Links - 1st January 2020 (1)

This suburb's been called mini-Shanghai. But there's more to the story - "Walking along the main strip of Box Hill in Melbourne's east, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were on a street in suburban Shanghai.Shops are plastered in Chinese writing, restaurant after restaurant serves up all manner of Asian food, real estate agents speak Mandarin and Cantonese and even your banking can be done without speaking English."Box Hill looks and feels like a residential area in Nanjing or Shanghai," said Kuan Yan, 77, who moved to Australia from China in 2003 and now lives in Box Hill North. It's for this reason areas like Box Hill, or Hurstville near Sydney and Sunnybank near Brisbane, have come in for some criticism."Spot the Aussie" was said to be the title of one now-banned social media page complaining about the population of Box Hill... There is overwhelming agreement that multiculturalism makes Australia a better place to live, but when it comes to how immigrants are fitting into society, people are more divided.The ABC's Australia Talks National Survey found Australians are split on whether immigrants try hard enough to fit in.While 50 per cent of people say immigrants do try hard, one in three think they are not doing enough."

New Australians feel abandoned as they battle social isolation, struggle to find employment - "Anas Barbaree was a qualified pharmacist working overseas, but has never been able to work in Australia in his chosen field. He's not alone, with refugees and migrants facing significant barriers to skilled employment.Social isolation among new Australians is so severe that some are asking how to return to refugee camps, and some live without necessities like power... "Finding a job is hard here because it depends on your Australian experience, which of course you don't have."The Australia Talks National Survey revealed 68 per cent of recent migrants are unhappy with their jobs, compared with 38 per cent of more settled migrants and 41 per cent of people born in Australia... "I think Australians are fairly ethnocentric, so we often think if you haven't had your work experience here in Australia then it's not really valid work experience so that's a real barrier."

There's one big problem with Australia's skilled migration program: many employers don't want new migrants - "About 15% reported being unemployed at the time of the survey or for most of their time in Australia – double the South Australian jobless rate. This was despite having skills deemed by government planners to be in short supply... Our research, a joint project by the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies and the Hugo Centre for Migration and Population Research, focused on the experience of migrants nominated for a visa by the South Australian government.Between 2010 and 2014, some 7,500 migrants came to South Australia on such visas. Our survey collected information about the employment experiences on more than 2,000 of them (culled down for various reasons). We did in-depth interviews with 20 participants.In our survey sample nearly 70% had professional qualifications. This compares to just 20% of the general South Australian population. There was also a high rate of technical and trades skills.Despite this, success in getting a job matching their qualifications was mixed. The unemployment rate, as noted, was twice the state average. A further 15% reported being underemployed, working fewer hours than they would have liked.For those who found a job, 44% reported not being in the occupation in which they had experience, and 54% said they were in a role that did not fully utilise their qualifications. In the interviews we did, many expressed frustration and disappointment about how things had turned out. Given the expense and ordeal of obtaining a GSM visa and then moving to Australia, many had expected the visa would lead automatically to a job.There was also a widely held view that Australian employers discriminated against hiring anyone who didn’t have have local experience. Migrants thus found themselves in a classic Catch-22 situation – they couldn’t get local experience because they didn’t have local experience."

Tim Pool on Twitter - "The left is in a bubble"
"How much of the news you read or watch comes from news organizations that are generally ___ in their point of view? Percent 'Most/All'
White Liberal: 65% Liberal, 3% Conservative. White Moderate: 30% Liberal, 16% Conservative. White Conservative: 52% Conservative, 28% Liberal
Gallup/Knight Foundation Survey 2017"

Puckish Thoughts - "THERE IT IS AGAIN!  THERE IT FUCKING IS!  i’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS PHOTO FOR YEARS AND NEVER COULD FIND IT!!  THE LAN PARTY WITH THE GUY DUCT-TAPED TO THE CEILING!!  BACK IN ANCIENT TIMES WHEN PEOPLE STILL USED CATHODE MONITORS AND WHEN COUNTERSTRIKE WAS THE NEW THING.  THIS SHIT IS REAL.  THIS IS REAL SHIT.  SHIT THAT HAPPENED."

