Awkwardly_Frank

joined 2 years ago
[–] Awkwardly_Frank 6 points 4 days ago

It would be easy to look at that headline and decry clueless politicians, but a more honest title might read: “Politicians Use Momentum of the Moment to Push for Legislation to Address a Major, Related Issue of Particular Importance to the Region.”

[–] Awkwardly_Frank 1 points 5 days ago

Oddly, this exact scenario is a major reason why they fail to issue some warrants. The biggest hurdle for any supranational organization is maintenance of its legitimacy, which takes a huge blow when members refuse to abide by its decisions. This leaves such organizations with very few options. The easiest and most common is to weigh the cost, in lost legitimacy, of not acting against the probability of member defection and only take an action if defection is unlikely or inaction would cost even more legitimacy. In that light issuing the arrest warrant in the first place arguably indicates that the ICC believes either that the legitimacy lost by not acting is greater than that lost to defection, or that labeling Netanyahu and his ilk war criminals is more important than any legitimacy lost in defection.

[–] Awkwardly_Frank 41 points 1 week ago

If they’re willing to say and do anything to convince government to advantage large corporations at the expense of workers and consumers I don’t think they’re “pretending” to be republicans.

[–] Awkwardly_Frank 1 points 2 weeks ago

A very good point, and one I wish I had included in my response.

[–] Awkwardly_Frank 9 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

There does seem to be a non-trivial difference there though. In one the article is failing to state the orientation of the victims which was a motivating factor for the attacks, in the other it is suggesting that the orientation of the accused is a cause of their criminal behavior.

[–] Awkwardly_Frank 27 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

But why should anyone have to grind at a shit job? If your business can only survive by grinding people down, maybe society would be better off without it. If the only way we can get same day delivery is over the burnt-out, permanently injured ex-employees of a multi-national, is it really worth it? Maybe that start-up never should have made it. Maybe strong labor laws should have forced them to scale back their ambitions or close their doors.

[–] Awkwardly_Frank 10 points 2 weeks ago

It’s getting to the point where prayer healing is the only healing we can afford:

Hail Mangione, full of nullification, vengeance is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst lone wolves, and blessed is the fruit of thy labors, timely assassination. Holly Mangione, bane of CEOs, Pray for us workers now and in the hour of our need which draweth nigh.

For the sake of my FBI file I would like to state on record that I condone none of this, it is dark humor intended only to amuse other degenerates on the interwebs.

[–] Awkwardly_Frank 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It is a lovely painting, but not traditionally my cup of tea. I say this because I want you to understand that when I say that this painting speaks to me I mean it without an ounce of sentimentality. I bear no great desire for the countryside of my youth, indeed it is not even the country depicted herein, but when I tell you that I have never been so immediately overwhelmed by a work of art I mean it with the utmost sincerity. Though lying up sick in the wee hours of the morn, upon first encountering the image of this work I was struck by the smell rain on the wind so suddenly that I quite wholly forgot what my first, fleeting impression was. Having grown to manhood on the Great Plains of North America this scene is at once intimately familiar. That what I encountered was a digital reproduction of the work only speaks more highly of the power that can be held in a simple image.

Thank you for exposing me to this work.

[–] Awkwardly_Frank 23 points 1 month ago

Amazon announces it has too much office space.

Amazon’s right hand mandates RTO.

Amazon’s left hand sells off office space.

Amazon’s right hand finds it doesn’t have enough space for RTO and delays it.

Amazon’s left hand scrambles to buy RTO for its office space.

Amazon admits it has forgotten what RTO is and advises staff to disregard all RTO memos until further notice.

Amazon announces project RTO to debut in Q3 2025. The announcement is vague but it is believed to involve AI.

[–] Awkwardly_Frank 6 points 1 month ago

Look up the opium wars. Shit’ll blow your mind.

But seriously, I don’t know much about that particular drug. What I do know is that the Assad regime has been largely propped up, for some time, by the aid of Russia and Iran. With the war in Ukraine eating up much of Russia’s stockpiles of funds and munitions, and the war in Gaza and Lebanon drawing Iran’s attention it was an ideal time for the rebels, with the backing of Turkey to strike. To the extent that illicit Captagon sales raised significant funds and arms for the regime fluctuations in demand and regional crackdowns may have exacerbated their weakened position, but the larger effect has to be attributed to the loss of support from international allies.

[–] Awkwardly_Frank 31 points 1 month ago (2 children)

If they don’t already think we’re nuts for wearing clothes.

[–] Awkwardly_Frank 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The most important ethical obligation you have right now is assuring your family member that you are going to be alright after their passing. It’s clear that your family member is worried by your situation and is hoping that the inheritance they leave behind will materially better it. You don’t necessarily have to lie to them and promise to do exactly what they request, but you can at least agree to give it serious consideration and look into the specifics. More importantly you can assure them that you will work hard to be responsible with your inheritance, assure them that it will make a substantive positive difference in your life, and tell them how much it means to you that they care about you so much. Make sure that you’re spending your remaining time together focused on the moment and not either of your hypothetical futures.

After (my condolences in advance) your loved one’s passing, your most pressing ethical obligation will be honoring their wishes. I know it feels like that means becoming a landlord, but it sounds pretty clear to me that their true wish is that you achieve financial security. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t manage a rental property (more on that in a moment), but it could mean anything that provides for your future so long as you earnestly try to use the money responsibly towards that end. I doubt your loved one would be as upset at you learning a new trade or opening a small business that allowed you to provide for yourself as they would be if you became a landlord and lived the rest of your days in financially secure misery. Now is the time to take a look at the price of the low end of rental properties you could run while living in and ask yourself what you could responsibly do with that money to ensure your future stability. That is what your loved one truly wants.

As for being a landlord, it can absolutely be done ethically. I don’t ever aspire to own regardless of home prices and having the landlord live on site is my first suggestion every time I talk about improving rental standards. Seeing issues with their own eyes would hopefully lead landlords to address them when they are cheaper to fix and before they become major problems for tenants. The problem with many landlords is that they’re looking for a passive income instead of a job or side gig. Take seriously the responsibility of providing quality housing at a reasonable price that compensates you for your work and you will genuinely be helping people get away from the worst examples of landlords. Being a landlord can and must be done ethically, and you owe it to your family member to look into how it could be done even if it isn’t a route you choose to take.

On a personal note I’m very sorry to hear of your loved one’s poor health. I hope that they do not suffer greatly. Take what time you can now to take solace in each others’ company and assure them that, while you will grieve mightily their passing, you will be alright after they are gone. Right now their comfort and convalescence is the most importance obligation, later it will be their wish for your health and happiness. Good luck my friend, you will be in my thoughts.

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