Nostr notes by

This comes across as an awful plot line on a Tyler Perry produced ...

2024-01-10T07:02:40+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…jxf4
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This comes across as an awful plot line on a Tyler Perry produced drama on BET or OWN…

When the time was needed for somebody to be on their best behavior, she chose poorly. :-/

Germany does the "13th month" thing? I've jokingly ...

2024-01-09T04:03:49+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…wcfl
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Germany does the "13th month" thing?

I've jokingly said that holiday pay for Thanksgiving *and* Black Friday is my employer's Christmas bonus. :-)

A convent with none of the benefits. Stability and prayer? No, ...

2024-01-03T09:08:49+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…4s0t
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A convent with none of the benefits.

Stability and prayer? No, just infighting and drama!

(insert joke about women joining the harems of the men who ...

2024-01-03T09:03:07+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…wfec
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(insert joke about women joining the harems of the men who don't use porn)

I must admit, you're good for challenging my preconceived ...

2024-01-02T11:20:20+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…krnv
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I must admit, you're good for challenging my preconceived notions. :-)

Happy New Year! :-)

2024-01-01T11:47:10+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…jyws
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Happy New Year! :-)

Merry Christmas! :-)

2023-12-25T11:37:21+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…vuk9
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Merry Christmas! :-)

(Big hug) Some of us miss you! But I understand if you want a ...

2023-12-14T20:52:53+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…vwrn
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(Big hug)

Some of us miss you! But I understand if you want a break!

* Same feeling I had when Covid broke out. Global must-see-TV.* I ...

2023-12-08T15:18:22+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…e3he
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* Same feeling I had when Covid broke out. Global must-see-TV.*

I was on leave from work, so that was *definitely* the case for me with Covid. BBC, France 24, CNN. Always hungry for the next drip of news to develop during peak pandemic.

I'm still shocked at how a US spec car managed to survive ...

2023-12-08T15:14:51+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…lxaq
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I'm still shocked at how a US spec car managed to survive life in Germany for so long. :-)

Has a replacement been selected yet, or are you discovering the wonders of German rural cycling?

The problem is that we're so desperate to look for a magical ...

2023-12-08T00:00:44+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…vd2z
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The problem is that we're so desperate to look for a magical solution for underpeforming black students that all of the old tricks didn't work, so we have a new generation of activists and educational policy makers with no real world memory of the past who don't see the awkwardness of this idea.

The trick in the US, IIRC, is basically to refuse to issue visas ...

2023-12-07T23:58:11+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…xfk3
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The trick in the US, IIRC, is basically to refuse to issue visas until the country submits to taking back their citizen. I suspect the Germans aren't willing to do this, and have far less leverage in this regard.

I wonder what you think of the chemists and nerds that play with ...

2023-12-07T23:24:12+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…3rcn
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I wonder what you think of the chemists and nerds that play with sensors that create photography. :-)

FWIW, the US testing as well as it did is rather shocking. ...

2023-12-07T11:26:38+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…43kw
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FWIW, the US testing as well as it did is rather shocking.

Somebody noted that US whites and Asians were BTFO of other countries, and black people were outscoring some actual European countries.

Principle + 2% is better than "OMG, where's my ...

2023-12-07T11:26:13+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…9254
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Principle + 2% is better than "OMG, where's my money".

This isn't play money, it's your *retirement*.

I tend to be somewhat concerned about pensions given that I'm ...

2023-12-07T07:38:02+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…zxcu
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I tend to be somewhat concerned about pensions given that I'm a single adult with zero chance of marriage and kids at this point, so a guaranteed payment upon retirement is attractive to me, but outside of government and a few unionized workforces and non-profits, you're left with far less secure defined contribution accounts and IRAs which guarantee nothing.

FWIW, this seems that this is basically a German substitute for our 401ks/IRAs.

(Does a google search) Um, do the riesters offer guaranteed ...

