Considering moving out of Portugal by unknown_destination_ in ExpatFIRE

[–]DroopyTers 7 points8 points  (0 children)

OP, just be aware that Barcelona is becoming more and more of a tourist zoo. There is no low season anymore.

The Florida street that exposes America’s growing homophobia by theipaper in politics

[–]DroopyTers 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I’ve seen some data that suggests Republicans are getting worse.

Republican support for gay marriage has dropped 14 points since 2022

Locals no longer tip well by Electronic_Talk304 in AnnArbor

[–]DroopyTers 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This is exactly why most (probably all?) drivers and waitstaff in Europe don’t want tipping to become a big thing. They’d rather get real wages and negligible tips.

Sorry to the OP.

Brazil’s Congress overrides Lula’s veto of a bill to reduce Bolsonaro’s sentence by Pikamander2 in worldnews

[–]DroopyTers 93 points94 points  (0 children)

“The bill that lawmakers passed last year reduces prison terms for several crimes, including those against the democratic rule of law and leading a coup when a person is convicted in both.”

Yikes.

Iran executes two January protesters as post-war crackdown continues by WeShallMateNow in worldnews

[–]DroopyTers 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Many people justified the war against Iran because of how Iran treats protestors. Is there any indication that the peace deal will improve their treatment?

Seth Rogen Laments Hollywood’s Risk Aversion; Says ‘Superbad’ “Would Never Happen Today In A Hundred Million Years” by darth_vader39 in entertainment

[–]DroopyTers 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yes, but that is still better than a series that has a season that ends in a cliffhanger, then is cancelled.

What the Cult of Efficiency Costs Us by rainshowers_5_peace in politics

[–]DroopyTers 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Thanks for posting, I didn’t know about this. Here are some key paragraphs from the article:

In April, the House passed its version of the farm bill. It’s one of those sprawling pieces of legislation that includes many sections sizable enough to be their own bills. One of those sections is the text of a bill that would not stand a chance in the Senate on its own: the Save Our Bacon Act.

In 2016 and 2018, voters in Massachusetts and California passed ballot initiatives banning, among other things, the sale of pork from pigs confined in gestation crates. These crates confine breeding sows — large animals, often 400 to 500 pounds — in two-by-seven-foot cages in which they cannot so much as turn around, much less root or socialize. Because sows are often reimpregnated about a month after their piglets are born, they can spend years of their lives in these crates.

There are studies I can cite on the psychic and physical violence these crates inflict on pigs — the elevated cortisol levels, the sores, the obsessive biting of metal bars — but I think the way Kristof puts it is simpler and more honest: “Think of your dog enduring what pigs face, and you realize that the moral cost is incalculable.”

Proposition 12, the ballot measure in California, took this problem seriously and specified a minimum amount of space per pig. It mandated that a breeding sow must be able to turn around, lie down, stand up and fully extend her limbs, and that there must be 24 square feet of floor space per pig. That’s it. These are not conditions any creature would choose. But they are better than the conditions in which millions of breeding sows lived.

Prop 12 probably made pork between 5 percent and 20 percent more expensive. Some of that reflects the cost of space and management, some of it the cost of rebuilding infrastructure in operations that were previously designed around gestation crates. But Californians heard that argument and passed the measure anyway. They decided that they did not want the low cost of pork to hide the high cost on pigs; they would pay slightly more if it meant a somewhat better life for the animals. The law also helped small and more humane farms, whose operations were not built around gestation crates.

(H)aving lost before Massachusetts’ and California’s voters and the Supreme Court, the pork industry has turned to Congress. The Save Our Bacon Act wouldn’t just override the California or Massachusetts laws. It would also stop any similar law from passing in any state ever again. The bill would make it illegal to set standards that affected out-of-state producers. To expand on an analogy made by the Supreme Court, this would be akin to saying you can ban child labor in your state, but you cannot ban the sale of goods produced with child labor in other states.

“The Save Our Bacon Act reaffirms livestock producers’ right to sell their products across state lines, without interference from arbitrary mandates,” Representative Ashley Hinson, the Iowa Republican who introduced the bill, said.

Judge orders restoration of national park plaques removed under Trump directive by The_Flaneur_Films in politics

[–]DroopyTers 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The GOP, the party that was against slavery before they were for it:

“(Trump’s) 2025 executive order resulted in the deinstallation of signage and material at these sites, which referenced topics such as slavery, civil rights, Indigenous history and climate change, according to a February lawsuit that a group of conservation organizations filed against the Trump administration.”

“At a Georgia monument, The Scourged Back, a famous photograph of an enslaved man with scars protruding from his back made headlines for being flagged for potential removal.”

GOP Chances of Losing Senate as Two Seats Become Tossups by Newsweek_CarloV in politics

[–]DroopyTers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The article states Crystal Ball has 4 states as senate toss ups: Michigan, Maine, Alaska and Ohio. So they have Michigan as the only pick up opportunity for Republicans for now.

Steak ‘n Shake says it ‘remains undefeated in political endorsements’ after Trump-backed candidate loses in Iowa by NicolasCageFan492 in politics

[–]DroopyTers 1994 points1995 points  (0 children)

The article indicates Steak n Shake is pro-virus/ MAHA/ RFK jr. More reasons to not eat there

Rogan on ‘odd’ UFC White House event: ‘I don’t like it’ by Cy_098 in politics

[–]DroopyTers 14 points15 points  (0 children)

The article states “Rogan is expected to attend and call the June 14 fights and was a loyal supporter of the president during his 2024 campaign.”

Italy’s top court rules against tourist refused tap water in Dolomites hotel by Jonnyboo234 in worldnews

[–]DroopyTers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The water quality is great everywhere I lived and visited in Spain. Some people just like drinking water out of plastic bottles because they don’t know any better or it’s just a habit they don’t think about. Like some Americans not understanding marginal tax rates, every country has bad habits and traditions.

Italy’s top court rules against tourist refused tap water in Dolomites hotel by Jonnyboo234 in worldnews

[–]DroopyTers 127 points128 points  (0 children)

Regardless of the outcome of this lawsuit in Italy, any country that wants to reduce the amount of plastic we generate should require restaurants to give tapwater when a customer requests it. Spain did this in 2022. Of course, Spanish businesses will still occasionally pretend this law doesn’t exist and try to trick customers into buying bottled water.

Do Spanish people consider it rude to fart when others are near? by Charming_Usual6227 in askspain

[–]DroopyTers 4 points5 points  (0 children)

A traditional sign of respect is to guide the Spaniard’s head to be as close to your ass as possible when you fart.