You Should Know

Why YSK: Seriously, so many people are shelling out cash for subscriptions when their public library probably offers a ton of these resources for absolutely free. We're talking movies, music, e-books, and legitimate online learning platforms like LinkedIn Learning or Great Courses. It's like a secret cheat code for saving money and leveling up your brain. Check your library's website, you'd be surprised what's included. Why pay when you don't have to? It's kind of a no-brainer.

Why YSK: Because in this economy, "free" is the best four-letter word. Seriously, it's wild how many people don't realize their public library card gives them access to a treasure trove of digital content. We're talking apps like Libby, Kanopy, and Hoopla, which means free movies, documentaries, e-books, and audiobooks. You just need that little piece of plastic (or the digital equivalent). Think of all those subscription fees you could avoid. It's basically a life hack for entertainment and knowledge. Plus, you get to feel good about using a public resource. So yeah, before you drop another ten bucks on a service, check if your local library already has you covered. It's like finding money in an old coat, but instead, it's endless entertainment.

When you buy bananas, break them apart into individual bananas instead of leaving them in the bunch.

Why YSK: The stem of the bunch is the main culprit for releasing ethylene gas, which is basically a ripening accelerator. By separating them, you significantly slow down this process. This means your bananas will stay yellow and edible for far longer, saving you from having to eat a dozen bananas in two days or, more likely, throwing them out. No more premature browning, unless you're specifically aiming for banana bread. Your fruit bowl (and wallet) will thank you.

Why YSK: Because nobody likes slimy spinach, and this little trick soaks up the excess moisture that makes them turn. It's like a tiny, silent hero for your fridge, saving you money and the sad feeling of throwing out perfectly good produce. Plus, more kale for your kale smoothies, if you're into that sort of thing.

Why YSK: because no one likes stale snacks, and let's be real, those bag clips disappear into the void right when you need them. This trick works for pretty much any crinkly bag. Here's how: 1. Fold the top edges of the bag down into a small cuff. 2. Flip the bag over, so the bottom of the bag is facing you. 3. Roll the cuffed part down tightly, away from you, towards the contents of the bag. 4. Once you've rolled it down a few times, grab the corners of the rolled section and fold them in towards the center. 5. Then, flip it back over. The weight of the bag's contents should hold those folded corners in place, creating a surprisingly good seal. It takes a bit of practice but once you get it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. Your chip consumption might actually go down because you'll stop stress-eating the whole bag to avoid staleness. probably not, but a guy can dream.

This Reuters story was published in 2023. For a reason I don't understand, it had little impact. Basically, car buyers don't pay attention to these kind of things.

• Played a major role in the Chinese Civil War

• Became the personal secretary of Mao and helped create the CCP

• Publically criticized Mao saying his agriculture policies were hurting ordinary chinese

• Denounced by his family for anti-Mao activities during the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution

• Was jailed and exiled

• He regained an influential position in the CCP

• Was forced to resign because he denounced corruption

• Became a famous historian

• Publically criticized Xi Jinping's elimination of presidential term limits

• Was given a state funeral and buried at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemeter

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This may be a "hot" one, considering lots of people do not like anything nuclear. If you would want to know my "bias", well I have always been "pro nuclear". So if you want to take this claim with huge mountains of salts, feel free to do so.

Here is a relevant wiki article for radiation hormesis. This is a proposed effect that certain amounts of radiation exposure may even be beneficial instead of harmful as LNT may suggest.

TL;DW for folks who do not want to watch video (I have not included examples or numbers)

• Radiation from natural sources (like radioactive bananas you eat, or from soil or space) are always present.

• Most nuclear safety guidelines consider that there are no "safe limits" of exposure to radiation. For example, there are safe limits of some metals in our body, there is no limit for mercury or lead exposure. There is a required amount of vitamins you need, but there is also a limit beyond which they are not safe. Radiation is treated like mercury in guidelines.

• If it has no safe limits, then due to natural exposure, places with higher background exposure must have naturally higher rates of cancers developing - but the thing is, experiments and data collected does not match.

• Your body has natural means to repair damage done by radiation, and below a certain limit, your body can withstand (and arguably benefit, see the linked article) the radiation.

• Over estimating danger due to radiation leads to large scale paranoia, and leads to general public be scared of nuclear disasters, when they are not as bad ast they may seem.

