SmolderingSauna's recent activity

  1. Comment on Grimes and Elon Musk reveal third child, Techno Mechanicus, in new biography in ~life.men

    SmolderingSauna
    Link Parent
    What? Mr. T is a perfectly acceptable moniker ...

    What? Mr. T is a perfectly acceptable moniker ...

    3 votes

  2. Comment on Finnish government unveils new plan to try and shake off the stigma of racism that has marred the first months of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's right-wing coalition in ~misc

    SmolderingSauna
    Link
    As someone of Sámi descent, generations of discrimination at the hands of those representing the center- and far-right have taught minorities to view their rhetoric as nothing but hollow pleas to...

    As someone of Sámi descent, generations of discrimination at the hands of those representing the center- and far-right have taught minorities to view their rhetoric as nothing but hollow pleas to retain power. They view us as lesser creatures deserving nothing from the rich government coffers they openly plunder for their own purposes.

    18 votes

  3. Comment on What would you change about your past if you could? in ~talk

    SmolderingSauna
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Earth Name one culture, one epoch - anywhere on planet earth - where women were more powerful, dominant, in control, leading anything more than men. nada

    Earth

    Name one culture, one epoch - anywhere on planet earth - where women were more powerful, dominant, in control, leading anything more than men.

    nada

    2 votes

  4. Comment on Women working in Antarctica say they were left to fend for themselves against sexual harassers in ~life.women

    SmolderingSauna
    Link
    Stuck in an abusive marriage, stuck in the military, stuck in a dysfunctional family, stuck in any unequal power relationship where sexual violence is a tool of dominance and control ... Anita...

    Stuck in an abusive marriage, stuck in the military, stuck in a dysfunctional family, stuck in any unequal power relationship where sexual violence is a tool of dominance and control ...

    Anita Hill, some of us did listen. Didn't matter ... the brutes seem to win.

    8 votes

  5. Comment on How one company owns color in ~design

  6. Comment on Hahaha we live in hell: "how do we pay for parking?" in ~tech

    SmolderingSauna
    Link
    Please take one step back into the bigger picture with me for a moment ... I don't know if it's hell or not, but we the people are getting more and more responsibility with less and less reward by...
    • Exemplary

    Please take one step back into the bigger picture with me for a moment ... I don't know if it's hell or not, but we the people are getting more and more responsibility with less and less reward by a System that's not working to our benefit.

    Yesterday, a post asking whether a college degree was worth it produced a vibrant discussion but failed to include a dialogue around the increased burden individuals are bearing now versus fifty years ago to get a degree. So internships and apprenticeships are appealing alternatives because they build skills without the burdensome costs. Yet, the individual is still left without a degree to prove what they know, what they've accomplished. Business & government cheap out by not supporting the individual's pursuit of a degree (internships and apprenticeships benefit companies far more than they do individuals: on-the-job training is cheap and convenient for them, not the employee).

    The same mentality drives the gig economy - the burden has been pushed onto the individual, not the company, not the government. No more pension, health care, 401k, etc. Nope. Take care of yourself.

    And so you can't park your car? Burden is on the individual. Good luck finding somebody to help you get your car outta the impound lot...

    I screamed at the wind during COVID because my BIL refused to get vaccinated (he's an asshat on too many levels to enumerate, but this one really pissed me off) ... he's part of a community, he should do what he can to protect that community! It's his responsibility as a citizen!!! I think maybe I get it ... too much has been pushed onto the individual. He couldn't figure out how to park his car and nobody would help him...

    20 votes

  7. Comment on Midwestern US cities become transgender health sanctuaries amid GOP legislative threats in ~lgbt

    SmolderingSauna
    Link
    Same states that are banning children from seeking medical care (in this case about gender identity counseling and treatment) because 'they're children' and can't possibly handle the adult...

    Same states that are banning children from seeking medical care (in this case about gender identity counseling and treatment) because 'they're children' and can't possibly handle the adult decision making are rushing to overturn laws prohibiting or limiting minors from being employed, often in dangerous conditions like meat packing plants.

