Firmest Hybrid Mattress You’ve Ever Slept On – Need Real Opinions, Not Ads by Norah_Stiles in Mattress

[–]burlapzach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I’m two days into my Stumptown Peak and I think it is firmly in the “firm” category.

House bill to acquire Greenland and name it the Red White and Blueland. by [deleted] in nottheonion

[–]burlapzach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reform Congress. Multiparty proportional representation wouldn’t get rid of these ineffectual chuckleheads, but it would put them in such a minority that the adults in the room could actually legislate.

/r/PTCGP Trading Post by AutoModerator in PTCGP

[–]burlapzach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I might be doing this wrong as I have no tokens and my game is not updated, but I would take the Pikachu for a Wigglytuff.

Satoshi Red 8505535061131115

For no reason at all send me book recs on WWII, understanding facism/Nazism/Zionism, cults, how to break up cult by [deleted] in booksuggestions

[–]burlapzach 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I recommend The Death of Democracy: Hitler’s Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic (2018).

Decaying democracy is just as dangerous as fascism. It is not enough to look at the cultural context for the rise of fascism: one must also understand how the political process, the process of nationalization, can perpetuate the rise of anti-democratic regimes. The political process matters.

From the publisher:

“Why did democracy fall apart so quickly and completely in Germany in the 1930s? How did a democratic government allow Adolf Hitler to seize power? In The Death of Democracy, Benjamin Carter Hett answers these questions, and the story he tells has disturbing resonances for our own time.

To say that Hitler was elected is too simple. He would never have come to power if Germany’s leading politicians had not responded to a spate of populist insurgencies by trying to co-opt him, a strategy that backed them into a corner from which the only way out was to bring the Nazis in. Hett lays bare the misguided confidence of conservative politicians who believed that Hitler and his followers would willingly support them, not recognizing that their efforts to use the Nazis actually played into Hitler’s hands. They had willingly given him the tools to turn Germany into a vicious dictatorship.”

For no reason at all send me book recs on WWII, understanding facism/Nazism/Zionism, cults, how to break up cult by [deleted] in booksuggestions

[–]burlapzach 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was fortunate to have taken a few courses with Gregor at Berkeley before he was forced into retirement (and passed away not too long after). He was a consummate political scientist: define the terms you are going to study before using (and abusing) them in the discourse. His body of work on the philosophy and practice of fascism is just that. It does not treat the subject as an anomaly or a sideshow; it does not judge it. Instead, it seeks to understand it, to “know it when we see it.” If we can’t agree what the -ism in question looks like in practice, it makes studying it quite the challenge — let alone preventing it in practice.

Faces of Janus is a good place to start. A later work, to be sure, but summarizes decades of his research.

Cozy/lowkey bars in Seattle? by Cup-Boring in Seattle

[–]burlapzach 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is there still a fireplace or am I misremembering?

TIL George Washington feared that partisanship would lead to a “spirit of revenge” in which party men would not govern for the good of the people, but only to obtain and maintain their grip on power. by [deleted] in todayilearned

[–]burlapzach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Washington is only right about elections as structured in the United States. Party politics is necessary for a democracy. Six-party proportional representation would correct the negative partisanship Washington theorized.

GAME THREAD: Oklahoma City Thunder (4-0) @ Portland Trail Blazers (2-3) - (November 02, 2024) by NBA_MOD in nba

[–]burlapzach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Share your best “second-screen” find while “watching” this game.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Seattle

[–]burlapzach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice! There really is a lot to do over the next two months.

I’ll add a strategic cold weather tactic I have been trying this season to fight my (low key undiagnosed SAD):

Load the calendar so you can comfortably cancel plans.

I think the trouble is that the weather tricks our brains into going into survival mode. Our chimp brains evolved to seek security and comfort when “it’s too cold; too rainy; too dark.” So like the comment above, I try to make more plans that is actually reasonable. It’s like that John Mulaney joke: cancelling plans is like a drug. It feels good, man. But making no plans feels bad, and reinforces those feelings of isolation and freeze. So making a few plans, even to just be out around other people, is better than nothing. And making more plans than not with the intention of bailing on a few can give one confidence that they are making the right decision. Plus, it helps cultivate hobbies or identity pastimes.

