I’m not sure how to even ask this. What I mean is that if you’re a guy who’s only attracted to other guys, then it’s obvious those are the people you’re going to be dating as well. But how could I, as a bisexual man who’s only dated women in the past, know whether my interest in men is only sexual or if it could be romantic too?

The reason I’m asking is that since I’m now single again, I’m wondering if I should try dating men just to see what that’s like and maybe learn something about myself. I feel like the two most plausible outcomes are either that I discover my romantic attraction is limited to women, or it opens my eyes to why some things have been such a struggle in my past relationships - and maybe I should’ve been dating men all along.

The thing is, I’ve never had a crush on a guy before or noticed any other signs that a relationship with one could actually work. I’ve had occasional dreams of that sort, but usually there’s been something sexual about them. I can only think of one time I felt mild butterflies around a guy I found really attractive.

I don’t know. I guess I’m just worried that if I give it a shot, I might not feel anything more than what I feel toward my male friends. In the worst case, they might develop feelings for me, and then I’d have to break their heart - and I hate the thought of that.

cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/38024308

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/36638855

September 24, 2025

“We need to stop the genocide in Gaza. Humanity cannot allow a single day more of this genocide, for the genocidal Netanyahu and his allies in Europe and the United States to continue.”

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called for Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza to be stopped, urging nations of the world to “bring together weapons and armies to defend Palestine.”

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/49541009

The cuts, all of which will take place in Germany, represent about 10 percent of Bosch's total workforce in the country

Archived

EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra plans to push Beijing to go beyond its pledge – unveiled by President Xi Jinping on Wednesday – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7-10% from peak levels by 2035, a target far below what NGOs and analysts hoped for.

[...]

“This level of ambition [by China] is clearly disappointing, and given China’s immense footprint, it makes reaching the world’s climate goals significantly more challenging,” the climate commissioner said on Thursday morning.

“We will continue to push China (and others) to go beyond the current level of ambition, and respect our joint commitments under the Paris Agreement,” he said.

Analysts shared Hoekstra’s disappointment.

[...]

“With the EU and others still struggling to row forward, China could be hoisting its sails and leading the way,” said Kate Logan, director of the China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute. Instead, the “underwhelming” 7-10% target represented a missed opportunity to deliver real leadership, she said.

[...]

This assessment echoed comments by Belinda Schäpe, a China policy analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, who spoke immediately after Xi’s announcement.

The 7-10% emission cut was “far below what would be required to align with the Paris Agreement targets,” Schäpe said, arguing that the required CO2 reduction would have been around 30%, compared to 2024 levels.

[...]

The Mail Online claimed that Lipa had parted ways with David Levy for signing a letter urging festival organiser Emily Eavis to drop the rap group over their pro-Palestinian views.

Both Lipa and her talent agency WME have called the story "categorically false", saying that Levy stopped working with the star in 2019.

In a statement, Lipa criticised Levy's attempt to silence Kneecap, but said the Mail's "deliberately inflammatory" story had been "crafted... to fuel online division".

“Taking Putin’s money and leaving the risks with [Belgium]. That’s not going to happen, let me be very clear about that,” Prime Minister Bart De Wever on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.

“If countries see that central bank money can disappear if European politicians see fit, they might decide to withdraw their reserves from the eurozone,” he added.

The Digital Fairness Act aims to strengthen protection and digital fairness for consumers, while ensuring a level playing field and simplifying rules for businesses in the EU. It will address specific challenges as well as harmful practices that consumers face online, such as deceptive or manipulative interface design, misleading marketing by social media influencers, addictive design of digital products and unfair personalisation practices, especially where consumer vulnerabilities are exploited for commercial purposes.

An example of a deceptive design is the "hard to cancel" (aka "Roach Motel") pattern where it is easy to sign up for a service or subscription, but very difficult to cancel it, as it is demonstrated in this brief example by the New York Times.

Just yesterday, on 25 September, Amazon settled a legal complaint with a 2.5 billion euro payment over similar illegal practices after 17 consumer rights organizations from Europe and the U.S. had filed a legal complaint in 2021 against Amazon. Although a first timid step, it is a major win for a transatlantic consumer protection system.

The complaint was based on the initial report by the Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) arguing Amazon puts obstacles in the way of consumers who wish to unsubscribe from its Amazon Prime service.

To avoid such deceptive patterns and manipulative designs, the EU plans to introduce the Digital Fairness Act.

The call for public consultation on the Digital Fairness Act is open until 24 October 2025.

[Edit title for clarity.]

At too farty (2.40)

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/36658436

Europe faces a new challenge: Trump’s America is exporting its culture wars into the EU. From meddling in elections to humiliating trade and defence deals, MAGA is reshaping Europe’s politics. But a new report argues Europe can fight back—with unity, confidence, and its own values. In this video, we unpack Trump’s culture war, Europe’s response, and what’s at stake for the EU’s future.