Meme - "Look at Me. I'm your boyfriend now." *Rabbit vibrator with two fingers up gesture*
wretchardthecat on X - "What has changed is that in the past you could always count on the left to keep up the pressure until their foes got tired and became 'reasonable'. Now, through some self sustaining chain reaction the right can stay angry indefinitely. This has not happened before."
Steven Pinker on X - "Bombshell: Oliver Sacks (a humane man & a fine essayist) made up many of the details in his famous case studies, deluding neuroscientists, psychologists, & general readers for decades. The man who mistook his wife for a hat? The autistic twins who generated multi-digit prime numbers? The institutionalized, paralyzed man who tapped out allusions to Rilke? Made up to embellish the stories. Probably also: the aphasic patients who detected lies better than neurologically intact people, including Ronald Reagan's insincerity."
Jeff Bograd on X - "Sacks, Gino, Arieli, Covid lockdowns except for BLM protests... Is it any wonder that trust in "experts" has cratered?"
Greg Lukianoff on X - "Let's not forget the Stanford prison experiment and the Kitty Genovese story. Or that Marx's historical research was essentially bull. And Foucault's history on which he based many of his assumptions was bad, and so much more that has been canceled or cajoled, and we are standing on a mountain weak, or even fabricated, assumptions."
Ilhan Omar’s Somalia stance draws scrutiny as Minnesota fraud scandal grows - "Rep. Ilhan Omar’s defense of Somalia’s territorial claims and her opposition to the recognition of an independent Somaliland has been criticized as authorities ramp up investigations into alleged mass fraud in her home state. One analyst argued the corruption scandal allegedly involving Somali communities in Minnesota is relevant when contrasting failures in Somalia and the stability of Somaliland, an autonomous region that Omar has opposed recognizing. Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, claimed highlighting the difference between the two regions "mattered." "The corruption exposed in Minnesota mirrors the governance failures that have plagued Somalia for decades"... "Somaliland has charted a different course entirely, relying on internal accountability rather than international assistance and that distinction matters right now," he said... Omar’s broader worldview on Somalia also raises questions about her goals. "Ilhan Omar left Somalia, but Somalia never left her," Rubin said. "In her Somali-language speeches, she refers to Somalia as her home, not America and so it is clear she appears to seek to advance Somalia’s interests on the global stage." He claimed Omar’s opposition to recognizing Somaliland is driven by internal Somali politics rather than U.S. strategic interests. "Clan dynamics shape Somali politics, and that same lens appears to inform her position on Somaliland," Rubin said, arguing that Omar has opposed policies that would legitimize the breakaway region. "American interests don’t appear to factor prominently into that calculation," he added. Meanwhile, Somaliland continues to attract growing international attention. After more than three decades of de facto independence, the self-governing territory has maintained internal security, built democratic institutions, and followed closer diplomatic engagement with Israel. Somaliland has signaled interest in joining the Abraham Accords, positioning itself as a potential partner for U.S. and Israeli interests in the Horn of Africa... "The more people learn about Somaliland’s record, the more they will question why the U.S. continues to send billions to Somalia’s internationally recognized government while overlooking a more reliable partner"... "The case for Somaliland does align with Trump’s broader foreign policy approach," Rubin said. "It is business-friendly, security-focused, and takes responsibility for its own territory. It wants partnerships, not perpetual aid. By any reasonable metric, recognizing Somaliland makes sense.""
Favour Ayorinde on X - "Did the IMF threaten to cut off funding from Botswana if it acquired a majority stake in De Beers? Lmao, no, of course not. The entire tweet and video are blatant misinformation. What's actually happening then? Well, De Beers is up for sale. That's, first of all, a red flag: who sells a profitable mining extraction business? But anyway, Botswana is looking to use this opportunity to expand its stake from 15% to a majority stake. i.e at least 35% additional stake. This purchase is going to cost Botswana roughly $2B dollars. Botswana is currently running a deficit, the economy shrank last year, and the total foreign reserves have dropped to about $3B dollars. So yeah, they're going to have to borrow the money to buy this. Likely the entire sum. Given their economic fundamentals, they'll be lucky if they get away with 8% interest rate. So that means they'll be paying $160m annual in interest at least if this deal happens. Does 50% of De Beers make at least $160m? No. De Beers is struggling. Their annual profits are between weak and negative. So, in exchange for acquiring a majority stake in De Beers by tying up billions of borrowed money, the government can expect annual losses as a reward. The IMF pretty much implies this in their report. Meanwhile, here's a list of things that Botswana could do with a $2B loan instead:
1. Invest in local power generation, be it gas, coal, solar, nuclear, and reduce import dependence on imports from South Africa
