Meme - Laurence Fox @LozzaFox: "Deal with it, Stasi scum. Hurty feelings are not going to shut us up. You are corrupt to the core @metpoliceuk You have lost public confidence. Now go and solve an actual crime, you bunch of whining twats."
Metropolitan Police: "We're aware of significant social media commentary. Some of the comments are personal and hurtful. This is unacceptable."
Readers added context they thought people might want to know: "Being able to speak out against police behaviour is not only acceptable, it is crucial to a free society."
Polish MEP Faces Three Years in Prison for Liking a Tweet - "Patryk Jaki MEP (Law and Justice; PiS) is beginning his “special trial” in Poland, after ‘liking’ a Twitter post back in 2018 that showcased real security footage of migrant criminals. Polish prosecutors requested a three-year prison sentence for this ‘hate crime,’ while leftists in the European Parliament began the procedure to strip Jaki of his diplomatic immunity for “inciting hatred against Muslim immigrants.” The trial of the co-chair of the European Conservative and Reformist (ECR) group comes against the backdrop of Polish PM Donald Tusk’s entire liberal government becoming the subject of an official probe over a suspected “coup d’etat” last week due to its blatant rule-of-law violations, such as ignoring high-level judicial rulings, taking over public institutions, and unlawfully persecuting the conservative opposition—something that Jaki’s case perfectly illustrates... In parallel, the Tusk government on Monday suspended Michał Ostrowski, the country’s deputy prosecutor general, for launching the “coup d’etat” investigation into its members, despite him acting at the request of the Constitutional Tribunal, Poland’s highest constitutional judicial body. Ostrowski was relieved of his duties for at least six months, effective immediately, by Justice Minister Adam Bodnar, who’s also one of the key “suspects” in the investigation that is now also suspended. A separate investigation was launched against Ostrowski by the government-controlled national prosecutors for “the crime of abuse of power.” Faced with rule-of-law abuse charges, there’s hardly a worse way to establish your innocence than firing and prosecuting the man tasked with investigating your crimes. This latest political battle began in Poland last week after Bogdan Świeczkowski—president of the constitutional court—officially requested the probe into the government’s rule-of-law abuses, claiming that Tusk and his ministers, as well as other key political allies, were acting “in an organized criminal group,” with the aim of overthrowing the country’s constitutional order... Naturally, the European Union actively ignores—or worse, denies—what’s happening in Poland. Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen paid a friendly visit to Tusk, a long-time ally and key member of her European People’s Party (EPP) group, just a day after the investigation was charged. At the same time, the chairman of the European Parliament’s civil liberties (LIBE) committee Javier Zarzalejos (EPP) cut off the microphone of a Polish MEP for daring to raise the issue in Brussels at a meeting with Minister Bodnar, who was invited to talk about the rule of law."
Gabe on X - "Ursula describes free speech as a virus and censorship as its vaccine. Let it be clear that she, along with everyone else advocating for censorship, is the true virus plaguing Europe."
Meme - @LeighWolf: "JD Vance: "Europe does not accept free speech."
Europe: "The Vance speech is not acceptable."
Lol."
"NOW - German Defense Minister Pistorius, a member of the wing SPD party, reacts to VP Vance: "This is not acceptable.""
Off the Air: French State Shuts Down Right-Wing TV Channel - "The French Council of State has just confirmed its closure of the right-wing TV channel C8, setting a dangerous precedent of state censorship in the media. Protests are growing from public figures who are concerned about the increasing and institutionalised restrictions on freedom of expression... The president of the sovereignist movement Les Patriotes, Florian Philippot, made a link between this decision and the remarks of the American vice-president JD Vance on freedom of expression, which has been widely commented on and condemned in the French mainstream press. “Apart from that, the System tells us that JD Vance is talking nonsense about censorship and the collapse of freedom of expression!,” he noted ironically in a post on X."
Meme - Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan: "Hey @JDVance , I know you’re busy lecturing the Europeans on free speech, but have you seen this?"
Marc Caputo @MarcACaputo: "President Trump's decision to limit AP reporters' access is as much fight over the Gulf of America as it is a protest of what White House advisers say is years of liberal word choices that AP's influential stylebook has spread across mainstream media"
JD Vance @JDVance: "Yes dummy. I think there’s a difference between not giving a reporter a seat in the WH press briefing room and jailing people for dissenting views. The latter is a threat to free speech, the former is not. Hope that helps!"