And pre-emptively answering some questions I am expecting to get

• Do you support nuclear bombs? Hell no. We should stop making all kinds of bombs, not just nuclear.

Are there not better means of renewable energy generation like

• solar? - no, you still need rare erath metals, you need good quality silicon, and you need a lot of area. Until we have a big "stability" bump in perovskite solar cells, it is not the best way. is it better than fossil fuel? everything is better than fossil fuel for practical purposes.

• wind? geothermal? - actually pretty good. but limited to certain geographies. if you can make them, they are often the best options.

• hydro? - dams? not so much. There are places where they kinda make sense, for example really high mountains with barely any wildlife or people. otherwise, they disturb the ecosystem a lot, and also not very resistant to things like earthquakes or flooding, and in those situations, they worsen the sitaution.

I'm sad that this is worth mentioning. But if you are dealing with hunger amid threats to SNAP benefits, rice and beans are very cheap per meal and can be bought in bulk. Here's some tricks I've learned:

If you get dried beans, make sure you follow the directions to pre-soak them. Canned beans are easier to prepare, just dump in near the end of cooking to heat them up. Dried lentils don't need to be pre-soaked, but I prefer to cook them separately and drain the water they boil in.

Brown rice, barley, or other whole grains have much more protein than white rice and I find them more filling. Whole grains take longer to cook than white grains.

Frying diced onions in the pot before adding the grains and water is an easy way to kick the flavor up a notch. Use a generous amount of cooking oil (light olive oil is healthiest) for cost effective calories and help making the meal more filling.

Big carrots or celery in bulk are pretty cheap too. I like to dice carrots by partially cutting length wise into quarters, but leave the small end intact to keep the carrot together to make it easier to dice down the side. Add them to the same pot as the grains after the grains start to soften. Beets are also great; skin and cube then boil separately until soft. Change up your veggie to get a mix of vitamins

Get some bulk garlic powder, hot sauce, paprika, cumin, crushed red pepper, black pepper, etc. Season and salt the pot to taste.

You'll only need 1-2 pots and a cutting knife/board for veggies.

I recommend Harvard's Nutrition Source for science-based nutrition information and they have some recipes too

Edit: discussing big changes in diet with a primary care doctor or registered dietician is generally a good idea.

Probiotic supplements may help with gas.

As a bonus this sort of meal has a very small environmental footprint.

Literally the only wiki-based media repository out there.

One is bonkers but all are slippery slope in how the answers will be used to eliminate canidates (meant to post this last month but sorta forgot):

1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience.

2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes.

3. How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.

4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples, and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position.

And it should work with practically any browser in existence. It's also one of the few websites still using HTML 4.01.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/37585524

source of quote in title

page 7 of Joseph Weizenbaum's Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgement to Calculation (1976):

In 1884 the first Yemenites settled in Silwan and for 45 years lived peacefully and in very good terms with their Arab neighbors. It seemed that the people of Silwan, which was known to be a poor village, found common ground with the poor Jewish Yemenites that lived among them.

Despite the attempt to depict the 1929 Arab Riot as a violent incident against the Jews in Silwan, it is clear that it was not the case. From a letter of gratitude that the Yemenite Jews sent to their Arab neighbors, we can learn about the devotion and benevolence that the Arabs have shown towards the Yemenites by undauntedly protecting them, and also about the amity and good neighborly relations that prevailed between the two communities.

They have an interactive map to find nearby little free libraries near you. You can use their map here.

It's a good day to buy some music and directly support artists.

Cross posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/32580759

Why you should know: the price hike of Xbox GamePass caused their unsubscribe page to crash. This could lead to someone putting it off and immediately forgetting, then getting charged for the next pass against their wishes. Cutting payment at the source will piss off Xbox and they'll auto kick you off anyway

https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/pdf/gaza_blockade_mental_health_palestinian_children_2022.pdf

It is also concerning that in 2022, more than half of caregivers reported noticing a trend in harmful coping mechanisms among children and young people, including substance abuse, self-harm (59%) and suicidal thoughts (55%).

Non-youtube mirror: https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?__goaway_challenge=header-refresh&__goaway_id=abc75c6e815b76f4f3beac79bca740ef&__goaway_referer=https%3A%2F%2Finv.nadeko.net%2F&v=cpuutP6Df84