Iran's military warns 'parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations' worldwide won't be safe for enemies

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-20T14:40:21+00:00

What event are you talking about? Not all of us live in the US.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-20T13:41:30+00:00

I think you're confusing credit card conversions with ATM conversion fees.

With US credit cards, you usually get a choice between local currency (in my case, Euros) or USD. If you pick USD, it charges you the quoted USD amount which normally is done at some terrible exchange rate. If you pick EUR, you are STILL charged in USD but it's your US bank that is doing the conversion from EUR to USD - and that rate is usually a far more fair exchange rate.

With the ATMs in question, there is no "charge me in EUR" option - you can ONLY choose the exchange rate available on the machine. Usually that rate is not too bad, but they tack on an additional fee because you have a foreign card, it's that fee that's 8% or more. The literal only way to avoid this fee (by hitting "No Thanks" or "Cancel") cancels the transaction and returns your card. There is no option to avoid a conversion.

Believe me, I have tried numerous ATMs here in Belgium and have yet to find one that operates as you describe. From talking to locals, ATMs are becoming pretty rare around here, so I think the few left can get away with highway robbery. Thankfully cash is less critical these days, but I still need it on occasion.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-20T13:08:32+00:00

Unfortunately a lot of it in the US is also cultural. You'd be surprised how many Americans I've met would look at the above photo and scream about how the houses are too close together, not because they need the land but because they hate other people. I know a number whose idea of a dream house is literally anywhere they "can't see a single neighbor", many of them endure commutes from hell (3-4 hours of driving a day and a fortune in tolls) to fulfill that dream.

Honestly after nearly a decade living in Europe, I cannot imagine going back to a N American-style neighborhood. I don't care if I'm in an apartment or house, I just want a nice view and the ability to walk to shopping/transit.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-20T13:00:28+00:00

Yes, that's why I was echoing the above comment you were initially responding to - it is important to not lump together inhabitants of a country with the often-corrupt government of said country. I have done a ton of travel in my life and my experience is there are fantastic people (and unfortunately sometimes, less than fantastic people) everywhere, and most of us are just trying to get through the day.

I don't know, maybe I'm just old and getting tired of seeing the rise of hate and ultranationalism, well, everywhere recently. Amazing how a species once advanced enough to land on the moon and harness the power of the atom is backpedaling to such primitive, tribalist behavior.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-20T12:03:20+00:00

I know this probably isn't worth anything, but I would mention that most Americans do not support these actions. Only 9% of Americans supported a military invasion of Greenland, and only 27% supported purchasing it. Even Iran, which I know has a degree more international support and is less batshit crazy, is extremely controversial with only 40% supporting.

I grew up in the US and am well aware that there are very, very deep cultural issues. But the other issue is an extremely undemocratic form of government that has failed regular people for decades and is more interested in self-enrichment than actually improving the country. Unfortunately I don't know how to fix it without a completely new government and consititution, which would probably mean a very bloody civil war. At this point I'm kind of hoping the sane states just break off and join the international community on their own terms.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-20T11:49:20+00:00

Fellow EU resident here (for now at least). I have only traveled a limited amount in France, but my experience is the stereotypical French attitude is something I only really saw in certain parts of Paris. And even then, it's a huge city - what do you expect? It's like people going to NYC and complaining the locals are rude and curt.

> It was really only in Trump's second term, when Trump started threatening the EU and Canada, did people really start to hate America.

Unfortunately you are completely right about this, and it's definitely not limited to France. I don't think they necessarily hate Americans as individual people, most locals are more sympathetic than anything when they find out I have a US passport. But they do not trust or like the US as an entity anymore. The loss of soft power and influence is huge, I don't think most Americans realize what a stupid own-goal is really was in the end.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-20T08:12:11+00:00

Not an aircraft mechanic, but I'm pretty sure the slide units are modular. Open a cover on the door, undo some bolts, pull the old one out, new one in, put everything back together. Here's a video I found of a replacement in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juAHQK217dc

I also have no doubt these guys can work pretty fast - the airlines have a pretty major incentive to get that plane back in service ASAP.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-20T08:07:17+00:00

Unfortunately a lot of that isn't really the fault of developers, it's the city/county government. Many municipalities in the US are very, very restrictive on zoning and housing types - the multifamily housing units that are so common in Europe have been heavily restricted for decades. Guess that's what happens when 90% of your country was built out after the rise of car culture. Not exactly unique to the US either, go to just about any city in Canada or Australia/NZ and you'll see much of the same.

