but gas where I live, especially on days like last week with temps hitting -38c. And even though I own an EV its...My beef with the carbon tax is that its not optional to heat my house with anything but gas where I live, especially on days like last week with temps hitting -38c. And even though I own an EV its also not practical for deep winter driving - it loses half its already short range. But those who live in provinces where electricity is cheap and temps rarely dip much below freezing, its no big deal. The tax is in no way equitable, and it just doesn't work. Its just another tax.
If the gov was actually serious about carbon emissions there are very practical things they could encourage - like buying most everything we need second hand because the carbon footprint has already been paid for. Or encouraging us not to buy everything from China, a country that pollutes far more than Canada does. Or building affordable subsidized east west passenger rail transportation instead of our incredibly expensive Canadian air travel. Or heck, even planting some of the millions of trees that they promised. But none of those things put more money in gov coffers. So another tax it is. Sigh.
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Comment on When it comes to Canadian politics, all bets are now off in ~society
gowestyoungman Well, except for the part where there was no physical violence from the Ottawa protesters, no vandalism, and the convoy was actually invited to park on the streets by Parliament by the police, who...Well, except for the part where there was no physical violence from the Ottawa protesters, no vandalism, and the convoy was actually invited to park on the streets by Parliament by the police, who had been in contact with the organizers and largely supported their protest. Our members of Parliament walked freely through their midst and enjoyed conversations with them as the protesters hot tubbed, played hockey, had bouncy castles for their kids, held dance parties at the live stage, sang the national anthem and gave out free food to anyone who wanted it, including Ottawa's homeless and yes, honked their horns loudly. Which is EXACTLY the same as an out of control riotous mob storming the Capital, pushing down barriers, forcing back police and flooding into into private offices and the House of Representatives causing legislators to flee in fear to secure shelter, while Capitol police pushed furniture against the chamber doors and brandished their weapons as the protesters attempted to smash them down, resulting in the shooting death of one protester as they tried to physically overthrow the government. The only people who got hurt in Ottawa were protesters and even when run down by a horse or thrown down to be arrested or shot with tear gas canisters, they encouraged each other to hold the line and not resort to violence. Which they didn't.
The similarities are that they both took place at the heart of government and they both had large crowds. But the devil is in the details and the Canadian protest was very... Canadian.
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Comment on When it comes to Canadian politics, all bets are now off in ~society
gowestyoungman Its been a wild ride in Canada for the last several weeks. Up until Trudeau decided to step down, a Conservative majority was solidly in the bag according to every poll in existence. But then...Its been a wild ride in Canada for the last several weeks. Up until Trudeau decided to step down, a Conservative majority was solidly in the bag according to every poll in existence. But then Trudeau stepped down, and the Liberal leadership race began and the Liberals got a noticeable uptick in support, largely because they knew they at least wouldn't be decimated with Trudeau as leader. But then along comes Donald Trump (I honestly have a hard time not using less complimentary terms) and everyone is off balance, the messages have changed and we're all in a bit of shock.
We didn't expect him to say the kinds of things he's been saying. We didn't expect our longest, most loyal friend and trading partner to not only shove a knife into our gut, but to massively insult every Canadian by saying he wants us to be the 51st state. I don't know a single Canadian who doesn't hate that idea. But I DO believe him when he says he wants to take us over with economic warfare.
So the playing field has changed a LOT in a very short time. What I find surprising is that some people think that a two week shift in the narrative is somehow going to erase the last 9 years of governance and our memories of a lot of things that Canadians found not just troublesome, but offensive about our own government. Mark Carney is indeed a smart man and a good economic leader by all accounts, but that does nothing to erase the fact that his party was the one that locked down Canadian;s bank accounts and illegally used the most powerful legislation we have to force an end to a grassroots protest. His party spent years focusing on climate issues and a punitive carbon tax when it was very clear that housing and inflation costs were top of mind for most of us. And his party spent billions of dollars to drive Canada into the deepest debt its ever seen while double speaking and telling us our GDP was doing fine. His party also far overcompensated with loose immigration standards and flooded the country with "temporary" foreign workers and international students who didnt even attend classes and now want to claim asylum rather than go back home.
