• NateNate60@lemmy.worldOP
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    2 months ago

    I will start. I’m in the United States.

    Credit unions! Nearly half of all Americans are credit union members. They don’t seem to be popular in Europe and Asia. A credit union is a not-for-profit co-operative financial institution that essentially provides all the same services as a bank, except it’s run as a democratic institution with directors elected by the customers instead of as a profit maximisation machine for shareholders.

    • owenfromcanada@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      They’re common in Canada as well. In my experience, they’re much better than larger banks for things like fees and interest rates.

      Historically the main advantage of a larger bank was having banks and ATMs everywhere, but lots of CUs have formed mutual agreements for ATM access, and internet banking being ubiquitous has rendered any advantage the big banks have had moot (in my opinion, at least).

      • linearchaos@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        The biggest problem I’ve had with My credit union is there an ability to fix problems, and they’re absolutely antiquated systems.

        I went to Florida on vacation instantly tripped fraud. I had contacted them prior They put a note in my account because they had no other way to do anything. I tripped fraud on a Friday night and they were not able to answer a call from me until Monday morning.

        A couple of years later I spent a few days in Niagara. The very first day I got up there I tripped fraud. I had already called them went through three different people to make sure there was nothing else I could do. I made sure that I didn’t arrive on a Friday this time. My big problem now was that I was looking at an hour-long phone call and I was roaming. I drove up to one of the higher points in town and managed to get a US Tower. I got them to unlock me which worked for approximately one day.

        Their web portal the last time I used it required me to have a 7 to 10 character password uppercase lowercase only. Tell me you’re storing my data and securely without telling me your storing my data in securely.

        You don’t always end up with the best management by having the clientele pick the management. And sometimes those really low rates end up making you suffer on the security side of things.

        Still the best interest rate I’ve ever gotten on a car loan and the entire staff was absolutely sweet, They were just entirely incapable of keeping my card working whenever I left the state.

        I ended up going back to a larger bank. 24-hour fraud unlock hotline, also capable of unlocking me via a link in email as soon as it’s tripped.

        Apparently years later I find out that I possibly could have gotten by some of the fraud issues with the credit union if I would have used the card in debit mode. They apparently assume that a debit transaction is inherently secure. I have no idea if this actually works but if you’re having trouble it’s not a bad idea to try it. Just do at least one pin transaction every time you go to a different location.

        • owenfromcanada@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Ah, that would definitely make a difference. A debit transaction uses some form of “password” like a PIN or the data embedded in a card chip. A credit transaction technically only relies on easily available data and sometimes a signature, much more common for fraud (it’s pretty easy to read and replicate the data from a magnetic strip–one of my classmates did a project to read magnetic strips, and they had to stop letting people swipe their own cards on it because it popped up tons of confidential data).

          My CU’s website definitely looks like it’s from the early naughts, but they at least kept things up to date and security practices seemed legit, and I don’t think I ever tripped the fraud detector. I guess everyone’s mileage will vary a bit.

          • linearchaos@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            Yeah, I just got the impression that everything they were using was a canned service. And whatever service they bought for fraud protection was either poorly serviced or they weren’t properly trained on it.

      • NateNate60@lemmy.worldOP
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        2 months ago

        Yes, they’re similar, but from what I’ve heard, most UK building societies are basically the same as or worse than banks in terms of fees, rates, and service quality. In the US, most credit unions will absolutely spank the big banks on at least two of those, if not all three.

        • Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.works
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          2 months ago

          The majority of UK building societies turned themselves into banks; maybe twenty years ago when the legislation was passed to enable it. A select few still exist though, but I don’t believe any are that large.

        • xor@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          2 months ago

          There’s only really one big building society in the UK, which is Nationwide, but they’re awesome

  • aMockTie@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Not from the US but currently living here. I would say the Disability Act is the gold standard worldwide. The amount of consideration for people with a variety of disabilities that almost universally applies is exceptionally amazing. It’s kind of shocking to see the dedication to adhering to that law while otherwise abandoning that portion of the population (e.g. Healthcare, SSDI, etc.).

