Hacker News Reader

burntbridgeon On social reality in China

I hate to have to confirm this but cycling in wealthy suburbs you get far less honking and agro

burntbridgeon How to prevent white clothes from turning yellow in storage

Wash and store in vacuum bags

burntbridgeon China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

Dan Duggan

burntbridgeon TikTok Deal Is the Shittiest Possible Outcome, Making Everything Worse

lol when is the US going to withdraw from Texas, New Mexico and California

burntbridgeon US pauses all federal aid and grants

Isn't this just saying taxation should be optional? Should paying for the military, police or roads be optional? Or are you suggesting the amount you have to pay is fixed and then you get a choice to allocate it to different budget areas you favor.

burntbridgeon China installed a record capacity of solar and wind in 2024 – in numbers

China also eats far more food than a lot of countries too. The only fair comparison is per capita.

burntbridgeon China installed a record capacity of solar and wind in 2024 – in numbers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_di...

Way less than the US though

burntbridgeon Flatpack field hospitals that can be airdropped to disaster zones

Pretty sure this is just a PR exercise for the very gullible. Anyone who has seen a real operating theater and had experience of being outside will know this is nonsense. That tent is simply not big enough for one thing.

burntbridgeon The Hostile Forces of Beijing

>The Americans are the central power that keeps the world from falling into insane tyranny.

The U.S. has an actual history of creating and supporting tyrannical regimes. Just look to your history.

burntbridgeon India lifted 415M out of poverty in 15 years, says UN

And when there is a war?

burntbridgeon India lifted 415M out of poverty in 15 years, says UN

Forced sterilization is something India did do.

burntbridgeon Saudi Arabia sentences tribesmen to death for resisting displacement

This should be a reminder that the U.S. cares nothing for human rights violations and whenever it voices such complaints it does so for other selfish Geopolitical reasons that are maybe not revealed. This goes for any of the other Geopolitical powers as well. Let's not be useful idiots.

burntbridgeon As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

>Presumably, if the CCP wanted to do so, they could put an end to the groups shipping this deadly substance into the United States.

Presumably, if the United States wanted to do so, they could put an end to the groups shipping this deadly substance from the China.

Just changed the wording a little to show the bias in this sentence. Why do think China would be more successful than the U.S. in prohibiting illegal drugs?

burntbridgeon Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms (2015)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9715182/

Guns in a home actually lead to greater dangers especially for women. Most people are actually murdered by someone they know, quite often a close relative of friend. It may not feel that way but you are actually safer not owning a gun.

burntbridgeon Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms (2015)

But the U.S. accepts other things that are regulated, a couple of examples:

Speed limits: Speed doesn't cause accidents just people who go faster than their ability to control the vehicle. Many people are sensible and wouldn't do this.

Drugs: Many people can take drugs and enjoy them and not descend into anti-social and criminal behavior.

burntbridgeon US Federal Reserve raises interest rates for first time since 2018

The "uninhabited farmland" is just an analogy for some area of the economic landscape that when you spend money on it, can absorb labor and return a tangible benefit that is equal or more than what you spend. Maybe for example repairing worn out infrastructure or creating new infrastructure.

>The vast majority of the money the Fed prints goes to financial institutions

You maybe thinking of Quantitative Easing. In which case financial institutions are just incentivized to cash in their Government Bonds, whereby they need to look for some place else to put the money, hence perhaps asset inflation. The Government doesn't just print a whole lot of money and give it away to someone.

burntbridgeon A simple proposal to humankind. Global Peace Dividend

>I don’t pay taxes to help other people. I pay taxes to protect myself.

