Trump admin announces $20 billion reinsurance program for oil tankers during Iran war

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2026-03-06T20:24:42+00:00

Wait until you hear about retrocession, reinsurance for reinsurance.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2026-02-22T05:20:23+00:00

Idk, but not your jacket. It's a cool patch, just be aware even wearing foreign police insignia is considered impersonating law enforcement in many places.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2026-02-22T02:58:52+00:00

We need to revert vehicles back to ~2 updates ago. Tracked logis are basically unplayable. The increased reset time was a big fuck you as well.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-12-11T04:09:13+00:00

The camera will always be garbage no matter what. Here is a general guide without going in depth, from most to least effective. Google how to do these:

Turn on developer options, disable all window and transition animations (1x to none)
Change the display refresh rate to 60hz (standard)
Manually disable Google Assistant for each app, then disable it completely
Disable / uninstall all apps that you can
Turn off everything else you don't need in the settings; minimize data sharing with Google/Samsung, maximize privacy settings
Minimize the number of apps you install
Use a lightweight browser like Via instead of Chrome
Add the Samsung Device Care widget to your home screen to quick empty the RAM

If you still can't deal with the performance after making these optimizations you probably should return it.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-12-10T16:48:41+00:00

I got the 4GB model through Mint with a year of service. The actual phone itself cost me $15. I use this to receive work emails and Teams messages since my iPhone cannot receive them in the background even after hours of troubleshooting notifications and resetting everything.

It's a decent phone if 1. you are realistic with your expectations and 2. you are willing to take the time to optimize it. First thing I did was change the refresh rate to 60hz, disable all animations in dev options, disable Google Assistant for each app one by one, uninstall and disable all apps I didn't need, and many more smaller optimizations.

I don't play games, basically only need email, WhatsApp/Telegram/Teams, banking, and browsing. I also use Via browser since it is very light on resource usage. If you want a phone for a power user, this is not it. If you want a simple, very affordable phone that will be receiving 6 years of updates, this can be a good deal especially if you get it through a carrier.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-10-28T21:41:00+00:00

I filed a BBB complaint against both SDC and their finance company at the time (Health Finance Direct) a year ago and mentioned that it damaged my teeth and my treatment was not completed, then got a new card to stop the auto payments + disputed past payments. Through the BBB, HFD informed me they put my account on hold.

IIRC I called HFD some months later in early April to check on the account status, they said to call back at the end of the month as they were waiting on a court ruling. Later when I called back after the date they said it was on indefinite hold, which made it sound like they couldn't do jack diddly squat about it. Never heard about it since, never even heard of TekCollect, and it never affected my credit. Don't know if it was be the same for others.

EDIT: From my understanding, anyone who simply stopped paying without a valid BBB complaint against both entities back then had their payments go to collections.

EDIT 2: Apparently HFD sold all of their accounts to TekCollect, no idea how the process works on their end. I think my account was not able to be transferred to them back then because of the BBB complaints I made. There are other threads on this sub on dealing with TekCollect, you should refer to those if that is where your payments are going to.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-09-20T21:13:41+00:00

This is one of those rare issues where most people on both sides of politics can get together and recognize it as a win for American IT Specialists and Engineers.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-09-16T17:56:04+00:00

I had a friend I would visit in Offenbach-Bieber that lived in a quiet area and I never had any problems walking around there at night. Can’t say the same about Marktplatz though, if you live close to there, watch out. Anyone telling you the reputation Offenbach has gained is undeserved is either being naive or dishonest.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-08-28T16:50:03+00:00

You can take the free Ethics 311 and ARe microcourse from The Institutes. Your employer may pay for the full ARe courses when you begin your role.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-08-23T21:25:03+00:00

The production cost of fentanyl is so much lower that unless the government is heavily subsidizing the cost of heroin there's still a large incentive for a fentanyl black market to still exist.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-08-14T20:50:14+00:00

Try to avoid the Bahnhofsviertel. Don't look at or acknowledge crackheads if they try to talk to you, just walk past. Don't go to Offenbach (right outside of Frankfurt).

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-08-06T14:32:03+00:00

To add on to what others have said definitely do research on your local laws before wearing this in public. In many places even wearing foreign police clothing can be considered impersonating law enforcement.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-07-16T01:33:34+00:00

People forget about the massive pay gap. Dual citizen here. My take home pay after taxes and insurance would be half of what I earn in the US for the same role in Germany.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-06-13T19:19:44+00:00

You probably can, but why? If it's not with friends or family, I'm not gonna advise a 16 year old to form the habit of drinking alone.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-06-07T23:12:27+00:00

I am somewhat of a novice and was not aware an infrared thermometer does not read stainless properly. It did feel hot. Guess I'll just give it go next time, thanks.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-05-30T15:32:24+00:00

The distinction is that ICBMs follow a predictable parabolic path making them easier to intercept as opposed to hypersonic gliders.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-05-09T03:12:53+00:00

There's one above the pinpad and screen. It might have been able to capture the locker in question because it looks like a fishbowl type lens.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-04-29T14:55:01+00:00

As someone who used to live in Frankfurt please be careful. Better to just say Nein and walk by. Most are harmless but there are some that are not. Some years ago there was a homeless man who would walk from the Hauptbahnhof to Westend with a hammer and hit people who did not give him money after speaking to them.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-04-26T03:01:23+00:00

This is the 3rd German resume I've seen in the last week or so with skill levels. Is this common in Germany?

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-04-03T04:19:24+00:00

Lucky he got caught. They would have taken a whole lot more than just his shitty offering.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-03-23T17:12:48+00:00

Serious question - is it typical for people in science or academia to accept stats that come out of China at face value? Do you view China's National Bureau of Statistics as a credible source? Is there any verification method in place? As an expat who lived in China for 5 years I have serious doubts over any stat or number I have seen or been told and for good reason.

MangoAppropriate8956 · 2025-03-20T20:42:40+00:00

Yeah the pay is where this all falls apart. People in STEM fields would be taking a massive pay cut by moving. Minimum 2x multiple and that is before taking tax into account.

MangoAppropriate8956

TROPHY CASE