Concerned Citizen on X - "Keir Starmer to JD Vance:- “I’m proud of the Free Speech we have in The UK”
Also the UK:- “I’ve got two Policemen at my house interrogating me over a conversation on Facebook”
“Malicious communications is something posted on an open forum that is deemed to be offensive”
“I need to interview you, over an allegation of something you put on Facebook - it’s a racist matter & malicious communications”"
Lois McLatchie Miller on X - "🚨🙏NEW: When asked if PRAYING BY WINDOW in your home could be a crime under the “buffer zones” law, Gillian Mackay MSP claims: “That depends on who’s passing the window”‼️🪟 The same politician has repeatedly claimed that JD Vance was LYING 👇"
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce on X - "So can we all accept the truth of what JD Vance was saying now? If, like the prophet Daniel from the Bible, you like to pray near the window, you could fall foul of buffer zones in Scotland."
ripx4nutmeg on X - "BBC News interviewed the home secretary about immigration. And, for some reason, a transvestite"
The BBC’s institutional arrogance is going to destroy it - "The BBC increasingly appears to be enduring a slow-motion collapse under the weight of market forces and its own hubris. It’s been another rough week for the Corporation, in particular being forced to apologise for broadcasting a documentary from Gaza starring the young son of a senior member of Hamas. When you add recurring accusations of bias to its irresistible urge to preach – rather than entertain or inform, as it should – plus a succession of avoidable scandals, sometimes it almost feels like the BBC actually wants you to hate it... The day after the BBC’s apology on Wednesday, the world witnessed the grotesque carnival of Hamas parading dead hostages in black coffins. A BBC breaking news bulletin reported this with a headline “Hamas says it did ‘everything in its power’ to keep the hostages alive”. Everything, that is, except kidnapping them in the first place. That was supported by three Hamas statements “as context”. The BBC is an organisation whose obsession with “balance” has mutated from the admittedly tricky position of trying to pander to no one to barely disguised legitimisation of Iranian-backed terrorists. The documentary has since been removed from BBC iPlayer. But whatever the reason for the decision to broadcast Hamas propaganda – negligence or something more underhand – it reinforces all the worst suspicions about what is going on behind the scenes. What defines the BBC is a culture of exceptionalism. The establishment of BBC Verify, for example, continues to confound rational thought. How can the BBC justify the expense of a 60-strong team of apparently investigative journalists whose jobs appear to be either stating the bloody obvious or reporting stories that regular BBC staff should be working on anyway? This week, BBC Verify analysed Donald Trump’s claim that Volodymyr Zelensky was an unelected dictator. Thanks for all the searing insight. It’s about as useful as last year’s calendar. All this in the same week it was revealed Doctor Who was in trouble, with the last series’ ratings being the lowest since the data was first published in 2014. Amid accusations from Whovians that storylines have become increasingly gimmicky, it’s reported the incumbent Ncuti Gatwa is rumoured to be on the verge of quitting. Although Doctor Who has always been for children, it hasn’t always been childish and preachy. BBC outriders were quickly dispatched in its defence, along the lines of: “It’s the viewers on iPlayer that matter”, “It’s the under-35 audience we care about”, “Doctor Who has always been progressive”, reactions that showcase the paranoia of an institution in a permanent state of wagon-circling. Doctor Who is the flagship of flagships. It promotes – and reflects – the values of the BBC at any given time. I don’t much care if it does the Wokey Cokey – the show has featured trans rights, “correct” pronouns and non-binary identity, while targeting anti-abortion campaigners and tackling ablest stereotypes by getting Dalek dictator Davros out of his “wheelchair”. But bludgeoning the audience with agendas is profoundly boring. It insults our intelligence and viewers will vote with their zappers. The BBC could do with appeasing those who actually pay the licence fee, rather than chasing those who never will. Gen Z has little to no emotional or material investment in it. The lack of a commercial imperative in the BBC – so beneficial in the days of terrestrial broadcasting – has helped create an unwieldy, semi-religious institution ill-equipped for its current challenges. It is beholden to groupthink and orthodoxy on issues that do not match the evolving heterodoxy of the public, provoking persistent complaints about its portrayal of British history in its programming or colourblind casting of dramas