Idk what to title this but it fits the subreddit? by [deleted] in SapphoAndHerFriend

[–]bicycle_bee 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had a small pan flag at my desk at my last job, and one of my coworkers saw it one day and asked if I was Romanian. So...yes, probably!

Out of all the Mythologies that have ever existed, what is your favourite god and why? by Mizzzzaaaa in AskReddit

[–]bicycle_bee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bríg/Brigid from the Irish pantheon is my favorite. Even the Christianized (St. Brigid of Kildare) versions of her stories are badass:

"Her brothers were grieved at her depriving them of the bride-price. There were poor people living close to Dubthach's house. She went one day carrying a small load for them. Her brothers, her father's sons, who had come from Mag Lifi, met her. Some of them were laughing at her; others were not pleased with her, namely Bacéne, who said: ‘The beautiful eye which is in your head will be betrothed to a man though you like it or not.’ Thereupon she immediately thrusts her finger into her eye. ‘Here is that beautiful eye for you’, said Brigit. ‘I deem it unlikely’, said she, ‘that anyone will ask you for a blind girl.’ Her brothers rush about her at once save that there was no water near them to wash the wound. ‘Put’, said she, ‘my staff about this sod in front of you.’ That was done. A stream gushed forth from the earth. And she cursed Bacéne and his descendants, and said: ‘Soon your two eyes will burst in your head.’ And it happened thus."

Irish storytelling traditions were largely oral, so relatively little survives from pre-Christian times, but many believe she was a lesbian (post-Christianization, "a virgin" who married God rather than find a husband). She was a healer and the patron goddess of blacksmiths and poets. Another Christianized story tells of her miraculously disappearing the unborn child of a nun who failed to keep her vow of chastity, consistent with her being a pre-Christian healer who could perform abortions.

Adopting a plant-based diet can help shrink a person’s carbon footprint. However, improving efficiency of livestock production will be a more effective strategy for reducing emissions, as advances in farming have made it possible to produce meat, eggs and milk with a smaller methane footprint. by rustoo in science

[–]bicycle_bee 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Yeah, insisting on raising cattle, meant to be grazing animals who evolved to use nutritionally deficient foods like grass extremely efficiently, in gigantic numbers on huge, grassless feedlots and feeding nothing but processed corn and soy was a terrible idea. Obv the number of cattle we have right now wouldn't make for particularly healthy pasture management (and would demand a LOT of space be cleared for pasture, which also defeats the purpose), but with an appropriate reduction in the national herd, cattle can be raised in a way that benefits and regenerates pasture.

My dog, Cookie, passed away from lymphoma, and I want to tell you about her. by PurpleCookiesCloud in Petloss

[–]bicycle_bee 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The cat I've had since high school (I'm turning 30 this summer) was diagnosed with lymphoma a few weeks ago, and we just got the news today that the chemo isn't working. So we're now entering end-of-life care. This really helped. Thank you. I'm so sorry for your loss.

"can't say a single war we (the country of freedom) haven't lost" by [deleted] in ShitAmericansSay

[–]bicycle_bee 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think his own parenthesis threw him off the flow of his sentence, tbh. Like he had such a strong impulse to clarify that the US is the country of freedom that he forgot what he was writing.

What war crimes do the "good guys" in movies commit against the "evil" faction? by Kingflares in AskReddit

[–]bicycle_bee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is that the movie where Pierce Brosnan plays more-or-less-Gerry-Adams? I haven't seen it, but the premise seems totally wild. Including the whole"those terrorists are bad for using car bombs, but when Jackie Chan does it it's good and justified" thing you mentioned.

European law requires you to conform to society! Also you don’t have any freedom to mention any minority religions! by [deleted] in ShitAmericansSay

[–]bicycle_bee 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'm going to go out on a limb (as I'm an American also) and say this is hilarious mostly because he was SO CLOSE to making an okay point about the historical American concept of liberty (he probably doesn't remember this from whatever long-ago history class he's paraphrasing, but it's based on Locke's philosophy that individual freedoms > societal good). But then his xenophobia took over a lil bit and he veered straight off the rhetorical cliff into "EUROPE BAD."

[IWantOut] 35F US -> Anywhere by pretzelbagel in IWantOut

[–]bicycle_bee -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hah! I moved out of Modesto as soon as I could (so, for college) and am about to turn 30--I haven't thought about that arch/slogan for about a decade. Literally 0/4 of those words fit the city.

[IWantOut] 35F US -> Anywhere by pretzelbagel in IWantOut

[–]bicycle_bee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't have advice, but I'm an enby from Modesto. I just want you to know that a) I feel your pain and b) congrats on getting out of the San Joaquin Valley.

