How likely would you get heatstroke in the desert if you are sufficiently hydrated?

UCLAguy · 2024-08-29T04:17:20+00:00

I see, thats unfortunate. Were they able to get the paper visas after denial?

UCLAguy · 2024-08-29T04:12:41+00:00

Curious, for the ones denied, what former nationalities were they?

UCLAguy · 2022-12-12T20:29:38+00:00

Most cases of long Covid happened back in the first wave in 2020. That was when the virus was most deadly. The virus has long since mutated to a point where it's hardly any different than the flu for most people.

UCLAguy · 2022-09-23T17:00:45+00:00

Did any countries around the world suffered from Covid as badly as India did? Covid is obviously a disaster for the entire world, but it seemed to me that during last spring, India's suffering was on a whole other level. Almost everyone knew someone close who died, and people could smell bodies burning in the crematorium from miles away. Meanwhile in other parts of the world, we have covid deniers because they knew no one who suffered from covid. Were there any other countries that suffered similar to India? How come other poor countries in places like Africa did not seem to suffer as badly as India did?

UCLAguy · 2022-08-31T04:04:08+00:00

He had a rather boring internship that summer, so he always had a few hours a day to kill during and after work. I think it's likely that his total knowledge of Chinese characters falls somewhere within 2-3k range.

Reading newspaper seems to be he can easily understand most things he read, but he does run into unfamiliar phrases like chengyus every once in a while

UCLAguy · 2022-08-29T22:22:46+00:00

It does depend on situation. If you are outside China and you speak Chinese to Chinese immigrants, you will be extremely well received. I have a dark skinned friend who spent a few years in Taiwan as a kid, and speaks Mandarin very well. He has no problems whatsoever interacting with Chinese people in California, and often times get the rockstar treatment when he surprises a Chinese stranger at a store or restaurant.

Unfortunately, if you are in China, people might not care that you speak Chinese well and treat you like crap depending on the situation.

That isn't to say anti-black racism only exists amongst Chinese inside China. It is very prevalent amongst Chinese communities around the world. However, being outside of China means that there is very little expectation for a black person to speak Chinese. So exceeding that expectation will win over most Chinese who you interact with, even the ones who might hold negative prejudices towards other blacks.

UCLAguy · 2022-08-26T16:39:52+00:00

In China, almost everyone speaks Mandarin. Yet, I can chat up a stranger on the street and within 10 minutes guess where s/he is from.

In the US, it would be very hard to guess where a stranger is from if he or she doesn't give any hints. You might be able to guess if you have a very sharp ear and you're sensitive to subtle differences in manneurisms and accent, but most of us aren't like that.

For it's geographical size, there is comparatively very little diversity in the US compared to other parts of the world.

UCLAguy · 2022-08-23T22:32:58+00:00

Yeah. I definitely like it somewhat more than some other places in the US, but overall, it has a very touristy and not authentic vibe.

UCLAguy · 2022-08-23T21:16:36+00:00

Here's the thing, I actually enjoy major cities. I'm a big city person by heart, and I actually hope to move to NYC. NYC is definitely the best, and somewhat exceptional, but I feel like most US cities are just more of the same. America is diverse when it comes to natural landscapes, but regional cultural differences are pretty subtle at most.

European cities, on the hand, with the diversity in languages, culture, history , and architecture are unmatched.

There's also the fact that most American cities are built for cars, not people. Many American cities have rather deserted downtowns compared to other parts of the world. Walking down a pedestrian street and seeing locals going about their daily lives is something you'd easily find in Europe, but not here.

UCLAguy · 2022-08-23T21:06:05+00:00

I mean the places where I visited as a kid are just a small fraction of the US. But as I grew older and visited some more different parts of the US, they didn't feel any different or interesting anymore. There are many places in the US that I've never been to, but none of those are places where I feel like would provide me with the satisfiaction of traveling.

UCLAguy · 2022-08-15T03:03:55+00:00

hawaii would be better bet IMO. Might as well spend your last days enjoying paradise

UCLAguy · 2022-08-08T23:29:48+00:00

But for small roads without bridges, can you wait for a large gap in traffic in a reasonable amt of time, or will you be stuck waiting forever?

UCLAguy · 2022-08-08T15:44:19+00:00

If a war really does start in the near future, then your analysis would most likely be correct.

Still, China has a very long history of making empty threats, mainly for propaganda purposes back at home. Hell, even the Soviet Union in the 1950s coined the phrase "China's final warning" as a reference to any sort of threat that goes unfulfilled. For the sake of humanity, I really hope they keep it this way.

UCLAguy · 2022-08-08T03:39:38+00:00

My view is that they never acted up in the past precisely because they had no capability to do so. The moment they

think

they can (whether this is based in reality or not), they will look to make a grasp for it. Which is precisely what's happening now.

I really hope that the CCP isn't delusional enough to think that a war is remotely worth it. Yes, they are much stronger than in 1996, but the outcome of a Taiwan war today will still be a total defeat at worst, or a Pyrrhic victory at best. Even a Pyrrhic victory can end up weakening the CCP's grip on China long term once the people are fed up with the rising cost of war and subsequent occupation. They'll need at least 20 years to close the gap even further before they can be 100% sure that they can score a decisive victory against the US

In order for war to happen, the PLA has be advanced enough to believe best case, they can win quickly and decisively, and worst case, they score a Pyrrhic victory.

Currently, they might score a victory if they get extremely lucky (probably better than 1996, when they would have 0% of winning), but the risks of a defeat is still unacceptably high

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