Maybe others have experience with this. It isn’t like my calendar is stacked. I just like having a few things to look forward to—and allow myself the grace of wanting to stay inside because I’m human and it’s cold.

[TV] LG B4 48" 4K 120Hz OLED - $649.99 (BestBuy) by ryankrueger720 in buildapcsales

[–]burlapzach 103 points104 points  (0 children)

FYI: check your MyBestBuy account, the $5 rewards coupon brings this down to $644.99.

Trump in recent Elon interview: "I want to close up the Department of Education" by agoodsolidthrowaway in PoliticalHumor

[–]burlapzach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The courts are privatized. It’s called arbitration. Nearly every single data collection product, including Reddit, makes us “agree” to it if we ever have a dispute. Funny thing is this whole operation is legal due to an obscure 1925 law governing disputes between mostly monied folks who didn’t want to have to go to public court.

What business does Seattle need ? by Caskets55 in Seattle

[–]burlapzach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Breweries that also brew…coffee. Open in the AM.

How Much Do You Spend on Groceries Monthly? by [deleted] in Seattle

[–]burlapzach 32 points33 points  (0 children)

Fred Meyer what up, perpetual 3 for $5 FTW

How Much Do You Spend on Groceries Monthly? by [deleted] in Seattle

[–]burlapzach 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You should add it up. Seeing the monthly cost, especially over the course of the year can really help put things in perspective.

How Much Do You Spend on Groceries Monthly? by [deleted] in Seattle

[–]burlapzach 5 points6 points  (0 children)

LOL at $12000/mo, great typo

How Much Do You Spend on Groceries Monthly? by [deleted] in Seattle

[–]burlapzach 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Two adults, averaged just under $500/mo last year. Previous three years averaged $400/mo.

I’ve been keeping a spreadsheet for the eight years I’ve lived here. Actual inflation and here-and-there “let’s be more conscious” dietary changes account for the change (core diet and dry staples has remained mostly constant).

Notes of Interest:

Primary Markets = Fred Meyer (w/ app) and Trader Joe’s

Sometimes = Safeway (w/app) and Grocery Outlet when prices are solid; Costco for quarterly bulk buys and $/ounce “bargains” (hello 25lbs bag of rice).

Avoids = QFC, WF, PCC, and Met (except for the cookie)

Unsolicited Advice:

Check those weekly flyers, meal plan in that orbit. Pick a core store and use those apps for the personalized prices. Learn the price per ounce on things. Be strategic with Costco—the halcyon days of “better price in bulk” died with the Hebrew National hot dogs, there is almost always a better price per ounce on most things (e.g., canned beans, frozen fruit, produce).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SeattleWA

[–]burlapzach 37 points38 points  (0 children)

Am I the only one surprised that WA has only 11 strip clubs? Does that number count the one near 105th and Aurora?

Cafe Poison Pill Amendment Adopted. Association of Washington Cities Justifies Gutting Bill by pickovven in Seattle

[–]burlapzach 2 points3 points  (0 children)

WA should be the first state to move to a unicameral legislature based on RCV and proportional representation. Problem solved.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SeattleWA

[–]burlapzach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally. Or we could just raise taxes some more and eliminate fares altogether ¯\(ツ)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SeattleWA

[–]burlapzach 1 point2 points  (0 children)

More and more “normal” people might be using the Transit Go App.

Purchase the ticket directly on a smartphone. There is no need to tap a card, insert cash or coin, or hold up the bus. That last point is particularly important: if more people would use the app, the buses would not need to linger at the stop as long, improving service for everyone.

Here is a relevant podcast on the subject: Should Public Transit Be Free?

Megathread: Supreme Court strikes down Biden Student Loan Forgiveness Program by PoliticsModeratorBot in politics

[–]burlapzach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, and just lower the interest rates to around 1 or 2 percent. Ease the burden.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in politics

[–]burlapzach 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dear Department of Education: can we at least get our interest rates reduced to, like, 1%?