patience_limited's recent activity
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Comment on Maybe there was an egg cartel after all in ~food
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Comment on Maybe there was an egg cartel after all in ~food
patience_limited Link ParentSpeaking as someone whose personal P (doom) is significantly higher because some people have been trained to associate spreading diseases with "freedom", I have to agree.Speaking as someone whose personal P (doom) is significantly higher because some people have been trained to associate spreading diseases with "freedom", I have to agree.
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Comment on Maybe there was an egg cartel after all in ~food
patience_limited Link ParentChesterton's Fence isn't a bad rule of thumb for deciding whether a regulation or law is still fit for purpose. Leaving aside that Chesterton was defending Catholic traditionalism, it's a truism...Chesterton's Fence isn't a bad rule of thumb for deciding whether a regulation or law is still fit for purpose. Leaving aside that Chesterton was defending Catholic traditionalism, it's a truism that regulations are written in blood. For everything from kids toys not being covered in leaded paints to avoidance of exploding spacecraft parts dropping on populated areas, there are (or were) laws and regulatory bodies that kept mayhem minimized.
I'd like to believe it won't take an event on the scale of the Bhopal disaster, burning rivers, global economic collapse, or unconstrained pandemics to remind people of how we got all those rules and regulations. Unfortunately, plutocrats are in the driver's seat, they own the mechanisms of popular information, and they think they can buy immunity from consequences.
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Comment on Maybe there was an egg cartel after all in ~food
patience_limited (edited )Link ParentOne note about backyard poultry keeping - please vaccinate your birds for Salmonella. It's endemic in North America, present in commercially hatched chicks from conception or spread by wild birds....One note about backyard poultry keeping - please vaccinate your birds for Salmonella. It's endemic in North America, present in commercially hatched chicks from conception or spread by wild birds. It can be a risk to your family from contact with the chickens and their excreta, as well as anyone to whom you provide eggs. [I could rant here about the heinous U.S. food system, where we tolerate 1.5 million food-borne Salmonella infections annually, a quarter of which are from poultry and eggs.]
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Comment on Maybe there was an egg cartel after all in ~food
patience_limited Link ParentI'm extremely fortunate in that one of my co-workers sells the eggs from her literally free-range (left loose in a fenced yard to eat vegetation and bugs in the garden) chickens. She keeps the...I'm extremely fortunate in that one of my co-workers sells the eggs from her literally free-range (left loose in a fenced yard to eat vegetation and bugs in the garden) chickens. She keeps the retired layers as pets. Bonus - the color and flavor of those eggs are fantastic. I'm more than happy to pay $4/dozen for her organic eggs even if it means returning the cartons.
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Comment on Maybe there was an egg cartel after all in ~food
patience_limited LinkFrom the article: Spoiler: The evidence in the U.S. anti-trust cases leaves no doubt that there was price collusion and market manipulation by major egg producing companies. The U.S. Department of...From the article:
When you see the cost of an everyday item — the kind you’re going to buy regardless of price — more than double in a year, do you get suspicious?
When it came to eggs, whose average price in a U.S. supermarket went from $1.93 per dozen in January 2022 to $4.82 a year later — and not even for the lovingly cared-for, cage-free variety — Americans had their choice of explanations. Some supply chain experts pointed to continued pandemic-era disruptions. The geopolitically minded cited impacts of war in agriculturally productive Ukraine, shrinking global supply while driving up fuel and feed costs. Republicans blamed the Democratic administration for wild spending that prompted widespread “Bidenflation.” Most Americans appeared content with the prevailing rationale they were given: Bird flu, an epidemic with a near-100% mortality rate, contributed to the death of 43 million egg-laying hens in 2022 alone while consumers continued to crave omelettes.
Peter Carstensen, a law school professor and fellow at the American Antitrust Institute, watched the prices of eggs rise from his Wisconsin home and suspected all those explanations were ignoring the potential for human villainy in a market where demand remains fixed. “Eggs are a classic example of where collusion makes an awful lot of sense,” said Carstensen. “I am going to have my two eggs and bacon every Wednesday, and on Saturday as well, regardless of the price of eggs.”
The suspicion of antitrust hawks like Carstensen — that producers were choosing to raise prices in tandem to increase profits rather than competing in a way that would drive prices down — was dismissed by mainstream economists and commentators as the work of cranks looking past simple economics for a true crime story that could exist only in their minds. Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle waved away “internet memes and a fair amount of conspiracizing,” as she put it, “about monopolistic egg producers colluding to raid the pockets of hard-working, egg-loving Americans.”
Spoiler: The evidence in the U.S. anti-trust cases leaves no doubt that there was price collusion and market manipulation by major egg producing companies. The U.S. Department of Justice has been very quiet about a slap-on-the-wrist proposed settlement. The economic narrative continues to foster the idea that there was only a short-term supply shock due to avian influenza.