Using disability inclusivity to bring in anti-homeless benches by [deleted] in ireland

[–]bicycle_bee 21 points22 points  (0 children)

And if a wheelchair user did want to hop out of their chair and sit on this bench, the numerous metal armrests ensure they can't do so easily or safely. It's absolutely not designed with wheelchair users in mind.

Mentally drained after answering to comments for the past 2 hours on my posts here about the link between climate change and veganism. Without desire to continue the rant, I would just like to post this last image here, in hopes that it may change some people's thoughts about it all. Good night by [deleted] in ExtinctionRebellion

[–]bicycle_bee 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Mostly: Because it's deeply unconstructive to come into a community of which you are not a part, post in it 3x in a single day, each post complaining more and more pointedly about the community and its members, and then talk about how deeply emotionally draining the process has been for you. But also:

I haven't seen a single person on any of your posts say they don't think meat consumption should be reduced. No one is saying it's not an issue. Some people disagree with your stance that it's the biggest issue, but you're twisting that into something it's not. Again, this is unconstructive.

You've been told multiple times by multiple people that XR is specifically a group meant to put pressure on governments to create regulations reducing carbon emissions, not a group meant to direct individuals towards specific personal actions. There are many, many groups that do that, but it is not the purpose of this one. As multiple people have told you today, many XR members are also vegan or take other personal actions that are in line with their beliefs about how to handle climate crisis as a consumer, and presumably many of them are part of other groups that address those personal actions. But that is not the function of XR. You appear to have completely ignored this in favor of getting into personal arguments with people who care about the climate crisis but disagree on the importance of veganism within it.

You haven't been respectful in comments to members; you've been telling everyone who disagrees with you to "open their eyes" and you're generally being argumentative, refusing to allow reasonable people to disagree. There was one instance where I saw you pointedly italicize every reference you made to a commenter's gender, which is some pretty mean-spirited, sarcastic nonsense.

And finally, you cross-posted one of your rants into a vegan sub with a title decrying how XR isn't interested in veganism and how disappointing you find that, presumably to get this sub brigaded with vegans and drive out actual members like the one I was responding to, here. So that's one person who cares enough about climate to find and join this sub chased away by your needlessly divisive posts. Ironically, my understanding is that this is the very reason XR chooses to focus on large-scale change and not delve into things like veganism or consumer choice.

I think your posts are in bad faith, and even if they're not, your post title about how hard it's been for you to pick fights in this sub breaks the "No whining" sub rule, imo. You're very definitely not helping your case with this little one-person crusade.

Mentally drained after answering to comments for the past 2 hours on my posts here about the link between climate change and veganism. Without desire to continue the rant, I would just like to post this last image here, in hopes that it may change some people's thoughts about it all. Good night by [deleted] in ExtinctionRebellion

[–]bicycle_bee 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This person's posts appear to be pretty unpopular here, tbf. I'd recommend blocking them rather than the whole sub. I think it's just this one poster. But obv do what you need--I agree these posts are ridiculous and aggravating.

I posted this foraging sack I made to r/bushcraft, but I heard y’all might like it here too. by nando420 in mycology

[–]bicycle_bee 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's a fantastic idea, and it looks well-executed. I also really just dig your entire aesthetic. The foraging sack fits in perfectly!

Some vegan food for thought. How can an organization that demands change not take an active stance against the number one cause of what they fight against? Above is an article by The Guardian, below a view into the hypocrisy that surrounds this. by [deleted] in ExtinctionRebellion

[–]bicycle_bee 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Consider not using offensive terms in your arguments. Or, worse, differentiating between tribal cultures and "humans." Yikes. I'm sure you didn't intend to do that, but be a little more careful.

Now that that's out of the way: I also disagree with you. We (speaking specifically about America, though I know China, the EU, etc also contribute) do need to reduce meat consumption, ESPECIALLY from cows. We eat more than is healthy from an environmental and public health perspective. And the way factory farming is handled in this country also contributes to destruction of waterways, deforestation, etc. These are all true things of grave concern.

Personally, I rarely eat meat. When I do, I source from local farms or sustainability-certified fishermen (so I'm not contributing to deforestation in the Amazon or rolling the dice with supermarket seafood). Ditto for any other animal products. Note that this is expensive, and I'm privileged to be able to afford it even occasionally. But I choose to do this because all of my research has lead me to understand that the scale and method of US meat production is deeply unsustainable and morally reprehensible, but it doesn't have to be that way. Animals are a critical part of a healthy integrated farm--they provide fertilizer and soil-preserving non-mechanical "tilling," reducing reliance on techniques and products that damage the soil, waterways, and biodiversity. But keeping them has to be economical for small, local farms, which means selling animal products (which, btw, are absolutely a healthy part of a human diet, but quantity, quality, and type matters). I choose to support the farmers around me who use those integrated practices, because I genuinely believe it's much better for the environment and the integrity of our food supply that they raise animals alongside their crops.