    • KoboldCoterie@pawb.social
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      2 months ago

      Incidentally it’s a lot easier to take legal action against a business that violates the ADA than to take action against a government that insists on defunding programs like that.

      • Clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works
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        2 months ago

        Right, there are people and lawfirms that make all their money going around measuring doorway widths and bathroom counter heights and stuff, because the person who raises the complaint gets a reward… Sort of like bounty hunters?

    • magnetosphere@fedia.io
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      2 months ago

      I’ve lived in America all my life. Thank you for this interesting outside perspective. I never would have guessed that the ADA is held in such high regard!

      • RebekahWSD@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        The ada is amazing. My husband grew up just as it was being put into place and remembers the protests (to get it, not against it). Without it, things are much more difficult. I know there will be handicapped parking, and cutins on sidewalks and bathrooms and stuff wherever we go without having to look it up.

    • Habahnow@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      Yeah it was surprisingly jarring going to Europe and seeing places that were completely inaccessible by wheel chair. I have never used a wheel chair in my life but I know there’s bars in my area that have mini elevators for peole on wheel chairs to access the lower level that’s only like 4 steps down.

      • Hugh_Jeggs@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        Hold on, I’ll phone the Romans and ask them why they didn’t make the pont du Gard wheelchair accessible

      • vortic@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        They currently live in the US. So, whether they properly answered your prompt seems to depend on your definition of “your country”.

  • dan@upvote.au
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    2 months ago

    Australia: Consumer protection laws are better than most other countries, even European countries. For example:

    • Products must last as long as a “reasonable consumer” would expect them to last, regardless of the warranty period. For example, at least 5-10 years for large appliances.
    • If there’s a “major failure” any time during that period (a big problem with the product, if it stops working, if it differs from the description, is missing advertised features, or you wouldn’t have bought it if you knew about the problem beforehand), the customer has a choice of whether they want to have the item repaired, replaced, or return it and get a refund. Customers can also ask for a partial refund based on loss of value.
    • The store you bought the item from must accept returns and warranty claims. They can’t tell you to go to the manufacturer.
    • For repairs, returns and replacements of large items (like appliances), the company must pick it up and drop it off for free.
    • It’s illegal for a store to not offer refunds (unless the items are second-hand).
    • Products must match descriptions in advertising, including what a sales person tells you. If a sales person tells you the product does something but it actually doesn’t, you can get a refund.
    • Businesses get fined for breaking these rules. A chain of computer stores had to pay a $200,000 fine for showing an illegal “no refunds” sign and forcing people to go to the manufacturer for warranty claims, and were later fined $750,000 for doing it again: https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/msy-technology-ordered-to-pay-penalties-of-750000-for-consumer-guarantee-misrepresentations

    This applies for digital goods, too. As far as I know, Australia is the only country where you can get a refund from Steam for a major bug in a game regardless of how long you’ve owned the game for or how many hours you’ve played. Valve tried to avoid doing this and was fined $3 million: https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/valve-to-pay-3-million-fine-for-misleading-australian-gamers/

    • SpacetimeMachine@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Agreed except for the archaic rating system for video games. Gonna tell full adults they can’t handle seeing a drug in a game that’s called by its real name? That’s pretty ridiculous.

      • dan@upvote.au
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        2 months ago

        Yeah, video game ratings in Australia aren’t great. Australia didn’t even have an adult (R18+) rating for video games until 2013. Before then, all games rated higher than MA were illegal in Australia. Some games were banned, while others were modified to reduce violence, remove sexual themes, remove drug use, etc.

  • shalafi@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    US here. I don’t think we get enough credit for our anti-smoking culture, and given that Hollywood is a major culture driver…

    Even in my poor little town, where the broke and uneducated smoke more, it’s getting to be where I’m a little taken aback when I see someone smoking in public.

    All this coming from a guy that smoked for 20+ years. The culture shift has been dramatic and I hope we’re exporting it.