2023-12-07T07:03:34+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…xjtx
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(Does a google search)

Um, do the riesters offer guaranteed payouts upon retirement, or are they subject to the succces of the markets?

Retirement insurance?

2023-12-07T06:41:32+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…29wz
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Retirement *insurance*?

The solution for high prices is high prices. Increase the ...

2023-12-06T17:45:39+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…pm3x
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*The solution for high prices is high prices.*

Increase the supply of housing!

I shouldn't have to go move halfway across the country to find somewhere to live, and then spend the bloody savings on daycare because I can't afford to live near my kids grandmother who would be a far better babysitter.

IIRC, my portion of the town property taxes comes out to 1500, so ...

2023-12-06T16:57:12+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…ndse
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IIRC, my portion of the town property taxes comes out to 1500, so I'm effectively paying a little over that now if you split the cost between myself and my younger brother.

*then they should move someplace cheaper or demand higher wages*

So people complain about price increases due to wage increases, businesses don't want to reduce their profits, and landlords don't want to cut rents. And people moving to lower cost of living locations ends up driving up rents in the new places. So there isn't a magical escape plan.

Weird fact: $100 per head is $75M for my town. My town spent $25M ...

2023-12-06T14:55:14+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…0fj4
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Weird fact: $100 per head is $75M for my town.

My town spent $25M on health insurance for their employees.

Then how does my town function? Nobody is going to work for ...

2023-12-06T14:39:21+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…9mkf
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Then how does my town function? Nobody is going to work for minimum wage, and the town doesn’t even run a social welfare state since those functions are done by the county.

What if nobody wants to donate for them? I guess I’m a bit more ...

2023-12-06T14:32:23+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…mc5q
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What if nobody wants to donate for them?

I guess I’m a bit more willing to accept that some people are unemployable and unlikable.

You know most of us aren’t as smart as you. :-/

2023-12-06T14:27:11+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…jpg5
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You know most of us aren’t as smart as you. :-/

For sampling purposes, my (Republican run) township has 750K ...

2023-12-06T12:05:54+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…7ldq
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For sampling purposes, my (Republican run) township has 750K residents and a budget of $500M budget. $100 per resident isn't enough.

Coincidentally, this doesn't cover our county or local school district budget.

Everyone resident over the age of 18 pays €100 and basta. ...

2023-12-06T11:59:01+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…7ldq
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*Everyone resident over the age of 18 pays €100 and basta.*

Sucks to be you, unemployable/low wage adult.

CAN CONFIRM, IS GOOD IDEA. /me is a mommy's boy.

2023-12-05T21:56:27+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…c7sc
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CAN CONFIRM, IS GOOD IDEA.

/me is a mommy's boy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Act_2003 For those ...

2023-12-05T21:43:46+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…kf2q
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Act_2003
For those who aren't aware, that's the legal framework permitting these types cases in the UK, and based upon the sample cases used below, it seems that saying anything in public or private social media in the UK is a raging liability risk.

What client(s) are you using now on the web side?

2023-12-04T14:51:58+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…2ays
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What client(s) are you using now on the web side?

I see you also work in a legal death trap.

2023-12-04T14:50:58+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…50cz
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I see you also work in a legal death trap.

I've jokingly noted that those types of dresses scream ...

2023-12-04T14:38:55+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…re3u
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I've jokingly noted that those types of dresses scream "hot" when it's worn by a hot girl, but "plain" when worn by even above average woman.

FWIW, the second dress in the white floral pattern looks the best. The others feel awfully, um, Little House on the Prarie-ish. I think some of us have some memory of an older woman in our life wearing something similar as a house dress, and it destroys the *entire* ability to see women in these as attract. They're de facto burkas.

FWIW, it seems to hold up in Switzerland and Netherlands, but ...

2023-12-04T14:32:34+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…f6cj
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FWIW, it seems to hold up in Switzerland and Netherlands, but they're admittedly smaller countries where the Intercity service there is akin to a RegioExpress service in Germany.