2. Invest in the growing tourism sector
3. Invest in becoming a financial/services center
4. Invest in light manufacturing(goes well with 1.)
5. Invest in Education and human capital development
Then, they could just wait for De Beers to continue declining for another 10 - 20 years while the rest of the economy expands around it, and then pick up the entire company at distressed prices from Anglo for peanuts.
OR, they could just do like every other SSA country and pick the immediate gratification option:
Borrow 1.5 to 2 billion dollars, buy a failing business and get saddled with losses, lose creditworthiness in the international market, enter a commodity slump that tanks the economy, and go begging to the IMF, which will gleefully make them sell all that stake ANYWAY. And then they can whine about how the IMF hates them and wants them to suffer for the next 50 years."
Rolf Degen on X - "People with dark personality traits have a bleak view of the world, perceiving it as devoid of meaning, beauty and interest. Aversive (“dark”) personality traits are traditionally studied as predictors of harmful or manipulative behavior, yet their underlying cognitive-affective structures remain underexplored. This research investigates whether the Dark Core of personality (D)—the common aversive essence of all dark traits—is associated with primal world beliefs, which are deep-seated assumptions about the nature of the world. In sum, D was negatively associated with the beliefs that the world is safe and enticing, indicating that high-D individuals tend to perceive the world as uncooperative, unjust, unpleasurable, uninteresting, meaningless, and lacking beauty. The belief that most experiences and interactions in life are meaningless specifically introduces an all-encompassing bleakness Whereas it was anticipated and is not particularly surprising given prior findings that individuals high in D view the world as dangerous, competitive, or uncooperative, […] individuals high in D not only view the world as dangerous, competitive, and uncooperative, but also as less pleasurable, less stable, less regenerative, and less meaningful—extending well beyond prior findings. Primals such as Interesting and Meaningful seem to reflect a kind of meta-justificatory framework, in which anti-social actions appear legitimate not because others do the same, but due to an all-encompassing pointlessness. Indeed, what is the point in upholding any (injunctive) social norms if human interactions are generally meaningless or pointless?"
Jason James on X - "Chrystia Freeland is on the Board of Trustees at the World Economic Forum. Mark Carney was a member of the World Economic Forum's governance board until January 2025. Chrystia Freeland was Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and Finance Minister under Justin Trudeau. Mark Carney is currently Canada's Prime Minister. Chrystia Freeland stepped aside in the Liberal leadership race to make way for Mark Carney. Mark Carney is godfather to Chrystia Freeland's son. Mark Carney was (is) Chair of Brookfield Asset Management. Mark Wiseman is a BlackRock executive, advisor to Mark Carney and the new Canadian Ambassador to the United States. BlackRock is invested in both defense and rebuild contracts in Ukraine. Brookfield Asset Management is invested in Ukrainian energy infrastructure. BlackRock owns part of Brookfield. Chrystia Freeland is now economic advisor to Volodymyr Zelenskyy. See how it works now?"
Meme - "That sex in Brokeback Mountain disturbs me."
"Isn't that a little homophobic?"
"Raw-dogging, no PrEP, after eating beans? I think not."
Wilfred Reilly on X - "The old toaster-(lover) problem from Economics really does sum up almost every online pattern, from silly stuff like being "auragender" to major male/female relationship trends like "He Don't Deserve All That." Social media allows highly atypical groups - white supremacists, hoteps, bitter recent divorcees - to gather in millions, hector everyone else, and...most importantly...appear normal."