So, yes, the issues and the narrative has changed. But the Liberals are still the Liberals and they've had 9 years to turn this ship around. Mark Carney will likely get the nod to lead them, but its still highly doubtful that he'll form the next government. We might be much more unsettled than we were a few weeks ago, but I dont believe thoughtful voters change their voting intentions THAT easily - but dear god, the bots and astroturfers suddenly flooding r*ddit forums would have you believe otherwise.
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Comment on Donald Trump directs US Treasury to stop making pennies in ~society
gowestyoungman I cant say I've missed using pennies, but I do get a bit sentimental when I see a small jar of them tucked away in my garage. It seems odd that my grandkids will grow up never using them or even...I cant say I've missed using pennies, but I do get a bit sentimental when I see a small jar of them tucked away in my garage. It seems odd that my grandkids will grow up never using them or even knowing what they are. But then again 'penny candy' hasn't been a thing at the convenience store for a long time (I still gag when I see a chocolate bar for $3 at 7-11) and if I saw one laying in the street, I dont think Id bother to pick it up, so really, what use is a penny anymore? Unless you want to tile your floor with them: https://www.tiktok.com/@ilse.interior.finishings/video/7345601292103847198?lang=en
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Comment on You can’t post your way out of fascism in ~society
gowestyoungman While the author is correct that you cant post your way out of fascism, I do find that social media is critical for doing the main thing he suggests - organizing. I can think of several examples....While the author is correct that you cant post your way out of fascism, I do find that social media is critical for doing the main thing he suggests - organizing.
I can think of several examples. The Freedom Convoy in Canada was largely organized online and it included people from across Canada. The result was a strong protest in Ottawa and our outgoing Prime Minister and Liberal Party are still feeling the after effects of that anger two years later. Its going to be part of their presumed demise in the next election.
Currently, the boycott of Loblaw's our largest grocery retailer has been going on for months, for its massive profit margins amid tough economic times, would've been hard without social media.
And the very new pro Canada 'Buy Canadian' movement has ramped up just in the last few days, largely through online organization and comments on social media. Just saw someone had created an app that allows us to scan a barcode and see if its a product of Canada.
So I agree that JUST posting anger online isnt helpful, but its seeing how many other people who are also motivated to action against authoritarians also brings momentum and that momentum ends up with real world consequences.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump halts tariffs on Canada and Mexico as both offer new border security plans in ~society
gowestyoungman (edited )LinkThe tariff threat is causing a significant pushback in Canada, that's for sure. Our economies are deeply intertwined and we're very aware that we are the 'little guy' when it comes to economic...The tariff threat is causing a significant pushback in Canada, that's for sure. Our economies are deeply intertwined and we're very aware that we are the 'little guy' when it comes to economic clout, so when Trump threatened us with 25% tariffs based on the misguided claim that we are a source of fentanyl and illegal immigrants, it ticked off a LOT of Canadians.
He still made our Prime Minister jump but in the meantime, Ive read dozens of posts from people who are now carefully checking to see where their goods are made. More adversely for the US, there are also many Canadians cancelling their US vacations, which is apparently a 25 billion dollar business. And I dont think we're done yet.
Canadians consider Americans to be good neighbors, but not the current president. He's caused a rift that may not easily heal over. And despite his bombastic claims, America DOES need our oil, our electricity, our potash and our rare earth minerals. What we've already determined, is that we need to diversify and find someone other than the US to partner with, preferably countries that believe when you make an agreement, you keep it (CUSMA) and not just rip it up on a whim.
And may I say, as a loyal and proud Canadian, that nothing has ever made me as angry as hearing that orange man saying Canada should be the 51st state. We might be polite, but challenging our sovereignty and our independence is lunacy and he's about to find out that Canadian patriotism runs silent but very very deep. Screw you, Donald.
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Comment on Is Colorado's EV incentive worth it? in ~transport
gowestyoungman Id be a little choked if I went through that whole process to get a '$49' lease only to have it come out to an $118 lease. Still cheap, but what's with the false advertising? Reminds me of a local...Id be a little choked if I went through that whole process to get a '$49' lease only to have it come out to an $118 lease. Still cheap, but what's with the false advertising?