Test :-) FWIW, American Transit Twitter is infatuated with takt ...

2023-12-04T14:30:37+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…gg0d
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Test :-)

FWIW, American Transit Twitter is infatuated with takt because they want regular coordinated schedules that don’t need to be “checked” in order to improve ridership, but it seems that Germany osnt able to keep the takt going at current service levels.

That’s the issue. It wont even let me post if it’s in ...

2023-12-04T14:28:03+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…nxq3
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That’s the issue. It wont even let me *post* if it’s in NoName so you would not be able to see it in the fiest place…

So, um, what should I do?

2023-12-04T14:21:25+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…nyrm
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So, um, what should I do?

It's weird in that I can see them, but any attempt in Coracle ...

2023-12-04T14:15:51+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…5cgg
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It's weird in that I can see them, but any attempt in Coracle leads to not being able to click through and post a reply.

I just realized that I can't post into the +no name ...

2023-12-04T14:14:21+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…muxl
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I just realized that I can't post into the +no name categorized posts.

Could you, um, rock the chestnut coloured hair? :-)

2023-12-03T17:29:53+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…whpj
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Could you, um, rock the chestnut coloured hair? :-)

Let's just say it's a reminder of a close female friend, ...

2023-11-30T16:35:57+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…mccf
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Let's just say it's a reminder of a close female friend, except she has black curly hair.

And yet, still very pretty. :-)

2023-11-30T14:18:29+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…u3qx
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And yet, still very pretty. :-)

This one hits a little too close to home for me. :-P

2023-11-30T14:08:12+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…0jaf
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This one hits a little too close to home for me. :-P

If he's so good, why* are you here?* For me, the viewpoint ...

2023-11-29T17:00:03+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…wneq
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*If he's so good, *why* are you here?*

For me, the viewpoint is, if you're in a pays blanc, and it's better than home, you should want home to be just like a pays blanc. In other words, copy the white people and be secular and educated so you and your people can be a pays blancs too.

But I'm the child of foreigners that looks in awe of everything in the first world.

It's weird, Haitians have a weird "the Americans messed ...

2023-11-29T16:56:35+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…dtjz
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It's weird, Haitians have a weird "the Americans messed up our country, but yeah that dude is corrupt" vibe, so I don't think you'd see the same degree of support for a Haitian leader. If he's so good, *why* are you here?

FWIW, Haiti doesn't allow for dual citizenship, so a lot of Haitians held onto their passports for years. 9/11 and various changes to Medicare qualifications during the 1990s made *many* Haitians sign up for citizenship*. Oddly, to think back to my childhood, it's interesting to note that my family discussed American politics despite not being able to vote for years. Mind you, they never went to the embassy to vote in Haitian elections either.

*My maternal grandmother wanted her citizenship ASAP in the 1970s. Mom became a citizen almost 30 years after arriving in the late 1960s.

Organic 2% milk is $1.50 less at BJs compared to anywhere else. ...

2023-11-29T16:48:20+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…5p7g
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Organic 2% milk is $1.50 less at BJs compared to anywhere else. We buy a half gallon on a weekly basis. The membership pays for itself when combined with eggs and some cold cuts. :-)

I'd love to try Aldi, but it's near the shopping mall which means it's too far and too annoying to reach for weekly shopping, so Lidl wins.

Pet Theories: 1) It's relatively easy to fly back home and ...

2023-11-29T15:52:56+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…6kzr
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Pet Theories:

1) It's relatively easy to fly back home and stay "Turkish" with cheap flights on Wizz Air, and WhatsApp chat groups.

2) Erdogan lifting Kemalist secular cap allowed religion to blossom which means any immigrants from his era are more likely to be wedded to their faith.

3) The Turkish economy improved to the point that the smart fraction types and the mid level types don't leave anymore. You either get the activist/artist types, or the dudes from "the back" who are poor and looking for the short cut to success via Germany.