Amazon.com: My Wife Is Psychotic T Shirt | My Wife Is Hot Illusion Funny: Clothing

MAKE WOMEN WOMEN AGAIN - Posts - "I'm going to raise my son to know how to treat a woman" *Wild applause*
"I'm going to raise my daughter to know how to treat a man" *You woman hating sexist! You are against women having rights!!!!!!"

Man and woman under investigation for wearing anti-death penalty t-shirts at Yellow Ribbon Prison Run - "A 38-year-old Singaporean man and a 30-year-old Singaporean woman are being investigated by the police after they wore t-shirts bearing a message against the death penalty during the recent Yellow Ribbon Prison Run (YRPR).In a statement on Tuesday (17 September), the police said they are investigating the duo for offences under the Public Order Act. A person who takes part in a public assembly or procession without a police permit may face a fine of up to $3,000 for a first offence upon conviction."
In Singapore, you can't even wear a T-shirt with a message

Florida company offering 'alien abduction insurance' has sold nearly 6,000 policies - "The St. Lawrence Agency, also known as the "UFO Abduction Insurance Company," offers a very specific type of policy: For just $19.95, you can protect yourself against extraterrestrial encounters.The insurance plan, which includes $10 million in coverage, was invented by Mike St. Lawrence, who describes himself as being in the "humor business"... The policy offers plenty of absurd benefits for any would-be abductees, including psychiatric care, "sarcasm coverage" and "double identity coverage." For just $5 more, customers can also get a paper certificate as evidence of their purchase. Policyholders should read the fine print before they buy, though. In the event of an abduction, the plan's $10 million coverage pays out at a rate of $1 per year for 10 million years.St. Lawrence told WFLA he's only paid out two policies since launching his business, one of which involved a customer who submitted polaroid photos of what they claimed were aliens. Strangely enough, The St. Lawrence Agency isn't the only company that offers abduction insurance.A 2000 article in The Daily Telegraph reported on Grip, a British company that claimed to have sold more than 37,000 alien-based policies. Another English broker called Goodfellow Rebecca Ingram Pearson also briefly offered abduction insurance in the 1990s, but later discontinued its plans after the UFO religious cult Heaven's Gate purchased a number of policies for its members."

Row erupts in San Sebastián after restaurants caught charging tourists more than locals - "The pintxo bars in the Old Town of San Sebastián have been caught overcharging foreigners in an undercover exposé by a local newspaper.In an article published on October 21 in El Diario Vasco, reporter Estrella Vallejo outlines an undercover operation in which she compares the cost of a night of pintxos (Basque tapas) for two locals and two foreigners.In the experiment, conducted twice in one month at seven of the Old Town’s more than 200 establishments, the “tourists” were charged €47.80 in total, while the two locals, who ordered in the local Basque language, paid €39.70 – for the exact same dishes and drinks."
This is much less than in the third world though

Outrage as cafe in Venice charges £38 for water and two coffees - "The steep bill was a result of the surcharge the famed eaterie collects from customers seated outside in what is regarded as the sunniest corner of the piazza, opposite the extravagant façade of St Mark’s Basilica, where they can listen to the orchestras that play there.  A spokesman for Lavena pointed out that this extra fee is stated on the menu, and that a coffee at the bar inside costs just €1.25 (£1.12)... Others, however, have defended the cafe's policy on the review site - on which Lavena has an overall rating of three-and-a-half stars out of five - one arguing: "Lavena had great musicians, and waitstaff and drinks and desserts. People who complain about the price don't get it - you are paying for the seat - you can get a cappuccino and sit all day or all night if you want."Laverna has long been batting off complaints regarding its high-priced outside seating.In 2013, after a group of customers took to Facebook with their (€95) £85 bill for four espresso coffees laced with liqueurs, prompting a similar furore, the café's then-manager Massimo Milanese, told The Telegraph: “The prices are there for everyone to see, there really is no doubt. "It is for customers to decide whether they want to have a coffee standing up at the bar, or to sit down in the piazza"... Telegraph Travel's destination expert Anne Hanley writes of another famous St Mark's Square restaurant, Caffe Florian: "These days, many choose to sit outside in the square but be aware: table service (already steep) carries a per-person 'music surcharge' when the band is playing. Head to the bar area at the back, with velvet stools and no table surcharge, for a ringside view of the barmens’ Bellini-mixing skills.""