purporting to be historically accurate. In these cases it isn’t the casting itself that offends, but the intention behind it. You feel like you are being bashed over the head. The BBC allowed Gary Lineker to effectively write his own code of conduct. The Proms are dumbed down every summer. There’s almost no arts coverage on its television channels at all. Radio 2 can’t seem to get anything right. Last month it was accused of misrepresenting London-based production staff working on The Traitors as Scottish to meet its diversity quotas... the BBC’s insularity meant it could not police the conduct of its worst employees. The scandals it so cowardly failed to confront in-house are a litany of hubristic oversights: Jimmy Savile, Stuart Hall, Rolf Harris and Huw Edwards being the very worst of a bad bunch that seems to grow by the year. The cumulative effect for audiences is alienation and disloyalty. In some sense this is a tale as old as time. In 2016, the Commons select committee concluded that BBC internal culture was “bureaucratic, arrogant and introspective”... Sadly, it looks as if the challenge from streaming services and digital media is insurmountable, ever diminishing the public’s trust with young progressives increasingly seeing the BBC as too conservative and conservatives seeing it as too progressive. The BBC is in a no-win situation, like a team lining up to face New Zealand’s All Blacks: if you mock the Haka, they accuse you of disrespect. If you ignore the Haka, they accuse you of disrespect. If you confront the Haka, they accuse you of disrespect. There seems no way out. Even so, so many of the BBC’s long-term problems are of its own making"
Japanese researchers test drug to regrow teeth - "Unlike reptiles and fish, which usually replace their fangs on a regular basis, it is widely accepted that humans and most other mammals grow only two sets of teeth. But hidden underneath people’s gums are the dormant buds of a third generation, according to Dr Katsu Takahashi, head of oral surgery at the Medical Research Institute Kitano Hospital in Osaka. His team launched clinical trials at Kyoto University Hospital in October, administering an experimental medicine to adult test subjects that they noted has the potential to jump-start the growth of these concealed teeth."
Meme - "What's Better than a Loyal Woman? A Loyal Woman who Brings You New Women !"
Meme - "People that live in a touristy town that solely exists because of the revenue generated from tourism when they see a tourist in their town:"
Meme - "WARNING! All Facebook accounts are being hacked and cloned. To avoid this you must stand naked on your kitchen table, singing "I Will Survive", while doing the Macarena. Only then will Mark Zuckerberg travel down your chimney on a golden unicorn and present you with a special blue token to protect your account. Now send this to everyone on your contacts list, otherwise goblins will wee in your fridge."
Swedish man dies in South Korea after being denied urgent treatment at 21 hospitals - "A Swedish national suffering from necrosis died in South Korea due to sepsis after being denied urgent medical treatment by 21 hospitals. The individual, 64, suffered from a severe case of necrosis that required immediate medical intervention when he was handed over to South Korean police by the Embassy of Sweden in Seoul in December, according to reports in local media. In an exclusive interview with the Korean newspaper Hankook Ilbo, Aron Park, the police lieutenant who cared for the Swedish man, said it took rejections by 21 hospitals in the country’s capital to find one willing to perform the surgery. Hospitals were reportedly reluctant to treat the individual due to his foreign nationality, the high cost of surgery, and concerns over reimbursement for his medical care. The newspaper also says the man’s sister, who lives in Sweden, declined to cover the expense. Eventually, Hyuksin Seongmo Hospital in North Chungcheong Province, 86 km away from Seoul, agreed to perform the surgery seven days after Park began calling hospitals. The hospital’s foundation covered the remaining costs of an approximate total of €10,000 for the surgery after the Swedish Embassy contributed €5,340. Park, who helped the Swedish national using a translation app, expressed gratitude to the hospital that "did not turn away from the socially disadvantaged". The hospital also stated that its decision was influenced by its commitment to helping vulnerable individuals during the holiday season... The Swedish national entered South Korea in April 2024 on a visa-free tourist status but was later indicted for drug possession and placed under a travel ban. In his first trial, he was acquitted due to evidence suggesting that his involvement in the crime was unintentional and linked to mental illness. However, his case was under appeal at the time of his death."