Helping people in other countries does protect yourself. Having stable regional neighbors for example is very desirable. Any money used to keep things this way is very well spent. Trying to stem the flow of thousands of refugees or dealing with conflict is hugely expensive.

burntbridgeon China pressures Germany's Continental to cut out Lithuania – sources

China claims Taiwan, Taiwan claims China. Both claim to be China. I don't think you understand the actual political situation.

burntbridgeon Chickpeas, a neglected crop, may soon get a high-tech makeover

https://archive.md/kqX6Z

burntbridgeon 20 year study of global wealth demolishes the myth of ‘trickle-down’

You seem incredibly naive. People who earn $1m+ salaries do not work long hours or make sacrifices. You will never be wealthy if this is what you think. Most CEOs that I've known are out the door well before everyone else.

burntbridgeon Young Dems more likely to despise the other party

The asymmetry here is really interesting. Seems maybe Democrats take things more seriously.

Not passing judgement either way I'm a left wing Australian.

burntbridgeon Nearly 3/4 of the World’s Dictators Receive US Weapons and Military Assistance

>When the US supported South Vietnam, it's not that they condoned everything south vietnam did, but had to make a tactical choice between lesser evils.

But why get involved at all? The US didn't have to do anything.

Most of the reason the U.S. gets involved in anything has to do with geopolitics. If there are human rights issues or "freedom" issues then this is just a bonus for justification purposes.

I highly recommend the Ken Burns documentary "The Vietnam War". I'm old enough to remember all the propaganda we were fed, it is just amazing how much we were lied to.

burntbridgeon Approx. 24 hours ago, Tether printed 1B $USDT out of thin air

Prices only go up if the demand approaches or exceeds supply. If there is capacity in the system all is good, more jobs. This is how Franklin D. Roosevelt brought an end to the Great Depression (spending money I mean not UBI)

If the economy is running at capacity and you wanted a UBI taxes would have to increase to prevent inflation. This would end up being wealth redistribution.

burntbridgeon Approx. 24 hours ago, Tether printed 1B $USDT out of thin air

I would argue it is taken from people (yes with violence if needed) in exchange for goods and services provided, part of an implicit contract you are forced to make when you are a citizen.

burntbridgeon Lithuania’s Goods Barred from Entering Chinese Ports

True.

Interesting how independence actually can mean two things in Taiwan:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_independence_movement

The Kuomintang do not support the island state concept.

burntbridgeon Lithuania’s Goods Barred from Entering Chinese Ports

There are two Governments that claim to be China.

If you give recognition to one of those Governments (de facto or otherwise) you can expect repercussions from the other, depending on how useful to are to that particular Government of course.

Republic of China (Taiwan's) territorial claims - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan,_China

burntbridgeon [dead]

I think you are the one actually drinking the KOOL aid. Why is it impossible for you to believe that he likes China? Why do so many people like you that think everyone in China has a gun to their head when they say something positive about it.

There is a propaganda war going on that is for sure. So much exaggerated and negative media about China, all in last few years. This is all from C.I.A. playbook they did the same to the Soviets, Evil empire etc.

burntbridgeon Germany locks down unvaccinated people, as leaders plan to make shots compulsory

>Knowing that the vaccine doesn't prevent the person from getting and spreading covid.

Vaccines reduce the risk of spreading the virus. People who are vaccinated are less likely to get seriously ill. This absolutely doesn't mean you won't die if you are vaccinated. Think seat belts in car accidents. It is all about reducing risk. On mass, at population levels, this means ICU have capacity to take in other seriously ill people. If ICUs are full and there is a plane crash or whatever where many people are seriously injured we are screwed.

burntbridgeon Germany locks down unvaccinated people, as leaders plan to make shots compulsory

You can't have people who are not vaccinated working at a hospital. This has been known for years and has been practiced for years. Vaccinations prevent the spread of disease. Surely you aren't questioning this.

burntbridgeon Steve Simon announces WTA’s decision to suspend tournaments in China

Taiwan claims that it is China. So its territorial claims encompass all of existing mainland China and actually bits of India and other countries as well. They claim the CCP has been too soft on maintaining Chinese territorial sovereignty. So ironically the Government in Taiwan is actually more expansionist than the Government on the mainland.