Reminds me of a local dealer near me, which, 20 years ago advertised a certain base model of Nissan for $9999. A reporter with a hidden camera went in and asked to buy said car and after MUCH run around the dealership was forced to admit that not only did they not stock the car at that price, but it was actually impossible to even order one that was stripped down enough to come in that low.
Which is why, for 45 years I have always bought privately. Sure there's more risks involved, but when the seller and I shake hands on the price, that's the price. And I dont have to argue with the finance department about why I want to pay cash instead of getting a loan.
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Comment on Canoo files bankruptcy, claiming funding shortfalls in ~transport
gowestyoungman They're not very secretive, they have active social media pages and website and they've been on a marketing campaign for ages. They just got major exposure at CES in Vegas and just had an article...They're not very secretive, they have active social media pages and website and they've been on a marketing campaign for ages. They just got major exposure at CES in Vegas and just had an article in Car And Driver, so thats about as exposed as it gets: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a63547148/aptera-three-wheeled-solar-powered-ev-first-ride/
But they have the same challenges as everyone else, the main one being that costs keep rising and what was first reported to be a 25k EV is now a 40k EV.
But on the positive side, they DO have their carbon molds made and pre production models were at CES, so they're not lacking exposure. Just money.
One negative, that really bummed out a lot of interested parties, including me, is that the original intent was to have in hub motors in all three wheels. That changed and now the EV has a much more traditional front central motor with driveshafts to the front wheels. Its a tried and true system, but definitely lacks some of the appeal of the in hub motors.
The one reason I still have faith in the two main founders is that they've already failed once, way back when Aptera was supposed to be a gas powered vehicle, so they know how hard of an uphill slog getting a car to market can be. AND the fact that they have planned for mass production from day one, instead of doing what many companies do, which is create a beautiful prototype and THEN try to figure out how to mass produce it, which is the hard part.
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Comment on What's a charity/organization that you donate to regularly? in ~talk
gowestyoungman A local youth at risk outreach non profit. Since 1992.A local youth at risk outreach non profit. Since 1992.
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Comment on Eighteen months after Maui wildfires destroyed over 2,000 homes, only three have been rebuilt in ~enviro
gowestyoungman (edited )LinkThis shocks me not one bit. We had a tiny house and land in Hawaii that was covered in lava in the 2018 flow from Kilauea. After things settled, the gov announced they would be paying out...This shocks me not one bit. We had a tiny house and land in Hawaii that was covered in lava in the 2018 flow from Kilauea. After things settled, the gov announced they would be paying out landowners for their loss, and in our case, for the value of the land alone because the tiny house was unpermitted.
Fine. We submitted all the documents and waited. And waited. And waited. Three years later, we had our first contact and it was only to ask us to resubmit some of the documentation since it was now two years old. We did so, but it was a pain because of all the red tape to submit from another country.
And waited and waited and waited. I contacted the dept in charge and found our contact person had been replaced. A few months later I contacted them again and found that person had also been replaced.
Its been over 6 years. After several more emails I finally got a reply and what did they want? They wanted us to resubmit the same documents AGAIN because they were now six years old and wanted us to update them but nothing has changed. It was just ridiculous.
This is how fast Hawaii works. Painfully slow bureaucracy and outright incompetence. Those poor people in Lahaina will be waiting years for permits and rebuilding projects to proceed.
Meanwhile, I told the gov agency that I was done with resubmissions. They already had all the info they needed. Twice. And we won't be getting paid out. Ridiculous.
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Comment on Canoo files bankruptcy, claiming funding shortfalls in ~transport
gowestyoungman Good video by Tailosive about why Canoo didnt make it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO611a8kzPk&ab_channel=TailosiveEV To summarize: Not having a clear portfolio: They didnt focus on a singular...Good video by Tailosive about why Canoo didnt make it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO611a8kzPk&ab_channel=TailosiveEV
To summarize:
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Not having a clear portfolio: They didnt focus on a singular product but tried to promote multiple bodies at the same time causing them to continuously pivot to try and secure more deposits.
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The products not having a competitive edge because they didnt stand out in any 'useful' way. Stylistically cool, but that's not enough.