TIL that Egypt grows potatoes.

2023-11-29T15:47:16+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…6hd2
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TIL that Egypt grows potatoes.

FWIW, a local supermarket chain was taken over by Lidl in an ...

2023-11-29T15:46:44+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…sw4z
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FWIW, a local supermarket chain was taken over by Lidl in an attempt to beat Aldi to Long Island. It was *very* unpopular with locals due to the loss of a deli counter that sold Boars Head products.

The bagged salads, brautwurst, raclette cheese, sliced chorizo, and German potato mix ensure that I keep coming back. Otherwise, fruits are meh and the freezer containing the chicken seems to have a weird smell. Salmon is *great*, but there's only boneless steak. I'm feeding two people in my household so I can be a bit more picky in terms of paying more for nicer stuff at other places.

With that said, Shop Rite (local chain), WalMart, and BJs are where 90% of my food shopping is done.

Wait, candidates, or is First Communion done differently there? ...

2023-11-28T21:02:07+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…66vk
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Wait, candidates, or is First Communion done differently there? It’s basically a April/May thing here.

Also, do you guys have big parties, or we French Caribbeans the only weirdos that do this?

In contrast, my parents' generation came to the States just ...

2023-11-24T20:12:49+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…3ul2
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In contrast, my parents' generation came to the States just as Vietnam was slowly winding down, so they missed out on that, and they were too old for GW I. My cousin was out of the Marines by the time Iraq started up as well. A lot of Haitians from that era were unlikely to see the military as an option, especially since the bourgeois types were unlikely to rocket their way to officer status like back home, and the homless black veterans on drugs literally scared people into wondering what goes on in the military.

Now my niece and another cousin are DoD property.

It's weird, I've known you for over a decade, and somehow ...

2023-11-24T09:46:03+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…qm8q
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It's weird, I've known you for over a decade, and somehow never made the connection until now.

Which leads one to ask if your dad was involved in the first Gulf ...

2023-11-24T09:41:53+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…v7qd
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Which leads one to ask if your dad was involved in the first Gulf War?

FWIW, my niece is currently overseas as DoD property so the positives tend to outweigh my fears of the negative for her. IOW, there's a reason I pray for peace and prudent leadership...

I think somebody noted that DoD was basically the easiest way to ...

2023-11-24T09:00:49+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…lw4z
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I think somebody noted that DoD was basically the easiest way to live like a European as an American citizen...except for the whole military controls your life part. Otherwise, you had cheap healthcare, daycare, and excellent racially integrated schools.

...but wouldn't that be true of Millennials? FWIW, a decent ...

2023-11-23T14:50:33+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…93le
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...but wouldn't that be true of Millennials? FWIW, a decent chunk of Gen Y is composed of siblings of younger Millennials in some cases.

Meanwhile, my Catholic school had the updated versions of Apple ...

2023-11-23T14:43:34+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…dgsa
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Meanwhile, my Catholic school had the updated versions of Apple IIes with color screens, educational games, and Logo programming for a surcharge over the tuition. No internet connection as this was years away from AOL being common knowledge.

*Personally, it's Millennial men that don't seem like ...

2023-11-23T14:32:24+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…kuxp
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*Personally, it's Millennial men that don't seem like real men to me.
I've known several Millennial dudes who are in their 30s, never married,
and don't really know where they're going in life.*

I suspect that I'm the unmarried, never had a real girlfriend, childless 40 year old example of this. As I've told Stella before, I still don't feel like an adult and still feel like a kid in relation to the older adults in my family, and I suspect a lot of us in this situation feel the same way, but we're probably unlikely to really change our situations.

FWIW, these men to be anti-feminist because feminism leads to ...

2023-11-23T14:27:41+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…ye6h
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FWIW, these men to be anti-feminist because feminism leads to female independence and avoidance of them for "alphas" and non-white men. So if you take away feminism, the implication is that they'll remain chaste virgins who will be forced to date them* and magically find them attractive with zero ability to compare them with previous lovers solving whatever awkward inadequacy issues that they have.