    Can someone please ELI5 how this works?

    12 votes

  8. Comment on Is a degree worth it? in ~life

    SmolderingSauna
    (edited )
    Link
    It is paywalled and I no longer subscribe to FT. Fwiw: I have a PhD (never actually totalled what it cost to get from undergrad to final walk ... would have had a stroke, I'm sure) so I'm biased...

    It is paywalled and I no longer subscribe to FT.

    Fwiw: I have a PhD (never actually totalled what it cost to get from undergrad to final walk ... would have had a stroke, I'm sure) so I'm biased because I thought it was worth it for me.

    The real question for the next generation is about the valuation of expertise. Politicians globally have seemed to diminish the sanctity of knowledge, experience, technical know-how, and intelligence (KETI). Do you need a degree to acquire KETI? No, you never have. Do you need a degree to signal to others that you have specific relevant KETI? IMHO, that's pretty much what an accredited degree in any field is/always has been for.

    edit: internships and apprenticeships are amazing opportunities to acquire KETIs (since well before the Guilds of the Middle Ages right up until today). My concern with them is their transportability: without some standardized certification/accreditation, how do others know the KETIs an individual has acquired are a good fit for their job requirements? I then fall back on the degree which should inherently provide that signal to other employers in other industries and other countries about an individual's KETIs. Or do we need to invent a new parallel track to industrial trades' journeyman certifications? Then we're right back to Guilds. And by way of reminder: in the Middle Ages, you joined A guild where you lived (probably wherever you were born): you worked there for the rest of your life, never moved around, just that one job for frickin ever. Zero transportability.

    26 votes

  9. Comment on Hydrogen, additionality, & Joe Manchin in ~enviro

    SmolderingSauna
    Link
    Manchin (his staff, actually) will find any technicality to obstruct the speedy demise of a coal-powered future. His objections have little to do with promoting the public good and far more to do...

    Manchin (his staff, actually) will find any technicality to obstruct the speedy demise of a coal-powered future. His objections have little to do with promoting the public good and far more to do with securing his political power and longevity.

    Please vote, maybe even run for election, in your local school board elections. The only avenue out of this current predicament of self-serving nincompoop (I really struggled to keep this civil...) legislators is educated and informed citizens.

    7 votes

  10. Comment on What would you change about your past if you could? in ~talk

    SmolderingSauna
    Link
    Life in my culture in my generation would have been a lot simpler if I'd had an X & Y chromosome rather than two Xs ... just sayin.

    Life in my culture in my generation would have been a lot simpler if I'd had an X & Y chromosome rather than two Xs ... just sayin.

    17 votes

  11. Comment on Alexei Navalny: Russian opposition leader's jail term extended to nineteen years in ~news

    SmolderingSauna
    Link
    He knew when he returned to Russia his sentence was 'for life.' Only heroes willingly make these choices: the rest of us merely tremble in awe.

    He knew when he returned to Russia his sentence was 'for life.' Only heroes willingly make these choices: the rest of us merely tremble in awe.

    11 votes

  12. Comment on Travel kit in ~food

    SmolderingSauna
    Link
    I pack something to zest citrus and grate hard cheeses: a decent rasp/microplane never found in rentals... I also pack a little wooden citrus juicer hand-me-down from my mom.

    I pack something to zest citrus and grate hard cheeses: a decent rasp/microplane never found in rentals... I also pack a little wooden citrus juicer hand-me-down from my mom.

    2 votes

  13. Comment on Cardiovascular ER visits plunged after Pittsburgh coal plant shut, study finds in ~health

    SmolderingSauna
    Link Parent
    Thanks, I agree. Would have appreciated greater detail in this area, however, since extended family health coverage was no doubt impacted by the closure and the article failed to address that...

    Thanks, I agree. Would have appreciated greater detail in this area, however, since extended family health coverage was no doubt impacted by the closure and the article failed to address that factor adequately imo.

