Vanilla flavoring not from a vanilla orchid is more likely to be made from wood than beaver. Lignin in wood pulp can be used as a precursor and is much cheaper than beaver butts.

Probably and yes. From what I have seen there’s too much incriminating evidence for it to all be faked without assuming a level of competence from those involved that is very improbable.

21 and 17 can be a big gap, even 20 and 17 can be. It’s not as clear cut as 22, which can also be sketchy but is at least recognized as fully legal everywhere. I think there’s too much diversity in maturity and life experience at those young ages, the potential for issues increases so those kinds of relationships are inherently concerning in ways that relationships involving legal adults are not. I’m not saying they are inherently problematic, but if you know people with that kind of age gap you should be looking out for the underage person to ensure they aren’t being taken advantage of.

Definitely a warning sign. It really depends on the specifics because people mature at different rates, but there’s a much higher chance of it being problematic. There’s the half your age plus 7 rule, but it doesn’t really work if you are under 22.

Much worse people have received it than him. Kissinger most notably.

I’m not familiar with Florida laws but in much of the US anyone can legally be topless under certain conditions. I think it’s usually exposed genitalia and sexual intent that are specifically illegal but general toplessness without sexual intent that isn’t creating public disorder isn’t something you are likely to be prosecuted for. You could get harassed and possibly arrested but it’s unlikely to go further than that. If you really want to do this you should consult with an attorney to get prepared ahead of time.

All that plastic inundating the environment and accumulating in our bodies is actually a serious problem.

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That is a great point, we know for sure that Gates was friends with Epstein. I recall it even being in the media that one of the reasons his wife divorced him is because she found out about their relationship. It seems very plausible that Trump is blackmailing Gates, and others at that table. I know at least Brin has a reputation and rumors around him. Altman also had that accusation from his sister a few years ago, but it was never substantiated to my knowledge and I believe it turned out she has a life long severe mental illness that makes her delusional. Regardless, these are rich and powerful guys who no doubt have lots of things to hide and Trump is certainly not above coercion, I’d say he even enjoys it.

It’s funny to see Bill Gates has become a Trump supporter after he spent the past decades pretending to care about a bunch of causes, like vaccination programs in Africa, that Trump has taken a huge dump all over. Or not really funny so much as horrific and disgusting. I always suspected he was faking it to rehab his image.

I was looking into Fairphone and got sketched out, they do not really seem particularly trustworthy or competent.

For example: https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/24134-devices-lacking-standard-privacysecurity-patches-and-protections-arent-private

I pay for access to the local newspaper and a few other things. I agree it isn’t ideal but the people producing the content need to eat.

Also, having a subscriber base directly providing funding can potentially make a news org more trustworthy. Being reliant on your subscribers for funding provides a mechanism of accountability to them that a news org dependent on advertising doesnt have.

Those look like Halyomorpha halys:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_marmorated_stink_bug

If you live in the US or anywhere else where they are invasive you should consider murdering them.

Leaving my wet towel somewhere it doesnt belong after a shower. I am a lot better than I used to be but I still forget it regularly.

Yes, I am a feminist because I believe everyone has equal rights under the law regardless of their gender.

I generally assume what I’m buying will cost 10% to 20% more from taxes and/or tips getting added at checkout. I agree it doesnt make sense and seems underhanded, they could post the actual prices if they wanted to.

I wouldn’t take it personally, Lemmy has a number of people who do dumb shit and make provocative accusations trying to stir up drama. Especially around Israel, there seems to be this phenomenon where some people get locked into this simple good vs evil thinking that motivates a lot of shitty behavior.

Vi vs Emacs

If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face— forever.

Listen to an audiobook. If my eyes are open I’m not falling asleep so laying there listening to a book works for me.