      • jaybone@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I’m a smoker in the US. It seems like a hell of a lot less than 6% of people here smoke. I don’t think I have a single family member or friend who still smokes. Feels like it’s just me.

    • Dharma Curious (he/him)@slrpnk.net
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      2 months ago

      For what it’s worth, I’ve also noticed the same thing where I live in Tennessee. Smoked for 21 years (from 11 to 32), and while there are still a ton of smokers in my little hick town, it’s much less than before.

    • DigitalDilemma@lemmy.ml
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      2 months ago

      The UK has seen a stratospheric drop too. Banned from all non-private indoor spaces, taxed through the roof. At least in the South, it’s rare to see or even smell someone smoking now, even on TV. Although in some cities it’s just as likely to smell cannabis as tobacco.

      I don’t think you’re “exporting it” though - it’s not an American initiative. This was a pretty universal shift of “why the fuck do we do this stupid shit?”

    • Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Also US, we’re definitely not exhibiting an “anti smoking” culture. I think you’re confusing what you’re exposed to to what is really going on in the world. It’s important to recognize the limitations of your perspective, and not confuse them for a national trend

    • moonlight@fedia.io
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      2 months ago

      Really? I’m in my 20s, and pretty much everyone I know smokes. I think it’s just less acceptable to smoke alone or in public.

    • ddplf@szmer.info
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      2 months ago

      I think I’d be more happy with my compatriots abusing cigarettes and not drugs. US has massive narcotic consumption problem and cigarettes I’d call the mildest of this subgroup.

        • ddplf@szmer.info
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          2 months ago

          Wait, you mean to say that strong drugs are less harmful than cigs and tame drugs?

          And that alcohol is in the same category as cocaine or meth?

          • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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            2 months ago

            The other way around and yes, pretty much. I mean it’s probably a bit below cocaine but like yeah, that shit is bad.

            • ddplf@szmer.info
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              2 months ago

              First thing - you really confused the signs

              Second thing - you really have no idea what you’re talking about.

              Alcohol is definitely a menace to society, but the strongest alcohol a man can drink (like absinth, not methanol) will be much less devastating than cocaine or meth after one dose. Not to mention some other vile drugs like the russian krokodil.

              • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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                2 months ago

                I mean does the harm per dose really matter? They’re both extremely addictive hard drugs that can literally kill you if you use them irresponsibly. Again, I know cocaine is worse, but not to an extent that warrants different treatment. Cocaine would also likely be safer (though probably still more dangerous as alcohol, I admittedly don’t know enough to say much here) if it was socially accepted like alcohol.

  • Railison@aussie.zone
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    2 months ago

    Australia: carrying out elections.

    Voting is compulsory and you will be fined if you don’t vote without an acceptable reason.

    But because voting is compulsory, it’s extremely easy and accessible. Waiting in line for more than 15 minutes is a long wait. Even in the suburbs you’re not usually more than a five minute drive from a polling place.

    If you think you’ll have trouble getting to a polling place on election day (a Saturday), you can request a postal ballot or vote early at a different polling place.

    We have an independent electoral commission federally and in each state/territory to organise elections (depending on which level of government you’re voting for). They also handle district boundaries to remove gerrymandering.

    All ballots are marked and counted by hand. The counting process is open and transparent: any candidate can send people to inspect the counting process and ensure there are no irregularities.

    • doofy77@aussie.zone
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      2 months ago

      You don’t have to vote. As long as you show up and have your name marked off, you can leave the ballot paper blank.