Aka "i want to fuck a toaster"
Tourist swept away by Arctic river current while taking part in 'ice floating' health treatment on 'bucket list' holiday - "The 57-year-old tourist was carried away by a strong current during a group session floating on the Tuloma River, in Russia’s extreme north. The unnamed Belarusian woman went missing last week near the Arctic town of Kola on what was her dream New Year holiday. Since then, search teams have been battled thick fog, bone-cracking -30C frost and near-total darkness during the region’s polar night to look for her. After rescuers searched out at sea and across the river without any luck, the tourist was assumed dead. It’s thought she could not have survived longer than a few hours floating in the intense cold. Locals claimed the river section used for the tourist sessions can be treacherous as a result of tide patterns and strong underwater currents. The timing of the 57-year-old’s floating expedition may have coincided with low tide, when water movement can intensify dangerously. Ice floating is a tourist activity marketed across the Arctic as a safe way to experience the near-frozen sea without actually swimming. Participants wear bulky insulated flotation suits, designed to keep the body warm in icy water. The suits ensure buoyancy, letting participants float on their backs, to enjoy the ocean without freezing to death. Promos claim it is “almost impossible to drown” while ice-floating. Organisers advertise the chance to “swim with seals, if you’re lucky” promising an unforgettable adventure with professional guides, photographs and hot tea afterwards. Because the suits are stiff and movement is difficult, ice-floaters are usually tethered or supervised closely in a controlled section of water, especially in rivers where currents can change quickly... A similar incident reportedly took place on Boxing Day, when Indian and Chinese tourists were swept away during an ice-floating session – they were later rescued “by chance” when a boat happened to be nearby. Russia’s Investigative Committee announced that the organiser had been charged, after investigators said the equipment used did not meet safety standards. Officials said seized thermal suits were unsafe, with their service life expired and no required annual certification carried out."
Alberta boy, 9, sues 11-year-old for injuring finger with toy dinosaur - "Usually, if a child swats another child with a toy dinosaur, it does not cause catastrophic injury. Usually, if a child gets hurt at a daycare, it is the daycare owners who get dragged into court. And usually, if someone goes to court claiming someone else owes them thousands of dollars to compensate for a finger that three years ago was “essentially severed at the bone but still attached,” they bring along some medical records to illustrate such a gruesome claim. A court case newly decided in Grande Prairie, Alta., bucked all these trends."
Hwa Chong teacher warns students against sharing bento photos after backlash: 'We know what the consequences are' - "A text message sent in a Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) class chat warned students against sharing photos of canteen bento meals online, following criticism over school meals provided by airline caterer SATS. In response to Stomp's queries, the school said that the reminder was not meant to discourage students from offering feedback through appropriate channels. Photos of the bento sets surfaced on the subreddit r/singapore on Jan 3, showing a large portion of rice with vegetables and what looked like meat submerged in sauce. On Facebook, netizens compared the meals to prison food and army cookhouse meals. After initial complaints, an HCI spokesperson told Stomp that the photos did not accurately reflect the typical food offerings or portion standards provided. However, The Straits Times reported that students confirmed the images were accurate, adding that the meals tasted bland or soggy. Another post shared by Facebook user @Kuanyewism on Jan 8, showed a message sent at 1.51pm advising students to refrain from participating in the "canteen food controversy". "Please do not circulate photos, messages and social media posts — we know what the consequences are," the message read. "Keep your opinion to yourself." The sender added that students require parental and school consent to be interviewed by the media, concluding: "For your compliance please". A Reddit post by the user @Hopeful-Calendar9369, who identified themselves as a current HCI student, said that the administration was unwilling to entertain students' concerns. The claims were posted on the subreddit r/SGExams on the same day that the text was sent, saying that students "receive generic responses or outright dismissal" when they raise issues, to which several commenters agreed. In October 2025, HCI announced that SATS would operate both their high school and college canteens from Jan 2, providing freshly cooked meals from on-site stalls and pre-packed options prepared in a central kitchen. The institution is also one of 13 schools engaging external food operators to replace traditional canteen stallholders... HCI did not respond to queries about the tone of the message or the "consequences" referred to in it."
