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  Dennis Hackethal criticized idea #3361.

In the US, correct. Not in other countries.

#3361·Zelalem Mekonnen, 1 day ago

From what I recall, it’s a scam in Germany, too. From skimming the article, ~all of its criticisms apply there as well. For example, “Organic food has a larger impact on climate because of the greater area of land required to farm it.” I don’t see why that would be different in other countries.

  Zelalem Mekonnen commented on criticism #3358.

Organic food is a scam. Participants in double-blind experiments can’t tell what’s organic and what isn’t. Organic food hasn’t been found to be healthier than non-organic food. The ‘organic’ label was never even meant as a health endorsement. It’s just a way for stores to charge you more. Don’t be a sucker.

https://news.immunologic.org/p/organic-foods-are-not-healthieror

#3358·Dennis Hackethal, 1 day ago

In the US, correct. Not in other countries.

  Zelalem Mekonnen commented on criticism #3351.

The current industrialisation of food is problematic, but these are parochial problems. There is nothing about industrialised food production that is fundamentally and irredeemably flawed. Problems are soluble!

#3351·Benjamin DaviesOP, 1 day ago

I disagree. In case of mass starvation, GMOs and the like make sense. But besides that, I am for eating food that grows without human intervention.

  Dennis Hackethal criticized idea #3344.

Avoid the US for this. Food quality is worse than third world countries. The food is no where near as organic. Unpopular opinion, but I don't think food should be industrialized.

#3344·Zelalem Mekonnen, 1 day ago

Food quality [in the US] is worse than third world countries.

That seems like a wild claim to make, seeing as you can safely drink tap water in the US but not in third-word countries. That tells us something about the concern for the safety of consumables in the US. I cannot imagine that food safety in the US would be anywhere near as bad as it is in third-world countries. I mean… India? Nah.

  Dennis Hackethal criticized idea #3344.

Avoid the US for this. Food quality is worse than third world countries. The food is no where near as organic. Unpopular opinion, but I don't think food should be industrialized.

#3344·Zelalem Mekonnen, 1 day ago

Organic food is a scam. Participants in double-blind experiments can’t tell what’s organic and what isn’t. Organic food hasn’t been found to be healthier than non-organic food. The ‘organic’ label was never even meant as a health endorsement. It’s just a way for stores to charge you more. Don’t be a sucker.

https://news.immunologic.org/p/organic-foods-are-not-healthieror

  Dennis Hackethal commented on criticism #3354.

In terms of climate, California might be the best place on the planet to live in. But the downside is that you live in California 😂

#3354·Benjamin DaviesOP revised 1 day ago

Yeah. Kidding aside, although California is gorgeous, taxes are a serious issue. Politicians have floated the idea of a future exit tax. Retroactive, I believe (!). It’s made me think twice about moving back there.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #3348.

This might be a difference in dialect. I mean ‘mustn’t’ as in ‘must not’.

Example sentence: “His shoes aren’t here. I guess he must not be home then.” —> “I guess he mustn’t be home then.”

This sentence is much more natural than “His shoes aren’t here. I guess he cannot be home then.”

#3348·Benjamin Davies, 1 day ago

I mean ‘mustn’t’ as in ‘must not’.

I realize that. The linked Wiktionary page covers the contraction. The contraction isn’t the issue.

  Benjamin Davies revised criticism #3352.

California might be the best place on the planet to live in, in terms of climate, but the downside is that you live in California 😂

In terms of climate, California might be the best place on the planet to live in. But the downside is that you live in California 😂

  Benjamin Davies commented on idea #3347.

Do you care to be around people that speak your native tongue?

#3347·Zelalem Mekonnen, 1 day ago

No. If living in the best place on Earth requires me to learn a new language I will happily do so. Thankfully I have an interest in languages so it wouldn’t be a problem for long.

  Benjamin Davies criticized idea #3345.

In the US, California!

#3345·Zelalem Mekonnen, 1 day ago

California might be the best place on the planet to live in, in terms of climate, but the downside is that you live in California 😂

  Benjamin Davies criticized idea #3344.

Avoid the US for this. Food quality is worse than third world countries. The food is no where near as organic. Unpopular opinion, but I don't think food should be industrialized.

#3344·Zelalem Mekonnen, 1 day ago

The current industrialisation of food is problematic, but these are parochial problems. There is nothing about industrialised food production that is fundamentally and irredeemably flawed. Problems are soluble!

  Benjamin Davies criticized idea #3344.

Avoid the US for this. Food quality is worse than third world countries. The food is no where near as organic. Unpopular opinion, but I don't think food should be industrialized.

#3344·Zelalem Mekonnen, 1 day ago

I’ve found that if I stick to Whole Foods type places the quality of food is quite good, including some options that aren’t available in NZ.

But yes, the mainstream food options are crap, including the majority of restaurants.

  Benjamin Davies commented on idea #3343.

