CoolThingAboutMe

joined 3 weeks ago
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cum 2 mummy in c/science_memes@mander.xyz
[–] CoolThingAboutMe@beehaw.org 6 points 18 hours ago

Is that what a flatworm looks like?

I would not describe that as flat. It looks like some kind of dragon imo.

Seven in 10 new people joining NDIS for autism in c/australia@aussie.zone
[–] CoolThingAboutMe@beehaw.org 8 points 3 days ago (2 children)

For our son, it's the daycare pushing us repeatedly to get the autism diagnosis.

We have seen an occupational therapist who cost $280 for a 1 hour zoom call without my son present and advised it would be around $350 each time she did a visit. Medicare covers $48 that, or our top tier extras cover covers $50.

Or NDIS provides 6 totally free sessions per year. So of course I have started the process of trying to get him on NDIS. I'd be silly not to.

Quiz: can you pick a Victorian from a Queenslander? How our accents change from state to state in c/australia@aussie.zone
[–] CoolThingAboutMe@beehaw.org 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I'm an almost life long QLDer and 'a port' to me would mean a fortified wine...

Or where the boats come in

Why Western hegemony is over in c/australia@aussie.zone
[–] CoolThingAboutMe@beehaw.org 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I found this a long but very interesting read. Particularly the repeated idea throughout it that US foreign policy has long had the goal of suppressing other powers and maintaining dominance, but that their actions this year are actually having the opposite effect.

8
Why Western hegemony is over (johnmenadue.com)
 

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/21644011

The US will not be able to prevent the emergence of multipolarity, but it will try. Trump will try one thing or another, but without success or coherence. Multipolarity has already arrived.

The broad pattern of economic convergence — in which the emerging economies narrow or close the income gap with the high-income countries of the West — means that Western hegemony is over. This is leading to deep frustration, not only in the US political class but in Europe as well.

China vastly outproduces the US in advanced industrial goods, such as EVs, solar power, wind power, advanced nuclear power, batteries, low-cost 5G and many other key technologies. China incorporates AI into advanced manufacturing processes more than the US.

Many European leaders feel that if they stick with the US against China and Russia, then maybe the Western hegemony will continue. This is delusional in my view, but nonetheless creates a lot of noise, friction and risks of conflict. None of it is a coherent strategy, however.

The US has no strategy to stay ahead of China. In fact, the US can’t succeed in that. We hear a lot of US sabre-rattling against China, Russia and the BRICS countries. This is all dangerous. I think the heated rhetoric by itself can become a self-fulfilling prophecy of war. There are a lot of ignorant people in the US political leadership, and I worry very much about their naivety and delusions.

Why Western hegemony is over in c/politics@beehaw.org
[–] CoolThingAboutMe@beehaw.org 1 points 1 week ago

Very long but interesting interview

4
Why Western hegemony is over (johnmenadue.com)
 

The US will not be able to prevent the emergence of multipolarity, but it will try. Trump will try one thing or another, but without success or coherence. Multipolarity has already arrived.

The broad pattern of economic convergence — in which the emerging economies narrow or close the income gap with the high-income countries of the West — means that Western hegemony is over. This is leading to deep frustration, not only in the US political class but in Europe as well.

China vastly outproduces the US in advanced industrial goods, such as EVs, solar power, wind power, advanced nuclear power, batteries, low-cost 5G and many other key technologies. China incorporates AI into advanced manufacturing processes more than the US.

Many European leaders feel that if they stick with the US against China and Russia, then maybe the Western hegemony will continue. This is delusional in my view, but nonetheless creates a lot of noise, friction and risks of conflict. None of it is a coherent strategy, however.

The US has no strategy to stay ahead of China. In fact, the US can’t succeed in that. We hear a lot of US sabre-rattling against China, Russia and the BRICS countries. This is all dangerous. I think the heated rhetoric by itself can become a self-fulfilling prophecy of war. There are a lot of ignorant people in the US political leadership, and I worry very much about their naivety and delusions.

Higher interest rates smashed landlord profits, but negative gearing means few sold up in c/australia@aussie.zone
[–] CoolThingAboutMe@beehaw.org 2 points 1 week ago

Yeh I think a lot of people don't seem to get this. My husband and I have an "investment property" (super rural, was sub $200k, all we could afford for a first house, not much more than a shed) that my parents live in now after we moved to a city for work. They pay a tiny amount of rent which only covers a portion of the mortgage repayments, so the place is negatively geared.

But the money we're spending on keeping my parents housed is not free money we get back in full at tax time. Some of it just comes off our taxable income, so we get a very slight tax break. I cbf doing the full maths right now but if we spend $4000 on rates and water and interest for that house we might get something like $1000 off our owed tax. Still down $3000. Plus down the principal mortgage repayments not covered by rent (~$4000), because they can't be claimed.

Which is fine. I'm grateful to be in a position to be able to support my parents, and I know it's not a typical landlord situation.

I'm also certainly not saying negative gearing is totally fine and should never be questioned. There are definitely too many consessions that parasites with huge portfolios of properties take advantage of. And I'm sure there are people that game the system to their full advantage.

I just, yeah, for me negative gearing just very slightly reduces how much it costs to not charge my parents much rent. It's not a golden goose or anything.

Cockatoos that feel the beat perform 30 distinct dance moves, study shows in c/australia@aussie.zone
[–] CoolThingAboutMe@beehaw.org 4 points 2 weeks ago

257 dance moves?? That's incredible

Shoring up Australia's remaining industry an investment rather than bailout in c/australia@aussie.zone
[–] CoolThingAboutMe@beehaw.org 3 points 2 weeks ago

Also "smart" devices all through everyone's homes. And phones, routers, other telecommunication devices. Solar inverters.

You could write a crazy story if you started thinking about how many things could be a back door for nation states.

Water Snek in c/science_memes@mander.xyz
[–] CoolThingAboutMe@beehaw.org 17 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

There's a sports scientist, I've forgotten her name but she wrote a book called Women are Not Small Men. In her book she says that long distance swimming is one sport that women actually outperform men in.

Edit: her name is Stacy Sims

Signal boss warns app will exit Australia if forced to hand over users’ encrypted messages in c/australia@aussie.zone
[–] CoolThingAboutMe@beehaw.org 2 points 3 weeks ago

I love 'Alex'. I've seen them present a few times, such a great speaker.

A Second Tea Breach Reveals Users’ DMs About Abortions and Cheating in c/technology@beehaw.org
[–] CoolThingAboutMe@beehaw.org 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

An app where men protect each other from women who are emotionally and physically unsafe? I don't see the problem.

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