    • Nath@aussie.zone
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      2 months ago

      This is all true, but there’s more:

      • Our election campaigns are six weeks by definition. No political ads filling the airwaves the rest of the time.
      • We have preferential voting. You don’t have to choose only between the shit and shit-lite parties. You can vote for someone else, and still put shit-lite as your preferred option if the independent you voted first for didn’t get in.
      • The electoral commission will help pay for your campaigning if you secured 5% of the vote. Evens the field a bit for not-rich people to run.
      • Political signs on houses are pretty rare. Maybe a couple of diehard fans.
      • Nobody gets real angry at you if you vote for someone different.
  • Kiralani22@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I’m currently living in the Netherlands and I found some awesome, (for me) novel things, like ATMs all being from one company that all the banks in NL share ownership in. That means no matter your bank you dont pay for getting cash. Which is ironic cos I dont need cash as much anymore since non-cash payments are so much more prevalent here compared to Germany, for example.

    • Fleppensteyn@feddit.nl
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      2 months ago

      It’s also fun that we can go to Germany and still get cash out for free whereas Germans have to pay a fee for using their own ATMs.

      • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 months ago

        For other banks.
        Sparkassen customers dont need to pay at other sparkassen belonging to the same group (I think it depends on how the different regions organized themselves)
        They can also do coorperations between other banks like for ing-diba and other institutes.

    • itstoowet@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      I was just on the Turkish coast and to my surprise, I found an ING atm. “Sweet, its my bank so I shouldn’t have any fees!” I said to my boat driver (who only speaks Turkish).

      They charged me like 3%.

    • Aceticon@lemmy.world
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      Portugal has exactly the same system (I’ve lived in both countries) which has actually even more features (such as letting you pay yours bills at any ATM) than the Dutch one.

      I think that at least in Europe the countries were ATMs rely on VISA or Mastercard for inter-bank withdrawals like in the UK and US are the exception rather than the rule.

  • red@lemmy.zip
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    2 months ago

    India: what India does wayyy better than others is digital payments. we have what is called UPI this is a open payments interface made by government (rbi) but their APIs can be used by any bank’s and any verified third party apps, and all you need to use UPI is just a bank account that’s it, and with this we can send money to any bank account through any other bank account with just phone number or QR code, the reciver and sender don’t even have to use same app because the backend is same for all, i just have to search for their number and send money, or i just have to scan QR code and send money, and it happens instantly with no minimum limit, this is so widely used that pretty much any shopkeeper keeps a UPI qr code even the ones in smallest and remote villages. infact i dony think I used single rupee in cash since like last 3 years, i don’t carry cash anywhere either, this is integrated with popular apps too like uber online food ordering apps , Netflix and basically any app that needs payment. upi is pretty much only reason why India has the most digital transaction in world even more than China and it’s not even close.

    also public digital infrastructure, pretty much anything government related is done digitally, like our id cards, driving licence, income certificate, and even high school and degree certificate is digitised, infact even our college credits is digitised, like my college credits will be automatically added so it will be seamless to change college in between my degree, and ofc all this is verified cryptographically with an app, so it’s not just one pdf which can be forged or something. and recently a law was passed which made the cryptographically verified digital documents legally same thing as physical one’s, so now if you have a phone with the app installed ( government made app that store’s and verifies documents) and if you have all your documents in that app you are good to go anywhere. this is more than just concinence of not having to carry physical documents because now we can make bank accounts completely online because verification can be done through their APIs and cryptographically. and yeah it was super useful in covid times because we could do appointment for vaccination online in the app and we could get covid certificate digitally.

      • red@lemmy.zip
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        2 months ago

        the difference is this is unified and government maintained, alipay or any payment vendor’s you have to use their apps, and you can only send money to people who have accounts in their apps, here it’s maintained by government no need to make any account anywhere, just direct bank to bank transfer with just phone number and QR code. and more importantly no transaction fees

      • wewbull@feddit.uk
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        2 months ago

        But it is absolutely horrible when it comes to privacy.

        Reading OPs description, I did wonder.

        • red@lemmy.zip
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          2 months ago

          it is indeed horrible, I’m pretty sure one of the biggest motivation to push for digital transactions was to track easily and tax easily

      • AusatKeyboardPremi@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Can you expand on why UPI is horrible when it comes to privacy when compared to the other options you have mentioned?

        I would not be doing any sort of digital transactions if I am worried about privacy as I don’t think one is better than the other in this matter. It would be naive to think so otherwise.

