Inky

u/Inky@lemmy.ca
1 posts · 70 comments

Recent posts

Recent comments

The initial push into the land is often funded by their agricultural ministry. Settlers force Palestinians off their land (with IDF support) to put their own sheep/goats out to pasture. The WSJ had a video earlier this year where they interview settlers and they show the reporters explicitly how they are receiving funding from the ministry. The rest of the funds come from private American donors who enthusiastically support the illegal annexations.

You're right to leave. One should always reconsider any relationship with someone who requires your adherence to their religion

Part of the success of authoritarian religions is that use the risk of ostracization as a tool of control. It isn't easy to abandon your community, even one that treats you badly. Feeling alone in the world with no support is frightening enough to keep people in line

Personally I prefer the flavour of plant-based alternatives over dairy milk. So I don't see myself having any interest in buying it.

However, if they can engineer milk proteins for cheese production than I am very excited. Casein proteins are biochemical miracles and no plant-based cheeses are able to mimic the protein matrix in cheese properly. Instead they end up relying on starches to set, which isn't the same at all.

on ascention · c/science_memes · 6 pts · 2y

Leaving academia was definitely one of the best choices I ever made for my (physical, mental and financial) health.

I don't regret doing my PhD, but I definitely spent two years too many on the postdoc treadmill.

From a purely expected return perspective it only makes sense to pay back debts vs investing if the credit spread in the debt is larger than the investment's risk premium.

For secured debt (like a mortgage) held by someone with reasonable credit the equity risk premium is most likely larger than the credit spread.

The analysis becomes more complicated when you take into account an uncertain income stream to use against the debt. Paying off your mortgage is like buying insurance against the tail event that you lose your house because you can't make your mortgage payments.

Insurance is generally a negative expected return activity. But the value is in reshaping the outcome distribution. Your average outcome is lower but you've flattened out the tail.

As a counterweight to the widening of wealth inequality, rising rates lower the value of essentially all risk assets. So the ones who truly benefit the most are the ones who only acquired their assets after the hiking cycle.

This is partly why there are examples of periods with high inflation that also saw a narrowing of wage inequality. The post-war period in Europe was such an example. In that time the relative bargaining power of labour also helped because the high inflation was met with even higher pay raises. So working people were acquiring new wealth through their wages during a period of sustained low asset prices.

For 2023 wage growth in Canada actually exceeded inflation. I would bet that we'll see that trend continue this year as well as inflation comes down.

For me personally higher rates have been a net benefit. I have no debt and my capacity to save increased considerably over the period that rates were rising. It's been great to get better cash yields and to pick up longer dated bonds at generationally low prices.