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Poor leadership including the misuse of funds, particularly notable when the CEO bought a private jet for Canoo.
Im still holding out hope for the Aptera, although I must admit my expectations are pretty subdued by now. The main difference being that Aptera has the fundamental feature that it is able to recharge itself by sunshine alone, and they have been VERY cautiously moving forward trying to avoid the same mistakes of the many failures (including their own) before them.
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Comment on Walgreens replaced fridge doors with smart screens. It’s now a $200 million fiasco. in ~tech
gowestyoungman Im with the redditor who commented 'if only there were some kind of technology to allow us to see whats inside'. Yep. Screens to put more ads in front of people? What a pain. Ranks right up there...Im with the redditor who commented 'if only there were some kind of technology to allow us to see whats inside'. Yep. Screens to put more ads in front of people? What a pain. Ranks right up there with the ones on gas pumps that yap at you for the three minutes it takes to fill your tank.
There is more than one reason I love the Big Island of Hawaii. They dont allow advertising for the sake of advertising. No billboards beside the roads, no huge signs as you enter the towns, and any roadside advertising has to be on removable banners. Its refreshing to see how beautiful the world can be when you DON'T have to see a sign or screen on every square inch of available real estate.
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Comment on How do I cope with/recover from divorce? in ~health.mental
gowestyoungman Very sorry to hear that. I recall the shock of being handed an unexpected divorce quite clearly and that that was almost 20 years ago. I recommend finding a local DivorceCare group...Very sorry to hear that. I recall the shock of being handed an unexpected divorce quite clearly and that that was almost 20 years ago.
I recommend finding a local DivorceCare group (https://www.divorcecare.org/) in person or online. They are generally found in churches and meet in the evenings, but you dont have to be religious to attend and the group sharing and wisdom will be beneficial to anyone facing the challenges of a marriage breaking up.
You also dont have to be divorced yet, you can be in the beginning stages and there will be people from pre- to post divorce stages, as well as the facilitators who have been through divorce. In my experience, its a very open and welcoming group and the weekly sessions are very helpful in learning the stages of divorce, especially working through all of the feelings and emotions involved, and all of the challenges that will come up in the process.
I gained some valuable friends there at a time when I was very lonely and vulnerable and it's VERY helpful to hear from others who are going through the same thing and be able to share (or not share, depending on your comfort level) how you're feeling with some group wisdom in dealing with emotions and all of the difficult issues that come up with separating two lives.
You're not alone, that's for sure. Just take it very easy on yourself right now - you WILL get through it and life DOES get better again.
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Comment on Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau announces resignation in ~society
gowestyoungman Im going to make my prediction now, at least three months before another confidence vote in Parliament and a new election after that. I think the Liberals are facing extinction levels of disdain....Im going to make my prediction now, at least three months before another confidence vote in Parliament and a new election after that. I think the Liberals are facing extinction levels of disdain. In 1984 they were down to 40 seats when Mulroney won 211. In 2011 they were down to 34 seats when Harper won 166. I think this next election they will be down to 20 seats or less. Both the Liberals and the NDP are going to regret hanging on to power long after their Best Before date had expired.
I notice it in subtle ways. Like when a bot says "Thanks for sharing that" by the OP. Ive been on reddit for 15 years and those kinds of comments are very rare as redditors are notoriously not that polite.
Or when I check a users name and they have 400 short comments but no posts. Who makes 400 short one line comments?
And sometimes the wording is just a bit odd. A little too descriptive, a little too well written for the topic.
The biggest one is when an entire sub shifts. r/Canadian was famously left leaning for much of its life, in the last year its been VERY right leaning/pro Conservative, and since Trudeau stepped down and the Liberals started their leadership race now its absolutely flooded with anti-Conservative rhetoric. I dont think they're all AI bots, so much as a large contingent of volunteers doing their darndest to swing the narrative. And emboldened Liberals Im sure. But the swing has been so abrupt that it causes whiplash.
Case in point. I made some comments and three redditors replied with nearly the same comment. I decided to rebut and found all three of them had blocked me. Most redditors dont even use the block user feature but certainly not three in a row who had just made nearly identical comments. Sigh. Oh well, it was a fun place while it lasted.