ohgodletmeinpleaseIneedtogetoutofhere uh I mean yeah understandable

there was a libertarian takeover project to use NH as a sort of libertarian exclave. NH also hosts the Porcupine Freedom Festival, which is like a summer camp for libertarians where you pay for booze and wares with slivers of gold. Planet Money has a great episode about it.

it’s not like a majority of NH is libertarian, it’s just the highest concentration of libertarians. and subjectively the vibes are real different from VT.

critiquing both is what makes you a left libertarian.

Libertarians in the US want small government on three axes: they want to eliminate programs (e.g. welfare, retirement or universal healthcare), public utilities (e.g. electricity, highways), and regulation (e.g. antitrust, banking laws.) in economic terms, it’s very right-wing, since it’s pure unadulterated capitalism. usually they want government to “stay out of the bedroom and the boardroom” though, so they’re often progressive on civil liberties. unfortunately, many self-styled “libertarians” are socially conservative, or care only about their freedoms.

Left Libertarians see both the State and Corporations as oppressive power structures, and want to reign both in. think Anarchists, but not as radical. most favor decentralized, collective government with lots of direct democracy. New Hampshire is the most right-libertarian state, while Vermont is the most left-libertarian.

the Libertarian Party in the US is ridiculously disorganized because organizing Libertarians is like herding cats. afaik there aren’t really unified Libertarian parties anywhere in the world, though maybe e.g. the Pirate Party would be close?

probably a lot of business too. I doubt they’re trading rubles and won (does NK use won?) as much as technical knowledge, commodities, electronics, gas and industrial equipment.

it’s probably a good way to connect Russian oligarchs and tycoons with NK elites and bureaucrats. take tours, schmooze, fall out of windows enjoy the fresh air of Mt. Paektu.

I support NATO, in the sense that if NATO dissolved Europe would get eaten like a three-course meal by Russia. Ukraine shows that all too clearly. it has many problems, though.

another day, another maximalist Lemmy take.

yes, actually!

ran a Tor exit node. chatted on Bluelight. took over a (small) botnet. tripped on research chemicals.

it’s an enhanced driver’s license. I showed my passport and everything. if you look ar that fee schedule, I paid the “upgrade” fee ($7) because I already had a regular driver’s license, and it expires two years from now, so $7*2=$14.

it’s taboo up here too among the Salish people (Pacific Northwest.) interesting how it’s shared.

I only had to pay $14 here in WA. maybe it’s different depending?

hungry constituents will pressure their representatives to revoke the tariffs.

I’m fine with automation if we can have fully automated luxury communism!

China is likely to get AI before the US does. Innovation here is slowing down.

I’m a big fan and longtime reader of Derek Lowe. He called attention to suppression of grant funding for hypotheses that challenged the amyloid hypothesis, and the shockingly partisan and dogmatic behavior of journal referees and NIH advisors in the field. I’ve been following his coverage ever since he started reporting disappointing readouts from clinical trials on the anti-amyloid mABs.

His concern that this class of therapy is “pathological science” (think cold fusion, or EmDrive, or string theory - not outright quackery, but hypotheses that are endlessly tweaked to justify the latest failures) are valid.

However, the newest mABs really do seem to have a small but statistically significant effect on slowing disease progression. Enough to justify the risks of brain swelling? Or the cost? Probably not. But I think Derek has perhaps swung too far in the opposite direction. It’s too early to call time on this therapeutic target. If it’s marginally but truly effective, we should try to figure out why, and keep tweaking the drugs to see if they can be improved.

Donepezil was a dead end, but it’s too early to say if Aduhelm is too.

So tired of hearing that the right is a champion of free speech.

The idea that, if all Trump supporters simply had access to better information, if they all had better education, if they were exposed to the right argument… then they’d see the light and turn into democrats - is a supremely liberal idea. We need to understand that no amount of epic slams, no amount of late night talk show roasts, no amount of facts and logic will steer us out of fascism.

Well said. And honestly, it’s even counterproductive, because that assumption is a core reason why people view the establishment Left as patronizing and elitist.

It also reminds me of one of my favorite Onion videos: https://youtu.be/lpzVc7s-_e8 (I like Judith Butler, and I’ve even read some of Gender Trouble, but the premise and execution just gets me in stitches every time.)

Lockpicks. One day the bathroom door somehow locked from the inside without anyone in there, and I really needed to pee. Really came in handy. Turns out you could just use a flathead screwdriver, there wasn’t an actual lock cylinder, but don’t take this from me!

the pie is getting smaller but the oligarchs are getting bigger slices.