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Maybe there was an egg cartel after all
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Comment on Man shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in New York City's Marble Hill, authorities say in ~society
patience_limited LinkFurther detail about the ICE agent, Brendan Cuni, who apparently fired the shots. It's from WIRED, which did the basic OSINT research that NYT didn't provide. Most civilian police departments...Further detail about the ICE agent, Brendan Cuni, who apparently fired the shots. It's from WIRED, which did the basic OSINT research that NYT didn't provide.
Most civilian police departments would have quietly demoted and/or discharged an officer with this record. The civil lawsuits would devastate a reasonable budget and the public reputation of the force. The fact that Cuni was promoted and continues to celebrate violence tells you a sickening story about ICE's culture and tactics that merits abolishing ICE and building a different agency over its bones.
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Comment on What foods are better after a day or two? in ~food
patience_limited LinkSo a hypothetical that spouse and I share is that your senses are so saturated with cooking aromas and flavors when you're in the kitchen, that you lose the intensity when you taste the dish....So a hypothetical that spouse and I share is that your senses are so saturated with cooking aromas and flavors when you're in the kitchen, that you lose the intensity when you taste the dish. Letting it sit overnight while the house airs out lets you experience the full flavors. I have only anecdata to support this, but sometimes it seems like same-day food is the equivalent of tasting with a head cold.
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Comment on What foods are better after a day or two? in ~food
patience_limited Link ParentCookie dough matures for different reasons than just the flavors melding. Resting in the 'fridge allows any gluten strands developed during mixing to relax, resulting in a tenderer crumb and...Cookie dough matures for different reasons than just the flavors melding. Resting in the 'fridge allows any gluten strands developed during mixing to relax, resulting in a tenderer crumb and better fat emulsification.
Baking tip - use a portion scoop to drop hemispheres of cookie dough on a sheet pan. Refrigerate overnight, then pop the sheet pan straight into the oven from the 'fridge. The dome of dough will melt into a perfect round cookie that's evenly baked.
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (October 2026) in ~health.mental
patience_limited Link ParentI'm in US healthcare IT and everyone is running like mad because change freezes start around Thanksgiving, when people take accumulated vacation days through the end of the year. I work on...I'm in US healthcare IT and everyone is running like mad because change freezes start around Thanksgiving, when people take accumulated vacation days through the end of the year. I work on projects with many physical installation dependencies, and it's curious how work that begins in January always encounters obstacles that mean I can't start the majority of my work until September or October.
Right when the SAD and the other cold weather-related health stuff kicks off, too...
Hope your budget season goes smoothly and doesn't prove too taxing!
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (October 2026) in ~health.mental
patience_limited LinkChiming in with happy status! It's been a challenging last six weeks. I had an eye problem caused by prednisone on top of the mental health stuff (hypomania, then pain and crushing depression...Chiming in with happy status! It's been a challenging last six weeks. I had an eye problem caused by prednisone on top of the mental health stuff (hypomania, then pain and crushing depression during the dosage taper). My knees and other joints have definitely taken some long-term damage. Insurance finally came through with the authorization to resume my biologic drug at an increased dosage, and I'm now doing great.
It's amazing how much of a life improvement it is to have less pain and fatigue, free movement, and regular sleep. For me at least, depression is as much autoimmune as cognitive, and it feels like the sun has come out after the biologic drug kicked in again. It's very different from the twitchy, irritable, hyperstimulated feelings from high-dose prednisone, more like just being normal.
I've got a tremendous amount of yard and housework to catch up on, but I'm actually enthusiastic and energetic about it all. It's crazy season at work since everyone is trying to close out projects by year-end; I'm now coping well again, with more equanimity and mental sharpness. Spouse is delighted to have his partner "back".
I'm not happy with the few pounds gained from the prednisone and inactivity. I'm getting my lifts up to usual weights, walking more, and it's just so much easier than it's been.
My heart goes out to all of you fellow depression sufferers, and my wish is that there will one day be an equally straightforward (if not cheap) fix for everyone.
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Comment on Irreverent ads make me want to buy things even less in ~talk
patience_limited LinkI grew up on Adbusters, and watched no television at all for over a decade because I found commercials so repellent. I consumed only recorded video and music or public radio. I've jumped through...I grew up on Adbusters, and watched no television at all for over a decade because I found commercials so repellent. I consumed only recorded video and music or public radio.
I've jumped through so many hoops to block or circumvent ads (and data harvesting) online that it's still a shock when the work Windows computer pukes up an ad that gets through the browser add-ons I can install.
There's an old Bill Hicks routine [text, I'm not linking YouTube] that has all my feels about the present state of enshittification. It also gets at the rage /u/Akir describes about the "anti-marketing" schtick that Fatty is trying.
I am the owner of my attention, and if you want a piece of it uninvited you should be paying me, not vice versa.
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Comment on Ray Gunn | Official trailer in ~movies
patience_limited LinkI wasn't quite convinced by The Maltese Falcon/The Fifth Element mashup vibe in the trailer, but I'll give Brad Bird the benefit of the doubt.I wasn't quite convinced by The Maltese Falcon/The Fifth Element mashup vibe in the trailer, but I'll give Brad Bird the benefit of the doubt.