          • AusatKeyboardPremi@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            I have gone through the links, and I still cannot find the answer to my question on what makes UPI “absolutely horrible when it comes to privacy” when compared to the other options in your original comment.

            I still maintain that all practical means of digital transactions are inherently poor for privacy, regardless of the channel/medium. One is not less private than the other.

            Of course, mediums like cryptocurrency exists which “promise” privacy while transacting. But they are not practical in India, and also do not operate at the scale of the options we are discussing about.

            Also, I really appreciate responding back with links, but a line directly answering my question would have saved some time, especially since the links you shared are irrelevant to our discussion. None of the links actually do a comparison of the options or even state that one is outright better than the other. If anything, some of the comments in the linked forum posts only echo what I am saying about the lack of privacy across all digital transactions.

    • Dharma Curious (he/him)@slrpnk.net
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      I’m curious, how does that work for people from remote villages? India still have a pretty large population who live traditional lifestyles with limited access to the Internet, don’t y’all? Do they have the option of more traditional paper documents, or do they have to find a computer somewhere to use for certain things?

      • red@lemmy.zip
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        2 months ago

        even people from less developed places use digital stuff, you don’t need computer you only need a phone to use everything, mobile data is super cheap in india (3usd per month for 2gb per day), and smartphones are super cheap too, even people who don’t have access to electricity use digital payments. infact this was possible only because of cheap internet and many indians are comfortable with tech somehow. and connectivity is really good pretty much 100% of country get’s fast 4g and nearly 80% has 5g

        • Dharma Curious (he/him)@slrpnk.net
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          That’s really interesting! In the us, I lived extremely rural, without running water or electricity for several years. If we needed to do anything, we had to crank up a generator and use shitty satellite Internet in the beginning. After a while we got a few small/cheap solar panels and a couple car batteries we ran stuff off of.

      • red@lemmy.zip
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        2 months ago

        is it as simple as " download an app and sign in through phone number and bank account is automatically detected and you are good to go" ans also there is no transaction fees

        • slazer2au@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          That’s way more convoluted than here.

          Our banking apps have a QR scanner in them so no need for new apps or new accounts.

          • red@lemmy.zip
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            2 months ago

            banking apps have upi too, even in banking apps you have to sign in with id and password and such with upi specific apps you don’t even have to do that, it’s just that you have more freedom here, the thing is any app can have it

    • M600@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      We use qr-based payments where I live too. I been the qr-codes have to work on all payment platforms which is super convenient.

      The only minor gripe is that they charge a small transfer fee if going between banks. Do you have that fee?

      • red@lemmy.zip
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        2 months ago

        there is no fee, the servers and bandwidth cost taken from taxpayers money basically

    • DigitalDilemma@lemmy.ml
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      2 months ago

      India has the BRO too.

      Watching a guy called Joe Ryan on Youtube at the mo, who’s riding a motorbike around the Himalayas. The BRO are building roads there at an incredible rate in the most impossible landscape. I’m genuinely amazed at the scale and adaptability of them and how much they’re doing right now.

      This is literally changing the lives of those who live in the area, although I do wonder how much this will trigger tourism and change everything as it has elsewhere. But still, those guys can build roads.

  • Ugurcan@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Turkiye: E-Devlet.

    We have this E-Government system that centralizes almost all relations with the State, I really don’t remember when was the last time I saw an official document in paper. With all 1000+ official agencies involved, you can access and manage over 8000+ services like GDPR permissions, analogue tv frequency infos, paying traffic tickets, state-backed escrowing, fraud checks, my kids grades, my medical records etc within an handsome mobile/web app.

    It was shocking to see even my German friends still need to use their physical mailboxes to handle official stuff. I can imagine it’s even worse at the rest of the western world.

    • DigitalDilemma@lemmy.ml
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      Much of the UK’s regular government stuff is online and very simple too - their website is actually very good. It doesn’t integrate everything though. The health service is particularly fragmented and communication is often by post and not that good.

