Jaysus, you just put everyone on Orphan crushing machine.

I wasn’t aware about this with regards to mobile phone tbf. I know you are spied upon on your phone camera, but mapping the house with the phone? Do you mean like Dark Knight stuff?

What does Muslim have to do with bacons being carcinogenic?

Just because you don’t live under a tyrannical government doesn’t mean others don’t as well.

I’ve been using the term “Tory” as a pejorative. I was gleefully happy when I found out tory (tóraí) in Irish means “outlaw”, which the Tories imho.

UN is not stopping wars

People: What is the point of your existence!

UN wants to stop wars

Also people: You can’t tell us what to do! We have our own sovereignty!

Languages have their own quirks and characters, representative of the people’s cultural values and history, and express ideas not even present in other cultures. As many languages have to be preserved as possible for these reasons.

To be fair, she is still sharp and agile. At first I thought it was AI.

Edit: and just to let everyone know, a president of Ireland has little to no power. He/she holds a ceremonial role.

Red fascist.

So what? China curtail civil liberty. They’re communist in name only. China is a red fascist. Deal with it.

Germany be like:

Fascists to my left!

Red fascists to the right!

Neither US or China are good options. Germany should have ideally focused trade on anyone but the two.

Another kitchen will take its place; always have. Now, whether you agree or not, the next kitchen is likely to be China.

And not to completely dismiss your point, but like I said in another comment, it’s important to decouple from the kitchen that is US to minimise the consequences. I don’t want another repeat of the Roaring 20’s and the countries too economically intertwined with the US also collapsed when the Great Depression hit. One of those countries who was dragged down the worst was Germany, when American investors pulled out their investments from the country. That severe aftershock gave rise to the Nazis, and the rest is history.

Worst case scenario is a World War III. But the lesser worst case scenario is that the rest of the world will tie themselves to China for economic security that the US has dropped. Maybe the more ideal situation is a multipolar world but with more cooperation and getting used to without US as the major economy.

I don’t disagree with you, that’s why it’s important for many countries to decouple to minimise the potential aftershock. The question is if politicians in respective countries have the will to do so.

Europe is slowly decoupling from US tech, fortunately.

*American civilisational collapse

but hate any attempt to test the viability of one

How many more before people are convince it works? I think this is one of those studies or referendums where the powers-that-be and its supporters keep running the test until they get the one result they want. Besides, with the burgeoning automation, UBI is needed. If not, at least universal basic services could be done instead, where we are provided with housing and utilities for free, if the concern that over-accumulation of capital through free handouts might lead to abuse or crash the economy or some vague similar notions

If Meta actually gave a shit, they would make an actually secure app instead of putting on a play in the courts.

Yeah, you don’t hear this kind of thing about Signal.

Invest in local processing plants.

Do you want environmental degradation and pollution with processing rare earths? Because that’s the main reason why many countries avoid doing it because it will be met with opposition from their electorates.