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GiantChickDicks

@ GiantChickDicks @lemmy.ml

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146
Joined
2 yr. ago

  • Trump Says He Wants to 'Drive Housing Prices Up' Instead of Lowering Costs for People Who 'Didn't Work Very Hard'

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  • I've been struggling with this for a while. I can understand and respect the moral dilemma that comes with participating in elections. I think, though, too many people look at it in a black and white lens that creates blinders.

    I've never in my life voted for a candidate that I agreed with on everything. Yes, the moral importance of some issues weigh far heavier than others, but the ultimate goal is to do the least bad. I will continue to vote for the candidates I believe offer the most harm reduction if voting is available to me, because these are the options I have to work with. We have to make decisions in the moment that reflect the reality of where we're at.

    We're living through the consequences of inaction that presents itself as protest. Had Kamala won, do we think we'd be seeing the absolute fucking insanity we've found ourselves in right now? I'm glad this moment is pushing more and more people to action and resistance, but at what cost? People are being disappeared, deported, and murdered in the streets by our government right now. And Gazans certainly haven't benefitted from the current administration. This is a level of bad I never expected to see in my life, and I think there are a lot of terminally online people who are seeing this in a romanticized way that obscures the severity of the situation we find ourselves in.

    We likely would have had more ability to push things to the left without the levels of harm, destruction, and violence that we're seeing now under just about anyone but Trump and Project 2025. Instead of activism and outreach, now we have to play defense and protect our neighbors and communities. Not to mention the roll acks of rights to the health and safety of women and queer people are more passively costing lives and creating suffering.

    Yes, the status quo was terrible. Democrats offer pretty words and little action. They aren't going to save us or give us the futures we deserve. I'd give just about anything for us to be out of this, though. Humiliation and disgust on an international scale, the daily violence, and reading new horrors every damn day is absolutely the greater of two evils, though. I can't see a scenario where anything is worth what's in store.

    Non voters aren't the sole reason we're here, but I'm sick of pretending that those people's choices didn't play a large role in our current situation. These times demand we all do some soul searching, take accountability, and work together to get out of this in one piece. Because, again, we have to live in the reality of where we're at.

  • If everybody at ICE protests showed up with masks and a gun would there be more or less violence?

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  • That's a great point I hadn't considered about masks. Face paint and drag makeup can help protect from facial recognition, and they'll also let us speak clearly and emote on camera to make any footage more compelling. I wonder if that's something that could catch on.

  • Have you ever made friends with a wild animal?

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  • Yes! Throughout my life I've had some very special relationships with wildlife. It started when I was quite young and had a red bellied brown snake that always hung out in the same place. They were incredibly docile, and would let me carry them around in my hands for hours as I explored outside. This went on for a couple of years.

    Later, I got to play foster to baby raccoons when my grandfather would find them orphaned on the farm. They were so much fun, and it was always bittersweet when it was time for them to be released.

    In 2016 an injured squirrel showed up on my porch. I tried luring him into a carrier to get him to the local wildlife rehabilitation center, but he was too clever. I wound up nursing him back to health myself as best I could. Any time I'd go outside he'd climb all over me and was so friendly. I think about him a lot, and that experience was very special to me.

    After that, I moved up to the UP and lived in a national forest. A herd of deer became like outside pets, and they'd come onto the porch and stare in through the glass door when they wanted to be fed. In the spring they'd leave their fans in my yard for daycare, and it was a delight to see them chilling in the yard with me during the day.

    The chickadees up there would get daringly close in the winter, so I decided to see if they'd eat out of my hand if I had high value treats. It worked a little too well, because they'd come and land on me when I got home from work or was outside for other reasons. I ended up winning over some cute little nuthatches, too, but they weren't as fearless as the chickadees and wouldn't bother with me unless I had food.

    I live in a good sized city now, so I don't have the same opportunities I did in other places I've lived. I miss it so much.

  • Facial recognition to be rolled out nationwide in major police reforms

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  • Drag makeup can also be effective!

  • This is Bean. Bean heard stories about cats stealing hair tie, so Bean go and steal a hair tie.

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  • Sorry to be a buzz kill, but that's the reason seeing cats playing with hair ties stresses me out. If cats don't vomit them up, they can become impacted in the intestines, or even tear them, and cause a life threatening emergency.