Time to bash the US healthcare system again
'Hell Joseon' blues: young Koreans flee for a better life - ""Hell Joseon," a term used to describe Korea, has become a potent expression of the country's deep-seated inequalities and structural problems. The younger generation, in particular, feels a profound sense of disillusionment and despair about the future. This sentiment is starkly reflected in the nation's low birthrate. The challenging social environment — where it is almost inconceivable to consider having and raising children — leads young people to lose hope for their future, threatening the very foundation of the nation’s survival. A film that vividly portrays this reality is "Because I hate Korea.” The movie follows Gyena, a young woman who decides to leave Korea for New Zealand in search of a better life, away from the harsh realities she faces at home. Gyena comes to see life in Korea as a source of despair rather than hope, feeling that it stifles her identity and happiness. Her decision is emblematic of a broader trend among young Koreans who are looking abroad for opportunities and a more promising future, reflecting the deep-rooted structural issues within Korean society... The "hateful" issues in Korean society are diverse and complex. One major problem is the rigidity of the labor market. Decent jobs are highly sought after but scarce, leading to intense competition. The pressure to accumulate qualifications and the excessive focus on academic credentials place immense stress on young people. Even after graduating from university, those who do not secure a regular job may be relegated to temporary or part-time work, which further undermines their quality of life. Consequently, it becomes challenging to achieve job security or to make long-term plans. Additionally, the culture of hyper-competition erodes trust and solidarity among people. In a society where individuals are viewed as rivals rather than partners, and where exclusion and competition take precedence over cooperation, human relationships inevitably suffer. The younger generation, having been raised in this environment, often come to see each other as adversaries. This mindset fosters a vicious cycle of mistrust and anxiety, becoming pervasive throughout society. An even more pressing issue is the pervasive culture that equates money with everything. In a society where higher-paying jobs are valued over meaningful work, material success is often seen as the sole goal in life. This focus on economic achievement over human dignity contributes to widespread moral decay. As a result, young people are left with a profound sense of disillusionment, struggling to understand their true life goals amid a culture that prioritizes financial gain above all else."
South Korean man convicted for deliberately gaining weight to evade military service - "A South Korean man has been sentenced to a suspended prison term for deliberately gaining more than 20 kilograms (44 pounds) to evade a tougher role in the country’s military conscription system... The Seoul Eastern District Court said it sentenced the man to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for violating the country’s military service act. The court said an acquaintance of the man received a suspended 1-year prison term for aiding his crime... Each year, about 50-60 cases of dodging military duties have been reported, according to the Military Manpower Administration. It said common ways to evade military duties include gaining or losing weight excessively or men with health issues not taking necessary medical treatments before physical tests."
Meme - "To Do List:
1. Avenge the fam -
2. Mutha. Fuckin. HOE TIME
Chun Li in Street Fighter: "FINALLY, YOU CAN REST IN PEACE... AND I CAN GET BACK TO BEING A YOUNG, SINGLE GIRL."
Meme - Muslim Man: "The hijab is a choice, habibti. We are not an oppressive religion"
Muslim Woman: "I'll take mine off, then."
Muslim Man slapping Muslim Woman: "Don't you dare, bitch!"
Meme - "At no point could I anticipate what word was going to be next in this headline"
NME @NME: "Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sent beard shavings to Azealia Banks so she could make an amulet to protect him from ISIS"
KinMun Theodore Lee | Facebook - "Based on the flyers I receive, that one HDB flat in my block in November 2024 was sold by at least ten different property agents. Wah so talented, these agents."
🇺🇸 𝙷𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚖𝚊𝚗 🇺🇸 on X - "There's an Italian restaurant in Rome, NY that plays Frank Sinatra very loudly on the street from 9am to 11pm every single day. I once asked the owner why. He said: "Sinatra is like poison to n____'s and junkies. They can't handle it. Keeps them off my block." It felt like I'd taken a time machine to an ethnic America that no longer exists. He made his comment openly, and the other patrons all chuckled. And it is especially eerie because the street is almost always completely dead and empty. You'll walk down the lifeless, rainy street, going by the boarded-up storefronts -- hearing "Fly Me to the Moon" blaring over a crackly set of outdoor speakers. The neon sign at the restaurant flickers. It's apocalyptic. And invariably -- Rome's various "street people" are nowhere to be seen. The Fastrac gas station across the street (a former haunt for drug dealers and fiends) even closed down shortly after he started playing the music."
Meme - "it's like u knew exactly what to do. That tongue. Ur dick. I couldn't stop my legs from shaking. No one has ever made me cum before I didn't think I could. And my body count is 15+"
"Never? Not even with toys"
"NEVER. You had me shook. Shame I'm leaving foco"
"Can I screenshot this and put it on my tinder"
"YES. They need to know. Because you low-key ugly. But fuck soooo good"
"I'm weak"
Jada Pinkett Smith’s Grandma Taught Her About ‘Self-Pleasuring’ - "“My grandmother taught me about self-pleasuring because she wanted me to know that that pleasure was from me,” Pinkett Smith, 46, recalled to her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Jones, and daughter, Willow Smith . “She didn’t want me to fall into the hands of a man — and if he gave me pleasure, to think that that was him. And she taught me at 9!”"