Britain 'became happier' after Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister - "Britain began to get happier after Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister, scientists have found.A new project which computer-analysed vast numbers of books and newspaper articles over 200 years reveals Britain’s low-point was the so-called “Winter of Discontent” in 1978/9.The UK’s first female prime minister came to power in May 1979, quoting St Francis of Assisi -  “Where there is hatred, let me sow love” - on her way into 10 Downing Street.Although the early years of Thatcher’s premiership are often characterised as a time of rancorous division, the new “national happiness” data reveals the mood of the country improved... Britain’s happiest period was in the 1880s, at the height of its imperial power.The Twentieth century was generally less happy, with the Winter of Discontent scoring even lower in the National Valence Index than the darkest days of the Second World War.Professor Daniel Sgroi, from Warwick, said: 'Aspirations seem to matter a lot: after the end of rationing in the 1950s national happiness was very high as were expectations for the future, but unfortunately things did not pan out as people might have hoped and national happiness fell for many years until the low-point of the Winter of Discontent.'"

Anti-inflammatory agents can effectively and safely curb major depressive symptoms - "Anti-inflammatory agents, such as aspirin/paracetamol, statins, and antibiotics, can safely and effectively curb the symptoms of major depression... the effects are even stronger when these agents are added on to standard antidepressant treatment... An emerging body of evidence suggests that inflammation contributes to the development of major depression, but the results of clinical trials using various anti-inflammatory agents to treat the condition have proved inconclusive."

Antifa activist charged with felony hate crime for anti-Semitic attacks - "An antifa militant with a history of violence and threatening behaviour across the Pacific Northwest has been arrested on a felony hate crime charge in Seattle for alleged anti-Semitic attacks.Jamal Oscar Williams, 44, is accused by state prosecutors in Washington state of hate crimes and criminal harassment against Schmuel Levitin, a rabbi, and Ephriam Block. According to court documents, Williams “maliciously and intentionally” followed, threatened to kill and assaulted the men in multiple attacks in October because of their perceived religion... Jamal Williams is known in the Pacific Northwest for his involvement in various antifa protests and his outspoken views on black nationalism"
Since he was "punching up", liberals should think this was a good thing. Of course if a "conservative" had done it, it'd be vile anti-Semitism

Dr Charlotte Lydia Riley on Twitter - "When starting a lecture:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
- boring
- gendered
- eww, class hierarchy
My pretties:
- gender neutral
- makes audience feel pretty
- makes you sound like witch"
Sexual harassment is good when it advances gender neutrality

Does apologizing work? An empirical test of the conventional wisdom - "Public figures often apologize after making controversial statements. There are reasons to believe, however, that apologizing makes public figures appear weak and risk averse, which may make them less likeable and lead members of the public to want to punish them. This paper presents the results of an experiment in which respondents were given two versions of two real-life controversies involving public figures. Approximately half of the participants read a story that made it appear as if the person had apologized, while the rest were led to believe that the individual had stood firm. In the first experiment, hearing that Rand Paul apologized for his comments on civil rights did not change whether respondents were less likely to vote for him. When presented with two versions of the controversy surrounding Larry Summers and his comments about women scientists and engineers, however, liberals and females were more likely to say that he should have faced negative consequences for his statement when presented with his apology. The effects on other groups were smaller or neutral. The evidence suggests that when a prominent figure apologizes for a controversial statement, individuals are either unaffected or become more likely to desire that the individual be punished."
Moral of the story - there's no point apologising since at best it doesn't change anything, and to liberals it just makes them hate you even more