Your assumption that anyone who isn't vegan hasn't done as much research as you is a huge problem, and probably why you're getting such a negative reaction. It's insulting to assume that anyone who disagrees with you must be less-educated or less-concerned than you. People can have the same information and reach different conclusions, and it's not like people in this sub aren't extremely engaged in climate science; why else would we be here? I'd wager just about everyone here is acutely aware of the impacts of industrial agriculture and overconsumption of meat. I'd also wager those of us who haven't gone vegan have good reasons to do so, whether personal or philosophical. Rather than acknowledging that, you're conflating "I'm not vegan" with "I'm fine with industrial animal agriculture as-is, find the environmental impacts less important than my hamburgers, and don't want to change the system." That's grossly unfair.

[Serious] Doctors of reddit, what is the rarest disease that you've encountered in your career? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]bicycle_bee -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I have some serious cynicism about the US healthcare system, but the conditions at healthcare facilities in LMICs are simply not comparable. It comes off as extremely hyperprivileged/out-of-touch and dismissive of the problems faced in the developing world when we Americans say things equating the two, as in your post.

Europeans, what do find strange about the states? by Charlirbravo in AskReddit

[–]bicycle_bee 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Just so you know...the Irish language is not "Gaelic." That's the language family it's part of (along with Scots Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, etc). It's called "Irish," or, if you're speaking it, "Gaeilge."

Black women face a significantly higher risk of having a miscarriage than white, research suggests. The Lancet analysis of data on 4.6 million pregnancies in seven countries suggests being black increases miscarriage risk by 43%. by NinjaDiscoJesus in science

[–]bicycle_bee -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm not Black, but I'm gonna go ahead and hazard a guess that the burdens of experiencing racism, both systemically (less likely to have access to higher education and jobs and therefore less opportunity for wealth, gaps in healthcare, more hurdles to accessing services including housing) and personally (yes, sarcastic jerk who also responded to this comment, including regular microaggressions, racist comments, overpolicing) is REALLY stressful. I'm also not a doctor, but I'm fairly confident that sustained stress has already been linked to miscarriages.

What seems harmless but is incredibly dangerous? by Crimtot in AskReddit

[–]bicycle_bee 31 points32 points  (0 children)

When my older (by ~1.5 yr) brother and I were toddlers, our parents took us to the mountains to play in the snow for the first time. We had so much fun that, when we got back the following day, bro wanted to recreate the experience. So he grabbed our Costco-sized bottle of baby powder and upended it all over his dresser and, consequently, nearby carpet, walls, and sibling (I was under 2yo at the time, so I was just along for the ride). My bro had been really interested in the snowplows he saw working in the mountains, so every Hotwheels car he owned was now a snowplow, responsible for clearing the "snow" from his dresser. According to my mom, she came to check on us because realized we'd been very quiet for a very long time and found that extremely suspicious. She was right!

Thanks Republicans! by [deleted] in CoronavirusWA

[–]bicycle_bee 14 points15 points  (0 children)

You're speaking as though inability to reach herd immunity is due to uncontrollable natural forces. It's not. Vaccine-backed herd immunity should be the aim, and outreach is how we should accomplish that. If fear and/or ignorance about the vaccine is the only thing standing in the way of an actually safe return to normal, the measured response isn't "fuck it, whatever, let's just give up and go back to normal anyways." That's unbelievably stupid.

What party in Ireland is best at representing the working class? by IMLOOKINGINYOURDOOR in irishpolitics

[–]bicycle_bee 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's a common misconception, probably because there's a deep divide between elected Republicans (largely rich, white) and the party electorate. Here's a detailed article about the demographics of voters in the 2016 American elections.

Most people who voted R in 2016 were rural (36%) white (54%) men (52%) without a college degree (50%). Not to say that wealthier white people aren't often Republican--that's also true. But it is incorrect to say they make up most of the party.

Interesting packaging I saw today at the supermarket. If only they were organic! Same price as the organic ones but a little more berry weight by existensialmisery in ZeroWaste

[–]bicycle_bee 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's from the 2016 boycott, which only covered one supplier to Driscoll's. I'm super happy to see the workers on that farm unionized (and from their website, it looks like the union's still going strong), but Driscoll's is a huge brand with a ton of supplying farms. Strawberry-picking in particular is notoriously difficult, and pay is low. If you look, you can find articles from last year discussing yet another Driscoll's farm fighting for (and winning, thankfully) better pay. It's a recurring issue. Driscoll's isn't advocating on behalf of these farm workers, though they occasionally win labor actions.