  • Video appears to show new ICE shooting in Minneapolis

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  • Minnesota is full of lakes. Cut an oversized ice fishing hole, and a lot of problems could sink away.

  • Fascist agitator gets silly stringed by a counter protester in Minneapolis, Jan 17 2026

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  • Silly string is highly flammable.

  • Help! My cat's pee could double as a chemical weapon

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  • You're very welcome, and I hope it's helpful!

  • Help! My cat's pee could double as a chemical weapon

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  • This! Yes, cats are obligate carnivores, but every one is an individual with unique physiological needs. Excess protein is passed out of the body in different ways. Diet modification could be helpful.

    To best help your vet, try to get the Typical Analysis of your cat's foods. This is different from the Guaranteed Analysis found on pet food packaging. Guaranteed Analyses offer nutrient values in minimums and maximums rather than the actual percentage of the nutrient found in the food. This is very important. A food may say 35% protein minimum in the GA, but that could be a way higher number in actuality. Since you feed wet food, I would recommend requesting these nutritional values on a dry matter basis rather than an as-is or as-fed (these mean the same thing) basis.

    Not all pet food manufacturers provide the Typical Analysis for their products on their website, as it's not legally required. If this is the case for your cat's food, please reach out to their customer service team to ask for this information. They should have no problem providing it for you. If they do, I'd seriously recommend switching foods.

    I've worked in veterinary medicine and as a nutritional product specialist for a pet food manufacturer. If I can help, please feel free to message me. I hope you're able to figure this out for your kitty!

  • ‘Super flu’ variant is circulating and raising concern. Here’s what to know about it

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  • Infecting more people in and of itself makes a flu virus more dangerous. Even if, statistically, it doesn't have a higher fatality rate, if the virus is able to more easily infect people then more will end up dead or hospitalized.

  • Stephen Miller Asserts U.S. Has Right to Take Greenland

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  • I'm sorry you're being downvoted. I agree with you. This is our country, and it's been established that our government isn't acting to protect it. Ultimately, if we want to keep it, we need to be ready and willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of the future. I don't blame people for balking at the immense personal costs this could bring, but what's the alternative?

    No one is coming to save us. We are facing a lot of frightening choices right now, but this means it's the time for courage.

  • What's a video game you were bummed about finishing, wishing the experience lasted longer?

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  • Thank you so much for the recommendations! My partner recently built me a gaming PC, and he'd be really happy for me to spend more time on it. I'll definitely check those out!

  • A group of crows is a murder. A group of apes is a shrewdness. What's a group of you called?

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  • A good time!

  • What's a video game you were bummed about finishing, wishing the experience lasted longer?

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  • Spiritfarer. I was so sad when it ended.

  • I'm there!

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  • Yes! Our local geology clubs offer field trips for members, including mineral and fossil digs!

  • We had to put my baby boy down

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  • Absolutely. I'd also like to add that people who insist on a certain breed can usually find a great breed-specific rescue to work with. I also see lots of breeds you wouldn't expect pop up in shelters and all breed rescues. I wasn't expecting to get a "purebred" dog myself, but a German shepherd was transported to the shelter I was working at, and we fell in love. It usually requires more work than buying a dog, but the rewards for yourself, your community, and that dog's life make it all well worth it.

  • We had to put my baby boy down

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  • I am so sorry you've lost your beautiful boy at such a young age. Saying goodbye to our beloved pets is always awful, but you both were tragically robbed of many years of memories. I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you and your family. I wish you all peace and healing as you grieve.

    After you've had some time to process, I would recommend reaching out to the breeder with the veterinary records. At the bare minimum they should know what health concerns are in their lines, and it may help another family avoid what you're going through. Cancer is very common in Goldens, but even moreso for English creams and other newer color variants. Best case scenario the breeder will have their dams and sires undergo genetic testing and stop breeding dogs with health concerns, but if not, they deserve to be dragged for knowingly breeding and placing dogs who are more likely to live short, painful lives.

  • Beans

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  • That's part of having a cat.

  • How much meat would be ok?

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  • This isn't going to be a popular answer, but the only meats I don't feel guilty about eating are those that come from my family's farms, their, neighbors farms, or the wild game my family hunts. Commercial, large scale agriculture is damaging in many ways, but for most people who choose to eat meat it's very difficult to avoid. We need to advocate for a more localized food supply for so many reasons.