It does, however, make me think “Hell yeah, brother” every time I see the art, which is ideal for painting on a van.

It depends on where in the US we’re talking about.

I mentioned Texas specifically because the power grid there has had some high profile failures and issues in the last 5 years. They’ve fixed some of it and embezzled money for other repairs. Now they’re farming crypto on it.

And that’s the point, I reckon.

Heating a home is easy, we’ve done it forever and have some easy ways to do it without the government providing power (so long as you know how to use a wood stove).

Cooling one though? That’s not so easy without electricity.

Trump will die and a new religious movement declaring him to be divine will gain a significant foothold among people who call themselves Christians in the US.

Hi there. I teach World Religions (and other philosophy classes), so this is my area of expertise.

Some religious traditions are more open to being practiced along side other traditions, while some have beliefs that demand exclusivity.

In Hinduism, for example, there are millions of gods… all of which are a part of the Supreme God. This logic can, and has, been extended to the gods of other religions.

Likewise, some religions pair together quite nicely, like Buddhism and Shinto or Taoism and Confucianism.

There are also ways in which some religions might have some common ground. You can apply some Buddhist ideas within your Christianity, depending on what those Buddhist ideas are. On this, see Thomas Merton’s work on Zen, or DT Suzuki’s work on Christianity.

As to practicing multiple faiths being a sign of maturity… I think it’s more that friendliness to ideas outside your comfort zone is the mark of maturity here. This can include atheism too. Someone who genuinely wants to understand other perspectives is going to walk away with at least a few ideas they can affirm.

Parts of the American South are getting close, but are holding on as long as their power grids do.

That said, a good chunk of Texas won’t remain that way forever.

Hey. Thank you for sharing this.

Websites like this are the good part of the internet.

Either abroad or goose stepping through American city streets.

That’s true. My cynicism is pretty personal. I’ve worked for a corrupt nonprofit in the past.

I suppose I still don’t trust the not-for-profit outlets either. Non-profit status, at least in the US, is a matter of taxes rather than one of morals.

And, yes, I do end up relying on people around me to hear about things for the first time, but I can and do look into things further from there.

There are pros and cons for this, of course, but I feel a lot calmer without the constant stream of doom in my life.

I have all major news sources and US politics tags blocked on Mastodon. I also continually block subs focused on US news here on Lemmy.

Frankly, I don’t trust news media or any kind. The purpose of those publications is to make sure they’re distributed as widely as possible to sell ads. So I don’t look at them unless I have to.

I do, however, follow some local chatter for my city, as the relevant news is there.

Personally I feel I manage to still stay informed, since anything of real importance will break through my block list anyway.

Oh yeah, I could smash an Italian beef just about any day.

And Malort. I mean, it’s awful, but I never say no when offered a shot. I kinda love that our local drink comes with language of “this is will taste terrible, but you have to try it.”

Chicago Illinois USA here:

The two foods that scream “This is Chicago” to me are deep dish pizza and a Chicago style hotdog (poppy seed bun and a dog with mustard, chopped onions, tomato wedges, sweet relish, a pickle spear, and peppers, then sprinkled with celery salt).

As to which is my favorite, deep dish is definitely more unique and probably the better answer here, but man can I do love when the dogs are just right.

I actually do support the idea that we have a right to end our lives on our own terms.

But, I would say to anyone asking this question that there is so much good left undone in the world that they could make happen.

If you can, don’t end your life. Donate it.

A nice little cabin in the woods and by a lake.

Far enough from the nearest town that I don’t have neighbors, but close enough that I can reasonably make a grocery run each week.

Vampires, slavers, and directly responsible for the deaths of 10 million infants across the world.

Hell better be hot.

Fun fact, the origin story for Satan that so many churches point to just isn’t in the Bible.

I don’t use it for personal gain.

I give away infinite free bread, and get arrested and jailed forever.

Maybe this is a cynical take, but someone in power would almost immediately have the magic infinite food person assassinated.