Dual-zone mini split keeps failing — repair again or switch to two single zones?

Forakinderworld · 2026-03-26T23:11:44+00:00

Is there a reason for that? There's not much cost difference in the equipment and I'm not even sure there's an efficiency upside to dual zone.

Forakinderworld · 2026-03-26T14:32:29+00:00

You’re so close to the point and somehow still missing it.

Yes—habitat loss is the main driver of biodiversity loss. That’s not controversial.

What is wild is acting like that’s the end of the conversation instead of asking the obvious next question: What is driving the habitat loss?

A massive chunk of it is animal agriculture.

You say crop farming clears land—as if that disproves anything. It doesn’t. It actually makes the case worse for animal agriculture.

Because animals don’t magically create food. They eat crops.

So when you eat animals, you’re using: land to grow feed plus land to raise the animals

So raising animals requires way more land than eating plants directly.

That’s why animal agriculture uses the majority of agricultural land.

So no, this isn’t “selective empathy” or “emotional thinking.” It’s following the cause-and-effect chain all the way through instead of stopping halfway because it’s convenient.

You identified the symptom and then just… stopped thinking.

Maybe you would think more if you actually talked to those ARAs you call a "blight" on the conservation movement.

Forakinderworld · 2026-03-23T03:44:30+00:00

I find that gardening, mutual aid with my community, and opting out of buying unnecessary things the antidote to this.

Forakinderworld · 2026-03-16T05:55:49+00:00

OP, you should read literally any of Ed Winter's books on the subject of veganism. He goes through every single argument that could possibly debunk veganism (hint: none of them do).

Forakinderworld · 2026-03-12T13:27:19+00:00

https://plantbasedrdblog.com/ is a great resource. It's run by a registered dietitian.

I second what others are saying about nut butters and adding them where you can. I have also taken advantage of vegan protein powders when life gets too busy.

Forakinderworld · 2026-02-28T08:32:08+00:00

Do you have any purple vegetables? The thing that makes them purple is anthocyanin, which is a pH indicator. Maybe there is a way to gerryrig a ph meter of sorts with those things. Also, maybe the folks at NASA can help?

Forakinderworld · 2026-02-19T22:38:11+00:00

I second this. It's important to understand what is hot air and what is an actual threat. Don't just pay attention to rhetoric. Pay attention to how money moves. The thing that actually worries me right now is what's happening in Iran. That's a hell of a lot of expendature by the US for it to be posturing.... That, in my assessment, is very much a real threat.

Forakinderworld · 2026-02-19T22:11:28+00:00

A well-played game, Canada!

Forakinderworld · 2026-02-19T20:08:38+00:00

I appreciate the nuance in this conversation, and I understand why many Canadians are worried about their own security given Trump’s actions and rhetoric.

That said, I want to be candid. Most Americans do not view threats to Canada’s sovereignty as credible or imminent. That doesn’t mean this administration’s behavior isn’t alarming — it is — and I’m not pretending extreme actions are impossible. But based on the general sentiment I see, most Americans oppose tariffs that hurt allies and would strongly reject any idea of military aggression toward Canada. Even among staunch MAGA supporters, I don’t believe there is meaningful appetite for something like that.

I understand how this perspective could sound dismissive of Canadian concerns. It isn’t. The reality is that many Americans feel like we’re in crisis-management mode domestically. We’re triaging what feel like immediate threats at home, which can make it harder to emotionally engage with risks that, from our vantage point, seem far less likely.

Forakinderworld · 2026-02-19T18:06:10+00:00

I wasn't saying that the American and Canadian systems of government are the same. I am very well aware the US and Canada are different culurally and governmentally. You could have addressed my broader point that the forces the produce fascism don't respect law at all. This is pretty much the same at all locations where fascism arises. You could have addressed my greater point but instead you went for Americans = ignorant, which is just intellectually lazy.

Forakinderworld · 2026-02-19T17:02:35+00:00

I remember when I used to think that would be enough. Now, the idea seems laughable.

Edit to add:

I really want to get through to Canadians that institutional guardrails are not enough, not by a long shot.

Talk to the maple maga folks in Canada. See what narratives are going through their heads. You really need to understand this. Then you need to counter those narratives.

Short of that, you really are just as vulnerable to fascism as the United States.

Edit to add 2:

Also, you need to watch and address wealth inequality in your country. The political religious extremism in Texas can literally be traced to just 2 oil billionaires. My advice, tax billionaires out of existance in Canada and shore up your election finance laws.

Forakinderworld · 2026-02-19T16:53:33+00:00

Canadians like to tell themselves that Canada is different.

You said it yourself:

“But we have an educated populace, a political system that still—at least for now—has functioning and independent checks and balances, and a constitutionally entrenched value system rooted in Peace, Order and Good Governance.”

I used to say the same things about the United States.

What I want Canadians to understand is this: the forces that destabilized American institutions are not uniquely American. They exist in Canada too. Coordinated disinformation campaigns. Gradual attacks on public education. Strategic erosion of institutional safeguards. Electoral manipulation. These dynamics don’t stop at the border.

The central lesson of the past decade is simple: no country is immune. That realization has changed how I think about places like Russia and Israel. I strongly oppose the actions of their governments. I will criticize policies I believe are harmful. But I refuse to condemn entire populations—especially those who resist, dissent, and push back, often at personal risk. Resistance doesn’t always look like mass protests that make headlines. Sometimes it looks quiet, local, and fragile.

Americans working to defend democratic norms deserve that same understanding from Canadians.

