I’ve received in-patient care, overnight studies, emergency procedures, and much more in Spain without ever paying a dollar in copays or fees, and I’ve never waited more than 2 weeks for non-urgent care or an hour for urgent care.

My taxes are $600/month total in Madrid. Given that I have epilepsy, my insurance alone in the US was $490/month, AND I paid more in taxes ($1100/month).

So, yes, universal healthcare isn’t “free,” and it’s supported by taxes. And still, Americans are taxed more AND have to pay for insurance? And then you still have to pay copays? I don’t think “dur dur me taxes!” is actually the strong argument you think it is. And wait times are no longer (or in fact are shorter) in many countries with universal healthcare. But you know what’s longer? Life expectancies.

I’m sure it was better than Darwin

What about my understanding of evolution is incorrect, and how do you see natural selection working in present humans? Very possible that Dunning-Kruger is at play, but we may have to agree to disagree as to where…

My point is not that previous people haven’t done significant things, it’s that they did those things independently of who one of their many ancestors happened to be. Much like an actual ripple, the larger the pond, the less likely any disturbance is to reach the shore, and the more likely it is to be quickly lost to the natural turbulence of any body of water.

If your evidence against that is the existence of significant inventions, there are very few, if any, that wouldn’t have been invented by someone else within years. No major invention or discovery, from the light bulb to relativity, has been made while others weren’t working on the same problem and making similar, if slightly slower, progress.

That’s why they say necessity is the mother of invention, not a person or an institution or anything that could be credited to a single creator.

And if you think humans are still evolving according to selection pressure the way that other species have/do, you just don’t understand how evolution actually works. The moment we gained self awareness and created social structures, we drifted so far from biological evolution that it’s an entirely moot point in terms of future generations. The least adaptive of us now, on average, still lives through the entirety of our birthing/fertile years, while significant portions of a population dying during or prior to fertility is the only way that natural selection works. That or the existence of bachelor herds that lead to a very slim minority being the only ones to breed. Neither of those are the case with humans.

Ultimately, having kids to ensure your own legacy is possibly the most selfish reason you could create someone and thrust them into 80 years of what should be their own life.

I think that’s pure conjecture about how having kids affects the world. And the nature, worthiness, or value of those 12 people has nothing to do with whether or not you happen to personally be their ancestor. There’s nothing different or more special about one person’s progeny than another, so who cares if it’s your kids or 8 billion other people. The idea that that is important in the future is all about making yourself important in the present.

Why does it matter if they’re your descendants or others’? My 16 great great grandparents are as much strangers to me as any other 16 people walking around 100 years ago. And everyone here now is in the same place, whoever they came from. Not like I’ll be alive to (or would do so in any case) take pride in saying 'ooh those 12 people have something to do with me if you go back far enough"

Why is it essential for our genes to live on?

For those concerned and yet to click the link: he’s expected to be back on stage by Wednesday and has received scans, so it appears to be no major concern, though of course not quite minor either.

deleted by creator

Check out 3rd Wave Water, you can take coffee snobbery to heights you’ve never imagined…

Bees

“We are opposing the BJP as they are against our religion. They bulldoze our masjids, which cannot be tolerated.”

Yep, what a ridiculous stance to take. If one state became safer under Trump, would Americans be ridiculed for not voting for him?

Since remote jobs are in high demand, it’s gonna be a game of numbers in part/unfortunately. Stay on job search websites (indeed etc.) and apply to every single job you can (that suits you). Work job applications like they are your job right now, real focused work for a good few hours a day, just blasting out cover letters and applications.

Write a brief cover letter following online guidelines for each application (whenever you can), especially for any jobs you’d prefer over others. It may say that’s optional, but still go for it since you gotta separate yourself from other applicants. Your writing skills even just in this post and the comments bode well! A lot of people take it for granted that everyone writes coherently, but I work as an editor myself, and I can tell you you’ve got a leg up on a lot of folks who just can’t put together a good sentence haha. Keep it simple, honest, personal but professional and direct.

An alternative would also be a job training and placement program. If you select a good one (like Generation in the US and some other countries, though I don’t think they work in Canada), the same program that can train you on current skills (sales, tech, customer service, etc. – typically focused on constantly needed jobs that can be learned in just a few months) will also help you find a job as you finish the course. Only go to a free/nonprofit/govt center/website, and only choose a program that has direct connections with employers or a 70+% placement rate for graduates in jobs.

Hope these help, and keep at it! There are a lot of people in similar situations, and a lot with even bigger gaps and fewer skills. If any of them can find work and improvement (and they can!), then you’ll be able to, too. It’ll be hard, I’m sure, but you are someone who can do it, especially given how far you’ve already gotten yourself. Good luck!

Anything is toxic when concentrated enough. Fish food kills fish at high volumes; fish kill humans at high volumes.

What’s crazy is there are really good ways to dilute things–namely using a high volume of water…

Lol sounds like a you problem. It’s all biodegradable and good fun. It actually does look cool. Long time Chicagoans and new visitors still like it. Sorry you don’t.

To find it you must first master b8