They should've included "non compliance will be severely dealt with"
Meme - ""Gentlemen, I need to remind all of you not to participate in the canteen food controversy. Please do not circulate photos, messages and social media posts - we know what the consequences are. Keep your opinion to yourself. If the media wants to interview you, you need parental and school consent. For your compliance please""
Food that we tried Vs food that was inplemented : r/SingaporeRaw - "Hi everyone, throwaway account here. As a Hwa Chong Students who took part in the SATS food tasting program BEFORE our whole sch shifted into a central kitchen program, this was the food they gave us to try VS the food they actually gave us when the system was implemented Also for anyone wondering whether the statement made by the principal saying no students were punished; it was just pure blatant lying. The school REMOVED the link for us students to see our demerit points, so that they can't screenshot and show it to the media. This school all went downhill after our new principal joined the school last year, and made several new changes to our sch including no class t-shirts, no more exemptions, removing many facilities in our school just to maximise profits. Top pic is food we tried and bottom pic is food that was implemented Second pic was before the drama, third pic is after. Clearly removed the section to see our displicine history"
I thought Canada was cold. And then I moved to England - The Globe and Mail - "The British are a proud people. They are justifiably proud of their history, still dwell on their memories of empire, can celebrate literary icons like Chaucer and Shakespeare, and more recently still have vestiges of waning pride in their rejection of Europe during Brexit. But more than all of that, the British find their greatest pride in being cold... What I’ve learned since arriving in Britain is that yes, everyone wears layers of clothing indoors, and that yes, likely only one room in the house is heated at any time. Old houses are drafty, and the heating systems are unlike anything I experienced in Canada. Our cottage has “storage heaters,” which take advantage of half-price overnight electricity rates (charging double the rate we paid in Vancouver) to heat large, heavy ceramic blocks inside of a radiator. In the morning when electricity prices jump (to triple Vancouver rates!) that stored heat is allowed to escape and heat the room. At least until around dinner time, when the stored heat has run out... I’m reminded of our home in Canada. Homes there have big gas or oil-fired furnaces, double glazed windows, and (oh how I miss it) under-floor heating. I remember being able to walk from room to room and stay warm no matter where I went. I look back fondly on turning up a thermostat without a moment’s hesitation, making everything just a little bit warmer because, really, it costs so little. Like a lot of Canadians, we’ve spent many evenings watching programs like The Crown and Downton Abbey. In both series the most memorable set pieces show people deep in discussion beside a roaring fireplace. What I now realize is that 10 feet away from the hearth people were likely shivering frigidly. Even the wealthy and powerful in Britain live half the year in the cold. Because the heating systems in British homes are so spartan, almost every single room in the house – including the bathroom – has a small, plugged in, electric heater to “take the edge off” the cold. These inefficient little boxes do warm things up a bit, but are an expensive solution. Although their homes and apartments may be cold, the British people are genuinely warm and helpful. When we’ve complained about being chilly, they’ve been quick to suggest solutions. “Layer the floor; even newspapers under a rug stop the cold coming up.” “Eat something warm and calorie-dense before bed to keep core temperature steady.” “Cafés with poor ventilation tend to be warmest; linger.” And my favourite: “A small pet is effectively a mobile heat source. Cats are the most efficient, but anything warm-blooded helps.”"
Renwewable mania doesn't help, of course
For Jewish communities, Chinese food is more than a Christmas tradition – they’re also walking the wok - The Globe and Mail - "In the mid-20th century, Chinese restaurants often functioned as rare neutral zones in cities divided by rigid social hierarchies. For Jewish immigrants, these spaces offered a dual sanctuary: Chinese cuisine’s typically dairy-free menus happened to also be kosher – or at least kosher in appearance, with pork that was minced or hidden – and a social environment free of antisemitic gatekeeping allowed people to eat with dignity. In the geography of the outsider, the Chinese restaurant was a safe place where no one looked twice at a family that didn’t belong in a cathedral or a country club. By 2025, however, this narrative of passive consumption has grown stale. The Jewish-Chinese relationship has moved beyond the quiet refuge of “safe treyf,” that practised avoidance of blatant non-kosher transgressions. Now, we are seeing the emergence of the “Jewish Wok”: a practitioner-led movement where Jewish Canadians are commanding the Chinese kitchen, moving from loyal customers to custodians of a craft. Critics might call this cultural appropriation, but that framing misses the mutual exchange at work."