There's a reason why the more extreme ones like Islam for it's stronger anti-feminist viewpoints while also permitting divorce and polygamy.

*They assume "he has a middle class job* would somehow make them attractive if in peak 1950s fantasy land. Meanwhile, they'd probably still be in envy of the women that the men with more money/charisma could attract.

Assuming you weren't skipped ahead, you did this what I was ...

2023-11-23T14:22:14+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…99de
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Assuming you weren't skipped ahead, you did this what I was in first grade in the extreme late 1980s so that's *amazing* to me.

I didn't play around with the internet for at least another six years.

...they don't have the GMail app on their phone, but they ...

2023-11-23T14:17:18+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…dmwr
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...they don't have the GMail app on their phone, but they have WhatsApp?

OTOH, you're admittedly in a rural area so maybe it's different there...

OTOH, the fun narrative buster is the fact that Mark Rutte's ...

2023-11-23T14:01:18+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…8r0m
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OTOH, the fun narrative buster is the fact that Mark Rutte's successor in the VVD is Turkish and seems to have more moderate politics, but is potentially willing to support him in a coalition government.

At best, you'll get the "he's a sell-out" ...

2023-11-23T13:59:16+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…ckq6
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At best, you'll get the "he's a sell-out" comments in regards to his maternal ancestry. For all intents and purposes, he comes across as a white guy to most people, and as a reflection of that, he's not going to see himself as a member of non-white group that would need protection from his party's political manifesto.

FWIW, that's the only thing some men have to offer. I've ...

2023-11-23T00:03:29+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…lur6
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FWIW, that's the only thing some men have to offer. I've jokingly said the men who complain the most about women using men for their money and want women out of careers also want women to choose them over "bad boys" because they have "money".

I think it's the bizzaro version of the strategy where men ...

2023-11-22T12:43:31+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…dg7n
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I think it's the bizzaro version of the strategy where men marry the woman that they're emotionally/intellectually compatible with, but cheat on her with the "hot" girl that evokes sexual desire. They're doing the inverse where they marry the woman for sex, but desire to cheat on her with the intelligent and interesting woman.

FWIW, one of the more interesting quirks is that contracts that ...

2023-11-20T23:13:28+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…e0ly
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FWIW, one of the more interesting quirks is that contracts that would have gone to European (and Japanese) firms are now going to Chinese firms. It's arguably a make work scheme for the Chinese to fuel internal economic growth, reduce unemployment, and ensure greater control over their own natural resource supply chains.

If youre buying super high end cuts that usually go to high end ...

2023-11-20T21:29:30+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…rd3h
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If youre buying super high end cuts that usually go to high end restaurants and other upper class buyers, it seems sensible in terms of pricing.

If you’re buying average ReWe cuts, then this is just awful.

FWIW, are they doing this to women outside of Southeast Asia? I ...

2023-11-20T19:00:35+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…fe5e
_________________________

FWIW, are they doing this to women outside of Southeast Asia?

I get why you're so viscerally against it, but if this all done on a consensual basis, I personally see nothing wrong. If a bunch of white dudes started marrying off Caribbean women, I wouldn't be mad. That just means the apex people think our women are pretty too! :-)

…and now you see why Americans feel broke. The fun part is that ...

2023-11-20T09:23:37+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…cu4v
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…and now you see why Americans feel broke.

The fun part is that the insurance industry is highly regulated in the US, its not very profitable, and home insurance is slowly becoming unaffordable due to natural disaster risk with some states losing coverage because regulators won’t allow even higher rate increases…

I remember reading that Germans love insurance, but its rather ...

2023-11-20T09:19:48+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…jfje
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I remember reading that Germans love insurance, but its rather cheap compared to the US. Hell, full coverage for my decade old car is $180 per month, and thats with a multicar discount. Its cheaper than Canada, but it’s been hinted to me that ten timwa my coverage limit is near what I currently pay…

The disability insurance has no resale value and takes up 6% of ...