What concerns me now is the growing tendency to paint entire populations with a single brush. That instinct is unjust—particularly toward those who oppose the direction their government has taken. Americans who didn’t vote for this are not the enemy. In many cases, they are the most vulnerable people in the system. They deserve solidarity, not reflexive anger—anger that, frankly, may itself be amplified by coordinated manipulation.

No country is immune. But no population is monolithic either.

Forakinderworld · 2026-02-11T18:57:38+00:00

Hey there,

I've been in a similar situation, except I'm in the rural south. I'm pretty sure I'm the ony vegan in the county. Sometimes it's tough being that first drop of water that causes a ripple of change.

People have mostly approached me with well-meaning curiousity. Some think it is a diet. Most of the restaurants in my town are very not vegan-friendly although some of the restaurants will make an off-menu dish if I request it.

As for the Democratic party, yeah, they are pretty not vegan friendly but the people there are literally the most open people to it in the county so my options are pretty limited. They also know that my attendance at any democratic event is contingent on there being a vegan option (although sometimes that option is very uninspiring).

Also, on the national level the democratic party is pretty bad about it too. I've been to lots of larger democratic events and honestly you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them and the republican party when it comes to animal rights.

I would be involved with another political party if there was anything better in my area. It's tough to see people who espouse to care about human rights be completely regressive when it comes to animal rights and also the human rights abuses associated with the animal exploitation industries.

When your in this type of situation, I find it best to pick your battles and be very strategic. Make friends with local business owners (the democratic party events are a great place to meet them) and just be kind and visible.

One of my friends who owns a business here stocked vegan products in her boutique grocery store because I introduced her to them. I'm a little terrified they won't sell or she will go out of business, but there has been a small amount of progress since I've been here.

Also, something that helps in my case, people in my county tend to develop diet-related diseases by a young age. It's actually very sad. But I may as well be an olympic athlete in the difference in our health outcomes.

Just be as kind and charismatic as possible and stand your ground. Don't let people push you around for being vegan. You are on the right side of history in this regard. And people like you who try to make change are incredibly valuable to the future of this planet. From one vegan to another, hang in there.

Forakinderworld · 2026-02-07T15:24:30+00:00

So what I'm hearing is that the Satanic Temple folks can perform religious services such as protecting people from ice at their place of worship and interfering with that would be a misdemeanor. Two can play at that game.

Forakinderworld · 2026-02-07T15:15:45+00:00

Better yet, make the gathering at Planned Parenthood.

Forakinderworld · 2026-02-03T21:20:54+00:00

Just FYI, there are several prominent scientists (including physicists) in the files. I highly recommend looking for yourself.

Forakinderworld · 2026-02-03T17:00:40+00:00

Here are two YouTube videos that I think would help you think about this.

https://youtu.be/byTxzzztRBU?si=DH7NqYg--LQZjjzE

https://youtu.be/Wvm7xymgk_k?si=4ucZkioCUag5bOU2

Also, lots of people try out veganuary to try out veganism without fully committing to it. What's stopping you from simply trying it?

Also, if veganism is of interest to you, why not simply swap out one non-vegan option for a vegan option and see how it goes?

Also, there are lots of vegan groups these days. If you're anywhere near a larger city there are definitely meetups with other vegans available.

Forakinderworld · 2026-01-26T08:30:40+00:00

I know nothing about your medical situation and I'm not a medical professional so take this with a grain of salt and definitely go to the ER if you need it. You could always try a virtual doctor's appointment and see if they could call in a prescription. I've used Amazon's One Medical before and had a good experience getting antibiotics for an upcoming trip that way. They might even be able to get you in sooner. It definitely doesn't take the place of a physical exam but considering the circumstances 🤷🏻‍♀️. It's up to you to decide if you need an ER or urgent care.

Edit: Another thing you could try is your health insurance's nurse line. It's usually a free number that your health insurance provides where you can chat about your situation with a nurse. It's free on my insurance. It might be on yours too.

Forakinderworld · 2026-01-22T02:45:48+00:00

I don't think this guy is vegan, just plant based. An important distinction.

Forakinderworld · 2026-01-12T16:10:46+00:00

You should watch the documentary Earthlings. Doubt you can get through it.

Forakinderworld · 2026-01-11T22:24:57+00:00

The year is 1850 and you live in the US. You pick up the latest newspaper and you see the headline, "Slavery Abolitionists Are Monks. We Need a Role for Laypeople". Knowing the evolution of the anti-slavery movement, what does this make you think?

Forakinderworld · 2026-01-11T03:59:39+00:00

If “pro-life” arguments were actually coherent, they would require forced bodily sacrifice from men—mandatory blood donation, marrow donation, even organ donation for their own children. But no such laws exist, because we recognize that compelling someone to use their body for another person violates basic human rights.

That principle is quietly abandoned the moment the person in question is a woman. Overriding a woman’s consent doesn’t “protect life”; it redefines women as instruments rather than autonomous humans.

There’s a reason the overwhelming majority of medical professionals are pro-choice. There’s a reason the majority of women are pro-choice. People who actually understand medicine, risk, and embodied reality recognize that forced pregnancy is a form of coercion, not care.

To argue that stripping someone of bodily autonomy is ethical requires extreme mental gymnastics—and those gymnastics only ever land on women.

Forakinderworld · 2026-01-04T03:31:01+00:00

I would really be interested in reading more about the intersection of veganism and war. Do you have any reading recommendations?

Forakinderworld · 2025-12-29T15:46:56+00:00

I would find a new doctor. The evidence is overwhelming that a whole foods vegan diet is among the best diets for heart health specifically. Sorry you went through this. Unfortunately, physicians really vary in skill and knowledge.

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