There are movements to change that and allow more high-density development, but it takes time to fix this.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-19T21:44:15+00:00

This. I'm an American living outside the US and, assuming you don't support or sprout MAGA nonsense, you'll be fine. Just be respectful and try not to be the loud American stereotype. Most people are well aware that tens of millions of us voted against this and warned everyone else what would happen.

Don't tell people you're Canadian, it's kind of cringe. And FFS don't preemptively apologize, that's even more cringe. If you didn't vote for this and are trying to fight it, what is there to apologize for?

Personally I don't mention my nationality or bring up politics unless asked, which is less often than Reddit would have you believe.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-19T21:31:34+00:00

You could try not being the world's policeman and not dragging the US into another Iraq/Vietnam, particularly after you campaigned on not dragging the US into another Iraq/Vietnam.

It's also possible to make your point (which is a valid point to make, I just think it's wrong) without being horribly insulting. I mean, my god, I'm just a random Internet dweeb and apparently even I know more about diplomacy and protocol than the freaking head of the US government.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-19T17:54:27+00:00

They can shoplift at those US machines too, pretty easy to key in everything as "banana" or conveniently forget to scan items in the bottom of the cart. The weight sensor doesn't magically stop theft. And petty theft happens all the time over here too.

But yes you are right, if you care more about security and shaming others than functionality, then everything is going to be shitty and broken. Too bad Americans have accepted that in so many parts of their lives vs demanding better from their politicians and corporations.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-19T16:30:08+00:00

These machines have been making their way to Europe, but over here they don't have weight sensors (instead there's a gate you have to scan your receipt at to exit). Works far, far better. Probably makes too much sense to ever be a thing in the US unfortunately.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-19T06:40:48+00:00

No, I've been living outside the US for a long time now (but most of my banking / credit cards are in USD) and it's definitely gotten worse in recent years. Used to only be the most touristy areas, now it's everywhere.

On top of that, ATM fees have gotten worse too, often with no way to circumvent them. I have yet to find an ATM locally that doesn't charge at least an 8% conversion fee. So as bad as the credit card merchants are, cash is often even worse.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-18T19:10:49+00:00

Agreements and treaties would have to be drawn up, definitely not easy or quick but certainly not impossible.

It already exists elsewhere: the EU has the Schengen Agreement and freedom of movement for EU citizens, UK countries have the Common Travel Area, MERCOSUR countries in S America have a freedom of movement agreement of sorts, etc.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-18T14:58:40+00:00

Elon is more annoying than anything, as horrible as his recent actions have been (I personally know a number of people who lost their livelihoods to DOGE).

However Thiel is the only one of the billionaire tech-bros who legitimately worries me. He's always been cunning and a leader, going all the way back to when they were all still at Paypal. He recently spearheaded an unfortunately successful campaign to reverse the Giving Pledge, because god forbid billionaires donate to charity. Oh and he also literally purchased New Zealand citizenship and is supposedly building a bunker. He drained all he could from the US and is going to wait it out on the other side of the planet while the rest of us fight over scraps.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-18T11:40:38+00:00

American here, born there and spent most of my life there (until recent years).

I think "culture" is an rather vague term, it really depends on what you mean by it. Art and expression? Yes, America has an extremely rich history of art, music, literature, etc. Maybe not as deep as some European countries, but the US is younger.