2023-11-20T08:39:44+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…q9v4
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The disability insurance has no resale value and takes up 6% of my net pay. The retirement is near 7% of my *gross* pay or roughly 10% of net pay.

The 30% seems awfully harsh, but it's easier for some people to live simply. :-)

In retrospect, if one looks at my net pay, it's roughly 3.5% ...

2023-11-20T07:38:26+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…lc7h
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In retrospect, if one looks at my net pay, it's roughly 3.5% that I set aside for savings. I don't count the small amounts that I put into the 401k at work, our pension plan deductions, or the disability insurance deductions.

IIRC, I have 1, 2 is highly theoretical for long drawn out real ...

2023-11-20T06:22:19+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…kwm7
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IIRC, I have 1, 2 is *highly* theoretical for long drawn out real world reasons, 3 is *definitely* not true unless I take a huge hit to my lifestyle, 4 is somewhat true but that's due to a generous match at my previous employer that started when the market was at its lows, 5 was tested a few years ago and definitely not true, 6 is somewhat true but I don't know if I could replace the cars with brand new equivalents. 7 describes my brother's household...

8 and 12 are definitely not true, and given what Catholic school costs, I definitely can't afford high prole children so we can discount 9...

*And you don't need $500k. He estimates that you just need a ...

2023-11-20T06:18:47+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…9d52
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*And you don't need $500k. He estimates that you just need a bit over 6-figures per household.*

IOW, as I've jokingly said, you live like an immigrant.

The problem is that most people don't do all of this work to merely live like an immigrant.

*middle class primarily from active income, but also passive ...

2023-11-20T05:55:54+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…ywew
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*middle class primarily from active income, but also passive income and
with enough assets to not fall into poverty during hardship*

Then there's going to be a lot of Americans who deem themselves to be middle class who are really high proles with white collar jobs. In effect, you'd have to be a $500K managing director to really be "middle class" by this definition. Meanwhile, an accountant and teacher couple consider themselves to be middle class despite only owning one home and some investments that sit in a retirement account.

NGL, my debt from some irresponsible spending was eating away at ...

2023-11-19T19:52:20+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…8xem
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NGL, my debt from some irresponsible spending was eating away at me. I can service the debt, but it still eats away at me compared to having no debt or just debt for something like a car loan.

With that said, I suspect I'm not feeling food inflation to the same degree because the giant package of chicken only serves two people with multiple feedings here.

FWIW, you're admittedly in a wonky spot given that while your ...

2023-11-19T19:49:33+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…hl0r
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FWIW, you're admittedly in a wonky spot given that while your American peers had student loan debts*, you missed out on their working years. So you married and had kids versus the others who maxed out their income and rode the housing ladder.

*You're slightly younger than my comp engineer cousin who was single for *years* and earned relatively high incomes compared to the rest of us.

Racists: This is a way better choice than the black guy! ...

2023-11-19T14:35:12+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…npre
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Racists: This is a way better choice than the black guy! (/grimacing)

$15/hr at 6 hours per day for 5 days per week over four weeks is ...

2023-11-17T14:44:16+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…j77v
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$15/hr at 6 hours per day for 5 days per week over four weeks is $1800.

FWIW, Medicaid pays for nursing home stays. In most states, it ...

2023-11-17T14:40:42+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…r0mk
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FWIW, Medicaid pays for nursing home stays. In most states, it does not pay for home care, so it's easier to state parent X is broke and have the state cover the care than to spend your own money to care for your relatively while you're at work.

You too can live in an expensive top flight city with low income ...

2023-11-15T23:39:38+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…cwwl
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You too can live in an expensive top flight city with low income and few “coworkers” you can trust. :-/

FWIW, some of those men would love to go back, but the women dont ...

