Viewing profile — illirik

Greenland? You'd have an easier time growing coffee in Illinois or Iowa

Of course; that's why our ancestors first built walls around granaries.

A well-educated population is generally considered to be a good thing. That’s why schooling is compulsory in almost every country in the world.

Mackinac island is one, absolutely beautiful place. Although I think it has a lower population than where GP went

It looks like there's a sample size minimum - I looked at the older reports as I'm looking into buying a used car, and it seems like there's a floor around 100,000 registered vehic…

This is a solved problem - don't consume animal products. Doing so causes cancer in the consumer [1], untold suffering for the human producers, who are often children [2], and the …

Most Millenials who can afford to rent an apartment can afford to buy a condo in a city - maybe not SF or NY, but a studio condo on Chicago's North Side, or in older buildings in t…

Most "American Slices" do contain dairy, as it is a USDA requirement for the classification of "pasteurized process cheese product" that there is at least some cheese in the produc…

As an American sleeper train enthusiast, my recs are: - If you find yourself in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, the Nightjet is IMHO the best sleeper train in the world on balanc…

It's not just fish. The sheer number of animals that are slaughtered to produce meat for human consumption is absolutely mind-boggling. In addition to the fish, humans killed 72 bi…

If you don't mind, which metro area is this? I have an interest in street grids and address numbering systems; this just sounded like a peculiarity I'd like to read up on.

It's not the people in general - many people, including every family member and friend of anyone who has ever been seriously ill while not being seriously wealthy, understands just…

Exactly this - life in the USA has felt like an unfamiliar board game, run by a rules lawyer who has a grudge against you (personally), my entire life. No wonder we have a shorter …

At this point, it's not even about "money" in the traditional sense (wealth, prestige, etc.); rather, it's about stability, the alleged "American dream". I live in Chicago, so I'll…

Exactly! People read "affordable location" and think it means somewhere boring and depressing, like Youngstown or Peoria. There are numerous, wonderful US cities where you can buy …

It's 60K in the US so far this year.

n = 1, but my now-wife was and still is very happy with her Brilliant Earth lab diamond engagement ring. They do also sell natural diamonds, so be sure to select lab diamonds in th…

We could reorganize our entire economy, so that we could live in a world with $200/pair sneakers, $500/month rent, and free universal healthcare. This alternate world would likely …

Jacobin is great if your politics swing that way. Zero ads or sponsored content or anything, and each issue goes pretty in depth into a timely theme. The latest issue, for example,…

A fossil fuel plant will burn fuel to produce heat. Some of this heat will be used for generation, and the remainder is waste heat. A solar panel or wind turbine, on the other hand…

This is how it's done in Chicago - neighborhoods full of 2-to-4-flats with one set of interior stairs, a 1000-sqft-ish 2br unit on each floor, and a back staircase / deck made of w…