    2 votes

  14. Comment on Cardiovascular ER visits plunged after Pittsburgh coal plant shut, study finds in ~health

    SmolderingSauna
    Link
    I wonder what percent of the people living there lost their health coverage when the plant closed and could no longer afford to go to the ER?

    I wonder what percent of the people living there lost their health coverage when the plant closed and could no longer afford to go to the ER?

    5 votes

  15. Comment on US CNBC anchor accuses UAW leader of 'class warfare' for fighting for workers in ~transport

    SmolderingSauna
    Link
    There is no media outlet in the Western/capitalistic world where a balanced discussion between labor and management has ever taken place. For-profit media supports for-profit management (sorry,...

    There is no media outlet in the Western/capitalistic world where a balanced discussion between labor and management has ever taken place. For-profit media supports for-profit management (sorry, NPR, even you must plead nolo contendere).

    19 votes

  16. Comment on What are your favorite recipes to showcase garden- or farm-fresh produce? in ~food

    SmolderingSauna
    Link Parent
    If you don't want to fuss with the entire pavlova, make or gasp buy meringue cookies and serve one or two with a cup of cold, fresh berries (with or without whipped cream). The cookies will keep...

    If you don't want to fuss with the entire pavlova, make or gasp buy meringue cookies and serve one or two with a cup of cold, fresh berries (with or without whipped cream). The cookies will keep for a week: I bake them late at night and enjoy with fruit for breakfast or snacks for the entire week.

    3 votes

  17. Comment on What's a word from another language that you wish was a thing in English? in ~humanities.languages

  18. Comment on What are your favorite recipes to showcase garden- or farm-fresh produce? in ~food

    SmolderingSauna
    Link
    Pavlova smothered with this week's freshest berries and a touch of whipped cream. Utter heaven...

    Pavlova smothered with this week's freshest berries and a touch of whipped cream. Utter heaven...

    4 votes

  19. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~food

    SmolderingSauna
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    According to the American Heart Association (and many many others), a serving size/portion of protein is 3oz. Total per day is 5 1/2oz....

    According to the American Heart Association (and many many others), a serving size/portion of protein is 3oz. Total per day is 5 1/2oz.

    https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/caregiver-support/what-is-a-serving#:~:text=Protein%20foods%20(meat%2C%20poultry%2C,Serving%20sizes%20%3D%203%20oz.

    "Protein foods (meat, poultry, fish, dry beans and nuts): 5 ½ oz. per day. Serving sizes = 3 oz. cooked lean meat, poultry or fish; 2 egg whites or 1 egg; ¼ cup cooked beans; 1 tbsp. peanut butter; ½ oz. unsalted nuts/seeds. Note that ¼ cup cooked beans = 1 oz. protein equivalent but ½ cup cooked beans = 1 vegetable."

    But to answer your question: I try to use protein as a flavoring rather than a slab of meat (ok sometimes I need a steak ... but I really can't eat more than 4-5 ozs max at a time anymore). So think chicken fried rice, wedge salad with grilled steak bits, pasta with Bolognese sauce, white bean turkey chili ... the protein is there, it flavors everything, it's filling, but it's not a quarter pound burger for lunch.

    4 votes

  20. Comment on The body’s immune system responding to a COVID vaccine, and not the vaccine itself, is likely the cause of menstrual cycle changes experienced after vaccination in ~health

    SmolderingSauna
    Link Parent
    Given that women were excluded from all clinical trials until just a few years ago and are still underrepresented in many mainstream disease clinical trials...

    Given that women were excluded from all clinical trials until just a few years ago and are still underrepresented in many mainstream disease clinical trials https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2021/06/women-and-men-are-underrepresented-in-clinical-trials/ (and included now only because they are required to be for the trials to receive government funding), we have an overwhelming amount of work to do to reduce bias in the medical research community who seem to prefer male-only datasets.

    So many unique opportunities - like studying the effects of the introduction of mRNA technology in the trans population - have been forever lost. No one will ever know what critical lifesaving knowledge we're turning our backs on: what a tragedy.

    3 votes