🏴🌲 on X - "The idea that the British have no "culture" is because the entire world is our culture, like a fish in water you don't realise you are surrounded by it, so it doesn't stand out as others do: The entire world wears our national dress (the suit), the entire world uses our inventions, in fact you're reading this due to them right now (the internet, touchscreen, the telephone, the battery in your phone), British culture is creation, British culture is conquering those that are less developed and bringing them to our standard, for the betterment of the Earth, it is therefore superior to all."
Meme - Iamyesyouareno: "The Japanese have had enough of "tourists" disrespecting their culture so they're putting out these flyers. Impressive, very based."
"*No black man breakdancing* "NO CIRCUS PERFORMANCE HERE"
*monkeys making noise in train, disturbing fox* "Please care about people around you"
Carl's Jr. brings back bikini model ads - "In 2017, Carl's Jr. announced that they would no longer feature scantily clad models in its advertisements, instead focusing on food quality and an all-American image"
To anyone wondering if it's worth it to tear down fascist posters or whatever. I spent a few months last year engaged in silent... – @crowvaarts on Tumblr - "To anyone wondering if it's worth it to tear down fascist posters or whatever. I spent a few months last year engaged in silent battle with another student at my school who was putting anti trans stickers up everywhere. I had it down to a system where every night I would walk the five block radius they went up in, and tear down all the ones I could reach, and use a stick to put duct tape over the others. Like, within hours of the stickers going up, I would have already purged the whole zone. I knew the basic schedule of whoever put them up based on when and where the stickers appeared. I probably could have found them in person if I'd wanted to. And I told all my classmates and friends what the stickers looked like and got them to rip them down too. And after a few months of this, the stickers slowed, and then stopped forever. My point is, a lot of this fashy or right wing stuff is one local weirdo. And if you pay attention, and do a little light organizing with your friends, you can basically make their efforts into a giant sisyphisean exercise in misery. You control your streets!"
"Remember: It costs money to keep printing those stickers, but ripping them down is free."
Of course, if you tear down a left wing poster, it's a hate crime
Kirk Lubimov on X - "Unreal... Canadian tax payers have spent almost $14M to try and teach Muslims in Bangladesh not to marry kids. Didn't seem to have worked out..."
Time to "tax the rich" to pay for left wing social engineering
Meme - Authoritarian Left: "READS PROPAGANDA"
Authoritarian Right: "READS HISTORY"
Libertarian Left: "READS HARRY POTTER"
Libertarian Right: "READS THEORY"
Pregnant woman stabbed 14 times by pizza delivery driver over $2 tip: Police - "Osceola County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the Riviera Motel in Kissimmee, Florida, over reports of a home invasion and stabbing on Dec. 22, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by ABC News. Arriving deputies located a victim, Melinda Irizarry, who was stabbed multiple times and was then transported to an area hospital... Authorities identified 22-year-old Brianna Alvelo as the delivery driver and suspect in the case, according to the affidavit."
Meme - "China pretending separate languages are dialects"
"The Balkans pretending dialects are separate languages"
Breast Milk Enjoyer 🥛 on X - "The dishwasher was a civilisation-ending innovation in Korea A culinary tradition using dozens of bowls - ensuring women were occupied all day cleaning - prevented feminist mental illness from taking root"
Meme - Tre Gee: "If you need #ChildSupport to pay your bills!!! You don't need custody"
Jay Willy: "I love paying my child support! Where else can I find a full time sitter with everything included for $400 a month while I'm out smashing everything getting spoiled and treated like a king! She can have $13 a day to get lost"
China Tourist Vows To Never Visit M'sia Again, Says It Has Few Chinese Signboards And Weird English Accent - "she attempted to get a refund but found no Mandarin-speaking staff to assist her. Frustrated by what she felt was poor service, she reported the incident to the police, only to be told that it was not a matter they could address."
Emily Schrader - אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر on X - "Can’t make this up — antisemitic homophobic YouTuber from Egypt Ahmad Elbadawy, with one million subscribers, visited Israel a few years ago and made an entire video about how evil and dirty Israel is because there are pride flags everywhere and they support gay people. He called Tel Aviv the capital of “decadence and homosexuality” and even spoke about how it’s important to be in Israel (what he called Palestine) as an Arab because Arabs are going to take it over… (lol okay). Fast forward to today. He visits Yemen and promptly gets arrested by the Houthis and deported back to Egypt because they saw a picture of him with the rainbow flag (in Tel Aviv) and thought he was promoting homosexuality. 😂 😂 😂 "
Meme - Auron MacIntyre @AuronMacintyre: "You have the same political beliefs as BlackRock and Citibank"
Tom Morello @tmorello: "25 years ago today."
"Rage Against The Machine. The Battle of Los Angeles"