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Cake day: June 17th, 2023

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  • As an Englishman, the IRA were fairly critical to the political results. They kept the UK government from running roughshod over the Irish political parties.

    The IRA proved they were willing to cross critical lines (bombs aimed at large scale civilian damage on English soil etc). They also demonstrated restraint. They often provided warnings ahead of time. They focused on disruption not casualties. The underlying threat was clear however. If you (UK government) escalate too far, it’s simple to switch from a bomb aimed at destroying a high street of shops, to one aimed at killing a high street of Christmas shoppers.

    The end result was that Irish politics stayed in the public eye, and the government took the safer path of negotiating in good faith. No-one was particularly happy with the results, but no-one was excessively unhappy with them either. Often the best you can hope for.

    In short, the credible threat is required to keep all parties honest. Most smart governments will see an escalating trail of protests as part of that. Unfortunately, the current US leadership doesn’t seem that smart.





  • Be careful with the taking average mindset. It’s a default human one, and it’s being abused. A lot of media outlets (particularly American right wing) are mouthpieces for the same few groups or people.

    Instead, try and look at their biases. Do they have a reason to mislead you. What akin do they have in a particular game. E.g. the BBC is still fairly unbiased on a lot of world news. They are far less unbiased on middle eastern politics now.

    It’s an annoyingly complex problem to solve, on the fly.



  • cynar@lemmy.worldtoRare insults@lemmy.worldHow fucking stupid
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    4 days ago

    Interestingly, English does have a “reference” accent. “Queens English”.

    Back in the days of the British empire, the aristocracy had a serious problem. When they traveled, the local population were difficult to understand, they all had accents. To solve this, the hired help were taught not just English but a clear “accentless” English. This meant the rich could go anywhere in the empire and not have to decode the local’s butchering of English.

    While it’s used a lot less now, it was only a few decades back that the BBC stopped requiring it for news broadcasts. It’s the “classic” British accent you see on TV shows.




  • They are the largest polluter primarily because we outsourced our polluting manufacturing to them. The politics of that part are a separate issue, but the results need to be factored in. A lot of Chinese pollution is western pollution, outsourced.

    They also appear to actually have a coherent plan that seems on track. Could it be a lot better? Of course! It’s still a lot better than a lot of the world is doing.

    Please show me somewhere making large scale improvements that aren’t built upon China’s right now.

    Edit to add.

    Unfortunately, my standards really are that low. The fact that China is still the only large country/group hitting them says more about the rest of the world.



  • Could china be doing more? Yes. Are they doing considerably better than everyone else? Also yes.

    Currently china is leading the charge on renewable energy. They are installing more than any developed country, by most measures. They are also flooding the market with solar panels etc. The mass solar adoption happening worldwide is powered by China.

    It’s also worth noting they are leading the way in fusion research. I believe they have started/about to start construction of the first viable fusion reactor.

    China has a lot of problems, but complaining they should be doing even more on renewables is hypocritical from almost all other countries.

    Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.




  • cynar@lemmy.worldtomemes@lemmy.worldWho remembers this?
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    11 days ago

    I can’t see it as anything but white and gold. However, other photos clearly show it is black and blue.

    Interestingly, if I’m scrolling past, my brain will sometimes perceive it as black and blue for a fraction of a second. I can normally flip optical illusions at will. This one jams me in the wrong viewing mode.


  • Oh, they are working on fixing that. Our public transport was “privatised” a few decades back. It’s a shadow of what it used to be. A few places have improved, but it’s often local efforts.

    Walkability is a godsend however. Interestingly, Milton Keynes proves you can have the best of both worlds. It has a robust road network. However, the red routes mean you can get most places with minimal road crossings. Either on food, bike, or e-scooter.



  • The 2 go hand in hand. The peaceful element provides cover and public cause support for the more militant elements. They also make it harder to concentrate forces to deal with them.

    In turn, the militant add teeth to the peaceful element.

    An intelligent government acts early, before the militant elements can come to bear. But for best results both (technically all 3, including political) are required.

    Another good example are the Irish troubles. The IRA, while prominent, couldn’t “win”. The marches, and Sinn Fein did.



  • Some companies are still trying.

    I’ve got a ulefone 27T. It’s the phone equivalent of a tank. It also includes thermal and night vision, and underwater video modes. I would also give it good odds of surviving being used as a self defence weapon.

    Downside is it’s a relatively unknown Chinese brand.