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Comment on A Western Mass. lesbian bar required KN-95 masks. When it changed the rules, all hell broke loose. in ~lgbt
patience_limited LinkI take medications that cause immunocompromise, and wouldn't dream of asking the entire world to mask for my special needs. I get my f'ing vaccinations and wear a mask myself if I'm on a...I take medications that cause immunocompromise, and wouldn't dream of asking the entire world to mask for my special needs. I get my f'ing vaccinations and wear a mask myself if I'm on a particularly suppressive drug regimen; even cancer patients with near zero white blood cell counts do this. Having others wear masks as well isn't that much more protective - there are other animals that carry human-infectious diseases, 'flu and measles are ubiquitously airborne.
What baffles me is why the community tolerates and supports people who are so lost in solipsistic, narcissistic social media rage that they fail to have empathy for anyone but themselves. I've spent enough time in lesbian communities to recognize that they're often dysfunctionally heavy on emotional processing, to the detriment of actually building or accomplishing anything. It's absolutely true that many of the community members have taken horrifying amounts of damage, but a small number of people who act out destructively can sabotage any support community. If I was Jackie Matallin, I would have thrown up my hands, said "F-- this", and taken care of my own needs for a change.
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Comment on Do you iron your clothes? in ~life
patience_limited LinkThe ironing hierarchy for me is wrinkle-prone natural fiber broadcloth, wrinkle-tolerant synthetics/blends, and knitwear. Generally speaking, tee shirts, sweaters, sweats, etc. don't need ironing...The ironing hierarchy for me is wrinkle-prone natural fiber broadcloth, wrinkle-tolerant synthetics/blends, and knitwear.
Generally speaking, tee shirts, sweaters, sweats, etc. don't need ironing - they just get laid flat and folded after drying. Synthetics go on hangers, but don't need much minding to look smooth.
Jeans and khakis these days (women's, anyway) have enough elastane content to spring back into shape, and can generally be flattened and folded without wrinkling.
Broadcloth shirts and trousers other than soft flannel get ironed. Trousers look better on me with a sharp front crease, and shirt button plackets and collars should lay smoothly. However, most of those items are rarely-worn business formal attire. My business casual shirts and pants tend towards knit sweaters, polos, and easy-wearing blends.
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
patience_limited LinkLate to the thread, but when I got my used 2023 Bolt EV last year, I received good advice here. Also some notes on running the Bolt EV in a cold climate. You'll do fine with overnight Level 1...Late to the thread, but when I got my used 2023 Bolt EV last year, I received good advice here.
Also some notes on running the Bolt EV in a cold climate.
You'll do fine with overnight Level 1 charging if you're driving < 50 miles/day. The charger itself isn't much more cumbersome than an extension cord, so I usually just keep it in the vehicle. Any household 120v outlet on a 15A circuit will do.
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Comment on Meta’s Muse AI works and creeps me out in ~tech
patience_limited LinkI initially wasn't sure how seriously to take this story about a mother's horror at the information Muse offered up about her children. It's being corroborated from other sources, and Meta claims...I initially wasn't sure how seriously to take this story about a mother's horror at the information Muse offered up about her children. It's being corroborated from other sources, and Meta claims to have "fixed the problem".
I'd really just love to scrub every sign that I exist from the entire Internet, but here I am posting.
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Comment on A three-year-old's metastatic cancer disappeared after two doses of CAR T-Cell therapy, genetically engineered immune cells that target cancerous cells in ~health
patience_limited Link ParentCAR-T therapies can be done more cheaply (soft paywall), but personalized medicine is unlikely to become cheap relative to typical median incomes globally. mRNA cancer vaccines will still be...CAR-T therapies can be done more cheaply (soft paywall), but personalized medicine is unlikely to become cheap relative to typical median incomes globally.
mRNA cancer vaccines will still be manufactured with targeting per the specific tumor. Maybe cheaper to make than the drawn-out process for separating, modifying, and culturing CAR-T cells, but still not something that scales to an entire patient population.
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Comment on What is your "when I found out about 9/11" story? in ~talk
patience_limited Link ParentAbsolutely. I was disinclined to trust the Bush administration (and the petro-war hawks and loony proto-Christian Nationalists around him... anyone remember Dick Cheney and John Ashcroft?) in the...Absolutely. I was disinclined to trust the Bush administration (and the petro-war hawks and loony proto-Christian Nationalists around him... anyone remember Dick Cheney and John Ashcroft?) in the first place. It was so clear that firing up Muslim hate was a prelude to relitigating Daddy Bush's Iraq war, even though the U.S. bombing countries and alienating the world to kill a terrorist cell was exactly what Osama bin Laden was trying to engineer.
Scumbaggery is in IT services, too - place I used to work had department heads fired for taking box seat sports tickets, etc. from vendors. I turned down and reported apparent bribes a couple of times, because patients pay for it one way or another.
Corruption and greed are perennial.