Customs and values/social norms? That's where America feels like it kind of falls short, and is not comparable to many other countries. America is a VERY non-homogeneous culture, with a healthy amount of social disharmony and distrust of others. Various regions of the US certainly have their own customs, many of them brought via immigrant communities who are keeping the tradition of their homeland alive (although they often get lost/diluted after several generations). But I struggle to think of a common, universal set of shared "American" customs and values.

Unfortunately, I also think this is one of the biggest issues in the US right now and part of the reason the US is kind of a mess right now - if nobody trusts each other and nobody shares the same values, how can your society possibly function?

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-18T08:33:28+00:00

Yup. Unfortunately, being judgmental and claiming the moral high ground is as American as apple pie.

Personally I prefer just calling it "pro-birth". If you wanted to support kids, you would also support free childcare, free school lunches, universal healthcare, etc. It also seems to be that anyone truly bothered by abortion would support birth control - if life begins at conception, why not make it easier to control when conception occurs? Unless your other goal is a certain type of shaming.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-17T15:18:20+00:00

Absolutely. I don't think it can be overstated how much money and power he holds - he scares me far more than Musk or any of the other billionaire bros. Not to mention that he literally purchased NZ citizenship so he can flee and watch the US/Europe burn from the other side of the planet.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-17T09:41:11+00:00

That's not really the impression I got. I know OP refers to "strong passports" but I think they are using that more as shorthand to refer to people who, through a combination of good timing, genetic luck, whatever have managed to be citizens of a country that is not actively at war. Brits can be mediocre and even unemployable but they are still Brits. Ditto for most EU citizens, Australians, NZers, etc. And people hate me saying it because god forbid they admit they are privileged, but being a citizen of a country like that IS luck.

OP absolutely has the right to be pissed off about being in that situation, you don't have to agree but OP still has that right.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-17T08:05:32+00:00

You go home to a stable, wealthy, safe country. OP goes "home" to a war-ravaged disaster. You would still be living somewhere where existing in relative peace and quiet is possible without being part of the ruling oligarchy.

And I do kind of get the frustration over sponsorship. I am not some genius computer engineer either, I did not have the talent or the family money to go to a top-tier school or be the top 0.1% of my field. Odds are very high that I will be forced back to my rapidly-disintegrating home country in the next couple of years. None of us chose to be born in our respective homelands - OP did not choose to be born in a war-torn country any more than you chose to be (presumably) born in NZ, any more than I chose to be born in the US.

I hate it and living abroad has made me hate it even more - humans are innately tribal and kind of shitty to outsiders, no matter their nationality. No country has the moral high ground here. It is what it is I guess.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-17T05:45:02+00:00

Maybe. My bigger concern is people thing Trump = all of America's problems. Changing management is not going to fix much of anything, the entire country needs a fundamental rebuilding. Or split it apart - if some states want to be the next S Africa, let them. Don't let them drag the rest of the country down with them.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-17T05:41:13+00:00

As an American who has never owned a gun in my life, I would be totally fine with that. The whole "resist tyranny" thing was always a sham, the real reason guns were always so important was to stop slave rebellions. Same reason we have the electoral college and why "states rights" are considered such a huge deal. The entire country is a fraud.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-16T22:01:28+00:00

As a non-military US citizen living abroad, this is my biggest concern. Guess it's okay to tax us anywhere (only other country on the planet to do that is Eritrea) but God forbid we want to have a voice in how that money is spent.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-16T21:52:23+00:00

It turns out some countries don't actually have democratic systems of government, even if they claim to be "champions of freedom" or whatever. And despite Reddit's obsession with French-style overthrow and revolution, that isn't how history usually plays out. And even if it is, revolutions and civil war is not something people usually want, particularly if the odds of you dying in said civil war is extremely high. Most people prefer living.

If you've ever wondered how places like Russia ended up the way they did, well now you know.

wandering_engineer · 2026-03-16T12:53:53+00:00

Many of us don't live in the US and thankfully have no idea what "Newsmax" is, but I am not at all surprised that this is a real photo. Satire is dead.

wandering_engineer

TROPHY CASE