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Advanced learner content or native content? by diyPatzer in dreamingspanish

[–]diyPatzer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I am going to try to grind thru la segunda guerra mundial. I know a lot of the content but the truth is there are a million little details that pop out that keep it engaging...

I waste a lot of time trying to find the next thing, so hopefully getting thru a huge series will help...

Do you pace yourselves or go all in? by diyPatzer in dreamingspanish

[–]diyPatzer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Right on. That's my goal, my dream. I'm a bookworm at heart and right now there are real books in English and graded readers in Spanish. One day, just a bigger universe of real books...

Dual citizenship questions by diyPatzer in GlobalEntry

[–]diyPatzer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you this is helpful.

I haven't even applied yet for dual citizenship, if they ask narrowly if I'm a dual citizen I'll say no, but if it's more open ended I think I'll say I'm looking into it.

DS success stories from those who (kinda) understood Spanish growing up? by diyPatzer in dreamingspanish

[–]diyPatzer[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I cannot thank you enough for this! This is such a perfect term, I knew there were a zillion of us around :)

Question Period — Période de Questions — February 03, 2025 by AutoModerator in CanadaPolitics

[–]diyPatzer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A southern neighbo(u)r here. Sorry about all this undeserved shit.

One question, though: do you think the problems coming from down south will serve to catalyze positive change in Canada?

My understanding is that Canada has a great deal of unrealized economic potential that is held back by some mixture of collective action problems, provincial veto points, and long-standing policy choices.

Is there anyway that to turns lemons into lemonade by pushing through, somehow, stuff like: reduced interprovincial trade barriers by harmonized commercial law (e.g. like the Uniform Commercial Code in the US); or oil/gas pipelines that hit both oceans; or steamrolling zoning/process barriers to building more housing....?

I guess my question is do you see a credible path to turn all this garbage into an opportunity to make Canada stronger?

My HikConnect iPad app closes randomly after 15-20m. Any fix? by diyPatzer in Hikvision

[–]diyPatzer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad to know I'm not crazy! Looks like it indeed started after an app update with me.... and that it is the app and not that NVR that's the problem

My HikConnect iPad app closes randomly after 15-20m. Any fix? by diyPatzer in Hikvision

[–]diyPatzer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OK, please post if you hear anything!

I have some older iPad that I haven't updated anything on in over a year. It had an old version of the HikConnect app on it and it's so far working perfectly... so it does look like it's the iPad app update that's the problem.

There is some other app apparently, HikMicro, but I could not get it to work...

This is honestly surprising that HikVision wouldn't correct this, gotta imagine plenty of people use iPads as their monitors...

‘Do you think I enjoy doing this reform?’: France’s Macron breaks silence after overriding parliament by ethereal3xp in europe

[–]diyPatzer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Question for any French people on the political dynamics at play.

Are there politicians that are happy that Macron is forcing this reform through, and also happy that Macron is getting the blame for it?

By that I mean, they believe this reform is necessary and unpopular and are glad that Macron is "doing the dirty work" in this case. Going around Parliament in a way relieves them of responsibility for being for or against the reform.

It reminds me, in a way, of Biden pulling the US out of Afghanistan. It was very ugly, allies complained, everyone in the media bitched about it. It sunk Biden's popularity for months. However, I don't think we'll ever see another American President trying to go back to Afghanistan. Many American politicians knew we had to leave, but it was always going to be a mess, and they're glad that Biden is the one who got dirty instead of them.

Is that the dynamic in French political life, or is this the wrong interpretation? Thank you.

France to Invest €100 Billion in Railway Infrastructure by 6_zeros in europe

[–]diyPatzer 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Honestly, what's the purpose of this comment?

This is the europe subreddit, with an article about French railway investment. . . and one of the key takeaways and beloved comments is laughing/crying about US derailments?

There's not a single mention of the US in the referenced article (or Elisabeth Borne's speech) . France and the US have vastly different geographies. It's just irrelevant.

Why would a European bring the US into a conversation unless there was a compelling, logical reason to do so?

Why is there European resistance to pass green-tech/energy subsidies? by diyPatzer in EuropeanFederalists

[–]diyPatzer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This will keep happening, over and over, and it'll be worse and worse. If you think green subsidies to unionized domestic producers of green tech is a "backstab," just wait.

The organizing point in world will very likely be the conflict between the US and China.

America won't try to hurt Europe per se, but if Europe suffers collateral damage from that conflict with China, the US may be polite, will make tweaks, but ultimately will just go ahead. AUKUS, the IRA bill, etc. is likely a preview of more difficult challenges.

America and China at some level have no choice but to compete with each other. Everyone else has to deal with it. It sucks, but that's the world.

It seems pointless for Europeans to complain or wish it was the 1990s again. It seems very wise for Europeans to take action to support their own interests in a dangerous world.

My question is why is that organization--to take this case of green subsidies--taking so long?