    • daniskarma@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      Same in Spain.

      Everything is digitalized and you have the right to do everything digitally. I’ve never mailed anything to the government.

    • meowMix2525@lemm.ee
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      Not sure why you would think Germany is the best in this respect as I’ve often heard the opposite in my travels there. They are very anti-tech in government, privacy/cybersecurity reasons are what’s usually cited.

    • tetris11@lemmy.ml
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      2 months ago

      Same in Lithuania.

      In fact it’s so good, that if you owe the state money, they’ll just take it directly out of your bank account…

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        2 months ago

        That‘s nice. We have this forepayment discount with all our taxes and tickets instead :D

  • qevlarr@lemmy.world
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    Dutch traffic infrastructure. It’s incredibly safe, promotes walking, bicycling and public transport, well maintained and easy to understand. There’s a reason the largest Youtube channel on urban planning center around the Netherlands experience (and how other places could learn): https://youtube.com/@notjustbikes

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      2 months ago

      You may shit and piss all over the NS, but once you’ve been abroad, you’ll accept those delays with grace.

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    2 months ago

    France - treating people the same no matter what they do for a living.

    It’s really nice to be respected even if you’re a cleaner or a bin man, and very much deserved

    • SuperApples@lemmy.world
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      I’ve only spent a couple months in France, but I agree from my experience. I think that foreigners that complain about the French being rude were just expecting special treatment, didn’t put in any effort themselves to be friendly, then shocked that the storekeeper/waiter wasn’t kissing their ass, even though they didn’t even manage to say ‘bonjour’.

      • Hugh_Jeggs@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        Who complains the most about the so-called french “attitude”?

        Brits and Yanks, the ones that think cleaners and waiters are beneath them and need to dance to earn tips

        Makes sense

        • Hugh_Jeggs@lemm.ee
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          2 months ago

          I lived in Paris for a year, speak french and respect people who work extremely difficult jobs in the most tourist-heavy city on the planet

          I think I met three or four grumpy cunts in that year. Considering everything, that’s a miniscule percentage

          Bear in mind these people aren’t being false-nice. They don’t rely on tips to feed their kids

    • Schmuppes@lemmy.today
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      2 months ago

      I respect the guys that drive garbage trucks, buses and mbulances tremendously. Also those that clean public spaces, make sure the sewers work and my lights turn on at night. The investment banker that makes tons of cash? Not so much.

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      2 months ago

      Japan is like this too, and I loved to see that when I was living there.

      The bus drivers often wear nice uniforms and white gloves, and clearly take a lot of care in their appearance and work. And people give them respect.

      I wish it was like that everywhere, because being able to have pride in what you do and be respected for it is such an important thing that everyone deserves to have - regardless of what your job is.

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    Falconry is set up really well in the US and several foreign countries clubs are petitioning their government to emulate us.

    • It’s difficult to get into on purpose. This reduces impulse buys of raptors by completely inexperienced people which reduces raptor harm.
    • Self regulated for the most part through an apprentice / sponsor system.
    • Clearly defined as a hunting sport with “pet keepers” kept to a minimum as they can lose their license for not hunting. Raptors make shit pets and need to fly and hunt for their mental well being.
    • Wild take of raptors. This is a huge one, pretty much no other country that actually has wildlife protections allows this. Falconry in the US is basically built off of wild take as an exclusion to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
    • Very difficult to monetize. A falconer cannot use their license to make money. Educational programs can be done but they can’t be paid more than gas money and if they are doing more programs than hunting they can lose their license. Doing abatement (using a raptor to chase off pests at an airport for example) is a separate license which requires 7 years as a falconer minimum.
    • Each state has their own club that works with their state government and then there is a national club that works with the feds and other countries.
    • XTL@sopuli.xyz
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      It’s difficult to get into on purpose.

      Had to read this a few times until it clicked that it doesn’t mean as opposed to getting into accidentally.

      • littlewonder@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        “Hi honey, how was your day?”

