Excellent. I do this all the time, answer the wrong question. But yes, you are completely right, check pulse with your fingers. I feel very close to you right now.

I didn’t know there was an Islamic dilemma. Also, I don’t care about it any more than I would care about a dilemma in any other religion. Religion is such a cancer in the world, I prefer to keep my mind clear of it.

Let’s turn the question around. You benefit from the many things other people’s taxes have provided, even before you were born. You were probably born in a hospital funded by taxes. The hospital staff was educated by public schools and federally subsidized student loans. You drive on public roads, and are (at least in theory,) protected by publicly funded cops, firefighters, and military. (I did say in theory.) You probably get your electricity, water, sewer and trash pickup from a public utility - even though you pay for your usage, you still benefit from the public expenditure to build and maintain that infrastructure.

So the real question is how is not paying taxes not theft? You’d be a freeloader, stealing from the rest of us.

Oooh, this sounds promising. We have a local server. And my Sense 2 can go a week between charges. Thank you very much. I’ll look into it.

Awwww, thanks. Isn’t life just full of these messy, scary, oddball realities that no one ever tells you? I found so many of them in parenthood. Aging looks like more of the same.

Good point. Thank you.

We’re all android and Linux here, but thank you!

There is lots of great content on YouTube, but you need to do some work to shake it loose. On the thumbnail page, click on the dots next to the image and choose “not interested” to get rid of the same ones showing repeatedly.

Try searching for terms you are interested in. Once you watch a couple of videos on the same subject, they’ll keep trying to show you more, which one be a good thing or not, depending.

Creators come and go, so finding new ones is an ongoing process.

Don’t confuse the country with the people or the land. While many humans do seem to be an utter waste of space, the species is still worth preserving (imo.)

Alas, I understand all too well about leaving the theater before the rush. I’m liable to do that, too.

I feel like a certain amount of numb might be the best thing for you right now. The relationship is over. He is not going to give you what you want, but you keep trying to draw him back in. You’re keeping your own wounds open. The fact that he’s not emotionally healthy enough to cut you off doesn’t make your behavior any healthier.

You said you want someone to “fight for you.” What does that mean? Fight who? You’re not a princess locked in a storybook castle, are you? Real life isn’t a fairytale. It’s not a movie. Real love isn’t about drama. It’s about just normal caring. Until you can rescue your own mind from the bullshit Hollywood has fed you, you will have a very hard time being part of a genuinely loving relationship.

Cut this dude loose. Look after yourself. Let your princess out of her tower, so she can live in the real world.

To quote Kenan Thompson, “ain’t nothing gonna happen.” It doesn’t make the slightest difference what any of these monsters admit, or how solid the evidence. None of their crimes are news. They’ve been blatant all along, and we all know it. There is no Big Fix for us. We have already fallen for Lucy’s football too many times. Look at history. When it’s fascism time, the fascists will fascist, and the rest of us will just have to get down there in the trenches and fight. Together.

I absolutely did care when I was a single mom just barely getting by, and the state and federal self-employment taxes took such huge bites out of my income. Often, I couldn’t pay them and still eat and pay rent, so I racked up interest charges and penalties.

The self-employment tax system in the USA is royally fucked for people who can hardly support themselves even without it.

Oh, that’s very interesting. I never knew what the mechanism was. I never really learned if it had a specific name. It was just something I finally figured out for myself after a lot of grief with no answers from the doctors.

You’re correct, and things like celery powder do contain nitrites. These workarounds have never caused me any problems, but I’m sure people vary. I can eat regular bacon every once in a while and be fine, it’s only after a few days buildup that I start the Big Itch (followed by the big hives.) Everyone has to work out their own tolerances.

And if all else fails, Bill Burr has a short lotion seminar for white people. https://youtu.be/RiH-_ZUILk0

Another possibility that I had to discover for myself is a sensitivity to nitrites such as you find in bacon and deli meats. Or sulfates in wine. These are not allergies, and benedryl won’t help, although prednisone will make it temporarily go away. I had to just stop eating those foods, although now they’re offering more “uncured” meats, which don’t bother me.

I’ve been buying glasses online for decades, and have never had a problem with quality. Or really any problem at all. I’ve used EyeBuyDirect, Zenni, and others, and have always been happy. In fact, I would much rather buy glasses online than in person.

Most of them have clever websites that let you virtually try on the frames and get an accurate view of how they will look. The frames are just fine, and the lenses are cut correctly and polished. My grandmother and my aunt were both opticians, and I have been wearing glasses since I was a kid, so I know a little about quality.

I have an illness that can sometimes cause a big spike of adrenaline when I overdo things. I can hear it then, and it’s a sign that I need to lie down and do some kind of meditation to get my stress level down. Conversely, when I’m meditating, and get really relaxed, I can also hear it, but it’s a very different sensation.

It’s not a social faux pas, it’s a severe mental health condition, but I have some fear of becoming a hoarder. My partner and I have several of the risk factors, so I keep trying to get rid of stuff.

I never travel with black clothes, because I never travel, and don’t own any black clothes, because I never wear black, or attend funerals.