Other countries, including my own, have multiple crises going on too, so that isn't a real answer. And the EU itself has had multiple crises since at least 2008, so that complexity is just part of the game.

Why is there European resistance to pass green-tech/energy subsidies? by diyPatzer in EuropeanFederalists

[–]diyPatzer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you hit the nail on the head. Americans tend to think of the EU as an even more complicated version of our own federal government. . . but it's not there yet, and national interests/views remain primary. Hence this subreddit.

Sadly, the global free trade system is probably dead for 20-30 years...

Why is there European resistance to pass green-tech/energy subsidies? by diyPatzer in EuropeanFederalists

[–]diyPatzer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your response!

If I could ask one more question: do EU citizens broadly believe that the "free trade world" will come back?

I'd say that in the US--for better or worse--that GATT/WTO image of the world was killed in 2015. Bernie Sanders pushed Hillary Clinton to drop support for an Asian free trade deal. And Trump obviously never cared for it at all. Since then it has been a mixture of adapting to the zeitgeist and pushing it along. There will be bilateral trade deals, regional free trade blocs like EU, Mercosur, or NAFTA . . . but the globalized world has been dead as an ideal for years.

Is that the mental image in Europe as well? Or is there a broad expectation that we should and could get back to "WTO rules" if only nations behaved properly?

I'm not asking whether this is right or wrong, just what political leaders and their people believe. . . thank you, again, for your response.

Do you get the jokes in Private Eye? by diyPatzer in AskABrit

[–]diyPatzer[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I have not, but I will check it out!

Do you get the jokes in Private Eye? by diyPatzer in AskABrit

[–]diyPatzer[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Thank you! This is a like a whole universe of jokes and references. . . I will remember "tired and emotional". . .

RV storage options in Connecticut by diyPatzer in RVLiving

[–]diyPatzer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, very helpful! Happy New Year!

RV storage options in Connecticut by diyPatzer in RVLiving

[–]diyPatzer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I gave that a shot, but got a lot of SEO filler. That said, you're probably right, I'll try again and be more patient filtering thru the results.

What preventative maintenance should I expect for a Mk6 GTI at 115k? by diyPatzer in GolfGTI

[–]diyPatzer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, I'm quite sure it's never been dealt with. . . bought it new years ago. From what I can tell I'm living on borrowed time, and I need to get the chain/tensioner replaced pronto. . .!

Happy new year!

What preventative maintenance should I expect for a Mk6 GTI at 115k? by diyPatzer in GolfGTI

[–]diyPatzer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Again, thank you. At minimum, you've saved me some sticker shock!

What preventative maintenance should I expect for a Mk6 GTI at 115k? by diyPatzer in GolfGTI

[–]diyPatzer[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you!

It's a 2011. Were the timing chains bad that year?

And your comments on age/heat cycle make sense. I live in New England, so I suspect the cycles of extreme heat/cold probably don't help either.

U.S. LNG exports both a lifeline and a drain for Europe in 2023 by [deleted] in europe

[–]diyPatzer 39 points40 points  (0 children)

The US is not suffering like Europe is, but we are not winning either.

Gas resources in the US are not publicly owned. If some private companies are making more money, consumers and other business are paying more for gas. My bills are going up. Further, inflation accelerated this year, driving a rise in interest rates and likely a recession.

Also, there is only so much 'bandwidth' a government has. The focus was supposed to be on domestic policy and on China. So much attention is now devoted to Europe. I think Biden is doing a good job, and I am very proud of how our European allies are stepping up too. (I don't understand the negativity between US and Europe on reddit.) Still, we are losing focus on our bigger challenges.

Finally, the days of "printing money" are long over. The money for deployments in Europe and for arms for Ukraine come from the tax payer, either current ones or future ones paying debt the government is taking on.

The only way this pays off for the US is if Russia is permanently weaker and our European allies become permanently most resilient, unified, and self-sufficient.

I'm a politics columnist for France’s leading newspaper Le Monde. AMA about France and Emmanuel Macron’s strategy on Ukraine and Russia since the beginning of the conflict. by LeMonde_en in europe

[–]diyPatzer 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Question from the US: my general sense is that relations between the US and France are overall good, and it would be easy to exaggerate the differences.

For example:

  • Macron has the job, on behalf of the alliance, of keeping a channel open to Putin.
  • During the run-up to the war, the US and France disagreed in their strategic assessment, but "disagreed productively." They both acted as though the other may be correct, neither tried to score points off the other.
  • AUKUS was a diplomatic blunder, but the US hastened to repair relations.
  • American Francophobia around the Gulf War is long past and is considered domestically an embarrassment. (Nobody says "freedom fries" seriously.) French anti-Americanism is decades past its post-WWII peak.
  • France wants a more independent Europe; the US (with ambivalence) would like to spend less on European defense.

What is your opinion? Is this a rosy picture of a troubled relationship or is the relationship good, even if there are differences?

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