        “Terrible. I accidentally became a falconer and you know how hard I’ve been trying to avoid falconry recently. I thought I was safe.”

    • anon6789@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Can you actually buy raptors? I was under the impression they were all caught wild, and then had to be released after a certain time period.

      I did see though when I looked up “wild take” that means removing pre-fledged birds from the nest. They can’t be sold though.

      The state regulations I pulled up said out of state birds could be brought in, but not released. Do people just import birds from other countries with poor rules?

      • IMongoose@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Wild take is mostly only for juvenile raptors (only exceptions are Kestrels and Great Horned Owls as they are almost impossible to determine their age by plumage). There is a fledgling season where a chick can be taken from a nest, and a normal season where the bird is trapped while it’s on its own.

        A fledgling will be imprinted onto humans and cannot be released back into the wild ever. It is way too accustomed to people and can be a nuisance at best and a danger at worst to the public if released.

        A wild trapped juvenile is a normal bird that is trained to hunt cooperatively. They can be released at any time or kept their entire 20+ year life.

        Wild birds can not be sold, but they can be transferred to other licensed individuals. Any tit for tat stuff can lead to trouble with this.

        If wild raptors are kept for a certain number of years, they can be bred and their offspring sold to other falconers or licensed individuals. These captive bred birds cannot be released into the wild but they in turn can be bred too. They have a seamless band put on their legs when they are chicks to differentiate them from wild birds.

        Importing birds from other countries is extremely expensive because as far as I know they need to stay in government quarantine for 30 days or so.

        My 3 Harris Hawks, all captive bred. Their native range is the American Southwest and Mexico but mine are from Seattle, Los Vegas, and Baton Rouge: https://falconry.party/post/13676

        • anon6789@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Very interesting. There seems to be a lot of rules, but they all at least make good sense and look after the birds.

          What do you do with what they catch? Is it mainly rodent and birds, or do they catch stuff like rabbits or squirrels that people eat?

          • IMongoose@lemmy.world
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            I hunt rabbit. For the most part I feed the rabbit back to the birds over the summer but I’ll make a couple rabbit dishes a year.

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    2 months ago

    Recycling. In Sweden we recycle so much that we have to buy trash from other countries!

    • VonReposti@feddit.dk
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      In Denmark our district heating is so great that we have to import trash to burn at our Combined Heat and Power plants. Bit ironic given that we’re also a market leader on windmills that are supposed to replace plants.

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    UK: Crumpets. Crumpets lightly toasted with butter soaking into its pores, and then lightly toasted once more with a slather of Marmite.

    These are nothing like pancakes. You bite into the crispy surface and are met with a butter/Marmite infusion that explodes into the back of your mouth, and whilst you’re dealing with that sensual assault, your teeth sink into the soft almost creamy texture of the crumpet itself.

    They are divine, and are the sole reason I stay in this cold dreary backwater of a country.

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        I feel trypophobia quite strongly with some triggers, even things like budding plants pushing through the ground can make my akin crawl. But for some reason crumpets are okay.

        I guess my brain just sees the crumpet texture as being like a macro bread texture, which is okay because it’s kinda bready.

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      Is that the same thing we Americans refer to as an “English Muffin”? I always thought crumpets were cookies or something lol.

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          Exactly. It is the optimal food sponge; not too deep, not too shallow.

          It’s also a fantastically endearing insult to use, since it means someone is a little dense but not actually stupid, and I like to believe that we are all crumpets in this way.

    • SuperApples@lemmy.world
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      the sole reason I stay in this cold dreary backwater of a country.

      You do know you can get crumpets in any supermarket in sunny Queensland, yeah? You can even get Marmite (but why would you when Vegemite is superior).

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    2 months ago

    Say what you will about the chaebols running the country and the rampant corruption, Korean roadworkers are incredibly fast and efficient. There’s never some guy standing around doing nothing.

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    Canada: we’re the best at being annoyingly modest while simultaneously feeling smugly superior.