2023-11-14T17:06:38+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…xjpf
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FWIW, some of those men would love to go back, but the women dont want them for varying reasons. :-(

With that said, as the son of somebody that was an unmarried single mom until she met my dad, it’s possible, but you have to do some filtering. My parents were married until my dad’s passing, and theh were seen as the strongest marriage by others.

My 401k will be less depressing! OTOH, time to secure some high ...

2023-11-14T16:57:54+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…cjsv
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My 401k will be less depressing!

OTOH, time to secure some high rate long term CDs and bonds!

Some of them bought BTC. Some of them bought other, um, crypto ...

2023-11-12T15:37:44+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…yjf5
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Some of them bought BTC. Some of them bought other, um, crypto instead. Some stored their stuff at a local institution called FTX…

Hence why some porn stars make “come backs”. Previously to ...

2023-11-12T11:14:36+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…umr5
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Hence why some porn stars make “come backs”. Previously to mainstream porn studios or strip clubs, but now to Onlyfans.

And FWIW, even if the sex stops, a husband deciding to replace ...

2023-11-10T11:47:20+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…0dge
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And FWIW, even if the sex *stops*, a husband deciding to replace her with somebody else is seen with some degree of social scorn and shame even in modern secular circles. And there's an implied sense that she *supports* him in various ways and should be entitled to *something* if he opts to leave.

There's just far less public, widespread sympathy for the recipient of a sugar daddy's benefits. Her friends might feel sorry for her, but nobody will treat her the same way as married woman going through a divorce.

That's so crude. He's more of a sugar daddy that actually ...

2023-11-10T11:29:15+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…u9rl
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That's so crude.

He's more of a sugar daddy that actually loves and cares about you. :-P

FWIW, the stats for married black men versus their white ...

2023-11-10T11:15:28+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…mjea
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FWIW, the stats for married black men versus their white counterparts is rather depressing, but definitely explains some of the bad financial and wealth stats floating around about black families...

OTOH, I think we need more white guys to marry black women. For, you know, reparations.

My condolences and prayers. :-(

2023-11-09T13:10:23+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…yz2a
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My condolences and prayers. :-(

And this is why I want a condo with an in-unit washer/dryer.

2023-11-09T10:04:16+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…0wde
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And this is why I want a condo with an in-unit washer/dryer.

I remember that! IIRC, he stopped doing that set when he noticed ...

2023-11-07T16:34:03+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…quz4
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I remember that!

IIRC, he stopped doing that set when he noticed that some white people liked it *too much*.

It’s the middle class black people dillema.

There's a reason why lefty types wanted to re-imagine ...

2023-11-07T16:16:42+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…ptkh
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There's a reason why lefty types wanted to re-imagine policing and all those other buzz words. They knew that black cops would be just as awful as white cops.

In contrast, here so many want citizenship ASAP to avoid the risk ...

2023-11-07T16:01:19+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…2rsw
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In contrast, here so many want citizenship ASAP to avoid the risk of deportation. Everybody is afraid of that risk given how hard it is to get a green card, and the fact that you have family members relying on you back home.

Either the German media overhypes things, or immigrant groups ...

2023-11-07T15:45:51+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…syum
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Either the German media overhypes things, or immigrant groups somehow manage to not be as insane toward each other in the US. Haitians aren't going to light up the Jamaicans with pitchforks around here.

OTOH, maybe it's because if one chooses to commit felony assault, you win a free trip back home. It's not worth bashing somebody if it means you lose everything.

There's a reason why hospitals in the Bronx wouldn't put ...

2023-11-07T15:43:39+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…p3p8
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There's a reason why hospitals in the Bronx wouldn't put Dominican patients in the same rooms as Puerto Rican patients...

Coincidentally, there's a reason why Caribbeans live in black neighbourhoods and not Latino ones. :-/

With that said, I suspect it's because they're used to meeting bourgeois types, um, crude about these issues compared to other people within our own ethnic group. They're basically meeting white people that "season their chicken". I suspect one could argue that our immigration policy should select for that, and I suspect that's why East Asian immigrants are well liked in North America....