All the areas in the US I have lived in have terrible water quality.

#3343·Zelalem Mekonnen, 1 day ago

Thankfully the US has reverse-osmosis water filtration options pretty much everywhere.

  Benjamin Davies addressed criticism #3342.

mustn’t

Maybe this is the non-native speaker in me, but do you mean ‘can’t’? I thought ‘mustn’t’ means ‘may not’: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/must_not

#3342·Dennis HackethalOP, 3 days ago

This might be a difference in dialect. I mean ‘mustn’t’ as in ‘must not’.

Example sentence: “His shoes aren’t here. I guess he must not be home then.” —> “I guess he mustn’t be home then.”

This sentence is much more natural than “His shoes aren’t here. I guess he cannot be home then.”

  Zelalem Mekonnen submitted idea #3347.

Do you care to be around people that speak your native tongue?

  Zelalem Mekonnen commented on idea #2342.

If America is an option (you mention Austin), the non-coastal Western US could work.

A lot of those states get good water from the Sierra Nevada or the Rocky Mountains.

Those states have either no or low state income tax and largely leave residents alone. (For example, the difference between CA and NV during Covid was night and day.)

Southern NV gets a lot of sun throughout the year. NV has no state income tax.

I’ve heard good things about the area surrounding Las Vegas, though I haven’t been myself.

New Mexico could be good for high altitude (I think).

#2342·Dennis Hackethal, about 2 months ago

I second that about Las Vegas. If you don't mind the provocative posters, southern Nevada, southern Utah, Northern Arizona is a great place to be.

  Zelalem Mekonnen commented on idea #2298.

I want to live in places that are mostly sunny, most of the time. This is for health reasons.

#2298·Benjamin DaviesOP revised about 2 months ago

In the US, California!

  Zelalem Mekonnen commented on idea #2291.

I want access to good quality food, particularly good quality meat, dairy, and fruit. Ideally the place I live has a growing culture of eating well (for example, in Austin, many restaurants are now making it a point not to use any seed oils in their cooking.)

#2291·Benjamin DaviesOP, about 2 months ago

Avoid the US for this. Food quality is worse than third world countries. The food is no where near as organic. Unpopular opinion, but I don't think food should be industrialized.

  Zelalem Mekonnen commented on idea #2288.

I want superior water quality for drinking, bathing, etc.

This means I need to live somewhere sufficiently advanced to be able to provide and service high quality reverse-osmosis water filters. Otherwise I would need to be somewhere that I can directly access spring water, which I think is much more difficult.

#2288·Benjamin DaviesOP, about 2 months ago

All the areas in the US I have lived in have terrible water quality.

  Dennis Hackethal criticized idea #3339.

Maybe juries can be done away with. Not all levels of courts have juries, so they mustn’t be fundamental.

#3339·Benjamin Davies revised 3 days ago

mustn’t

Maybe this is the non-native speaker in me, but do you mean ‘can’t’? I thought ‘mustn’t’ means ‘may not’: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/must_not

  Dennis Hackethal criticized idea #3339.

Maybe juries can be done away with. Not all levels of courts have juries, so they mustn’t be fundamental.

#3339·Benjamin Davies revised 3 days ago

I think having a jury of your peers is important in criminal cases and they shouldn’t be done away with. Juries protect the accused from abuse of authority and unjust laws.

  Benjamin Davies revised idea #3338.

Maybe juries can be done away with. Not all levels of courts have them, so they mustn’t be fundamental.

Maybe juries can be done away with. Not all levels of courts have juries, so they mustn’t be fundamental.

  Benjamin Davies submitted idea #3338.

Maybe juries can be done away with. Not all levels of courts have them, so they mustn’t be fundamental.

  Zelalem Mekonnen commented on idea #3336.

Rand defines duty as "the moral necessity to perform certain actions for no reason other than obedience to some higher authority." Can one completely remove duty from their worldview? In other words, can one completely remove oneself from doing things as an obedience to a higher authority, imagined or real?

If the authority is real, one might still decide to do the thing by rationally deciding not doing it has consequences.

#3336·Zelalem Mekonnen, 4 days ago

Yes, unless one find the action fun (like I find jury duty fun). If I didn't find it fun, I'd argue I am in the right for doing things to get out of jury duty.

One has the right to do things he find interesting, no matter how trivial.

  Zelalem Mekonnen commented on criticism #3298.

A duty is an unchosen obligation. It’s an expression of mysticism. Immanuel Kant is responsible for spreading this anti-concept.

https://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/duty.html

#3298·Dennis HackethalOP, 4 days ago

Rand defines duty as "the moral necessity to perform certain actions for no reason other than obedience to some higher authority." Can one completely remove duty from their worldview? In other words, can one completely remove oneself from doing things as an obedience to a higher authority, imagined or real?

If the authority is real, one might still decide to do the thing by rationally deciding not doing it has consequences.