EU is getting a bunch of Senegalese, lately. Stable enough to ...

2023-11-07T15:29:59+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…2lr4
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*EU is getting a bunch of Senegalese, lately.*

Stable enough to avoid being the top story on the news, but insanely high unemployment. So you send the men off to Europe, and shame those who didn't make it. Seriously, I've heard the stories on BBC about how those who don't make it are seen as *useless* and mistreated by their families, especially if assets were sold to pay for their trip...

I remember when NYC was the capital of the Haitian diaspora. Now ...

2023-11-07T15:27:54+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…2lr4
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I remember when NYC was the capital of the Haitian diaspora.

Now it's Miami. IIRC, the Haitians in Florida are mix of people from Miami and the Northeast. They wanted somewhere cheaper with less extreme weather, and oddly, for some Haitians, Atlanta feels like "home" if they grew up in the mountains.

Bonus is being away from the other Haitians that you don't like.

Haiti is a case where because there's crap for opportunities ...

2023-11-07T15:12:45+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…c6w2
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Haiti is a case where because there's crap for opportunities even before the state's implosion, you have lots of poor people struggling that basically view leaving as the only solution because they have zero hope of securing the few middle class jobs in the country. And the few people with middle class jobs view leaving as their backup option in case they lose their jobs.

In the 1980s, the latter would just overstay their visa. Now they just wait perpetually on line for some first world country. The former sell everything and become boat people, or they hope that somebody from a pays blancs sends money back home so they can pay bills and eat. With the capital imploding, even the latter will forgo waiting to try sneaking into the US.

I was going to write up a whole thing, and then I remembered how ...

2023-11-07T15:08:34+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…my0c
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I was going to write up a whole thing, and then I remembered how Northeastern and Canadian Haitians look down at their Miami counterparts as kinda trashy. OTOH, New York and Boston Haitians look at their Canadian counterparts with shame in the sense that they live in a place where they speak French, and yet somehow haven't become filthy rich.

FWIW, the Canadians partially solve for this problem by requiring their immigrants to meet a skill profile, or for those being sponsored by family to be financially supported by their families with a financial penalty for state support. The stories of family members going on welfare and the government billing their sponsors makes sponsoring the questionable cousin less enticing.

IIRC, I think they're from other parts of West Africa like ...

2023-11-07T15:00:51+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…puru
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IIRC, I think they're from other parts of West Africa like Senegal.

As I've jokingly noted, they *seem* Haitian, but it feels off. :-)

Quinceañeras Nah, we celebrate Labour Day and Sweet 16s. Not ...

2023-11-07T14:49:07+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…707m
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*Quinceañeras*

Nah, we celebrate Labour Day and Sweet 16s. Not us. :-)

With that said, it seems that the neighbourhood is going down, and your dad is bailing before things get worse. I can't blame him or anybody else for doing the same thing.

FWIW, the loud party reference is why we *never* considered having a family BBQ. Stuff that's tolerable in a black neighbourhood would never fly in our mostly white neighbourhood which is what partially scares some of the non-white buyers away. Day time party is acceptable, but definitely, no loud music.

FWIW, based on my grandmother's nine grandchildren, only two ...

2023-11-07T14:40:56+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…txdn
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FWIW, based on my grandmother's nine grandchildren, only two have married white people and those two were probably the most white adjacent out of all of us as they grew up in the Upper West Side in Manhattan. One cousin married a FBA, another married a fellow Caribbean. And so far, four great grandchildren are products of FBA relationships, one is FBA/Hispanic, and two are mixed race.

From what I've seen, we're melting into the FBAs.

If he's open enough to marry a foreigner, he's open ...

2023-11-07T13:43:10+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…amxv
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If he's open enough to marry a foreigner, he's open enough to the idea of more foreigners coming in.