It's only cultural appropriation when "white" people do it
Germany challenges Turkey’s protected status claim for the doner kebab - "Germany and Turkey have crossed swords over the doner kebab, with Berlin appealing Ankara’s attempt to have the beloved street food given the same protected EU status as Spain’s serrano ham and Neapolitan pizza. The food fight began in April when Turkey applied to register the name doner as its “guaranteed traditional speciality” across Europe, meaning the label could only be used by those conforming to designated production methods and specifications for the meat inside. Germany argues this would create big bureaucratic hurdles and drive up the price of its most popular snack. With so-called doner inflation already an explosive cost-of-living issue on voters’ minds in the run-up to pivotal state elections in September, Berlin filed its veto... If Ankara’s application is successful, only beef and lamb “horizontally sliced into cutlets with a thickness of 3-5 mm” could be sold as doner. Chicken cutlets could be thicker in the poultry variety, while ground meat would be banned entirely. The age of the animals of origin and the knife for slicing would also have to meet distinct specifications, as well as the spices for marinating the meat, according to the application sponsored by International Doner Federation in Istanbul, which argues that the dish is an integral part of Turkey’s “culinary heritage”. The stakes are high, with German kebab sales totalling around €7bn a year. An estimated one in three Germans eat at least one doner a month, but it is becoming increasingly hard on their wallets. The far-left Die Linke party, which has called for parliament to introduce a Dönerpreisbremse or doner price cap, says kebab prices have surged to €10 in some German cities, up from €4 just two years ago. Both Turkey and Germany, with its 2.7-million-strong Turkish diaspora, stake claims to being the birthplace of the doner kebab as it is now widely consumed. The delicacy of thinly sliced meat grilled on an upright rotisserie was introduced to Germany by Turkish migrants, who topped it with chopped vegetables and slathered it with garlic or chilli sauce. Its bicultural significance touched off a spat in Germany during a state visit by the president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to Istanbul in April with a doner skewer in tow. If Turkey is successful in its registration attempt, the new rules would have “catastrophic consequences for gastronomy businesses as well as consumers,” Ingrid Hartges, head of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association, told local media. She said there was no need for EU involvement in doner kebabs, which already fall under “clear and detailed” national standards set in 1992. New European regulations would constitute “an intervention in the German market with a tangible economic impact”, the agriculture ministry led by Cem Özdemir, a Green politician with Turkish roots, told the German edition of Politico. “It’s an attack on Germany’s cultural identity,” said Berlin sociologist Eberhard Seidel, who wrote a book about the history of the doner, in the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Germany nevertheless produces a dizzying variety of riffs on the homegrown doner kebab including veal and vegetarian options, satirical potato-based varieties in Oldenburg and leberkäs meatloaf kebabs in Bavaria. Some shops even offer chocolate doners for dessert."
Turkey abandons food fight to force doner kebab rules on Europe - "The German variant of a kebab often uses veal in a flatbread packed with vegetables including red cabbage, pickles, red onions and topped with sauces - and so could be viewed as a European take on the Turkish classic. The Turkish federation failed to consult Germany's kebab industry, which hit back with the support of the government in Berlin. The German food and agriculture ministry told the BBC last year that it had taken note of the Turkish bid "with some astonishment". Former German food and agriculture minister Cem Özdemir, a veteran politician of Turkish origin, said it was up to everyone to decide how a doner should be eaten in his country, and that there was no need for guidelines from Ankara. "The doner belongs to Germany," he insisted. If Udofed had followed through with its bid, then a European industry dominated by the Turkish diaspora would have been affected."
Too bad they won't learn the more important lesson about regulation
Newborn In Australia Dies After Mother Uses Home-Birthing Pool Hired From Instagram Influencer - "A newborn baby in Australia died after her mother gave birth at home using a birthing pool rented from Instagram influencer Emily Lal... the mother, Ms. E, rented a birthing pool from Emily Lal, also known as The Authentic Birthkeeper, who describes herself as being "disillusioned with the medical system". The incident happened in December 2022. After giving birth, Ms. E messaged Lal saying, "I did it", and planned to have a postpartum visit. However, she struggled to deliver the placenta until the next morning. It was then that she realised something was wrong with her baby."
This is not the only fatal case Emily Lal was involved in
What is the hair-flipping ritual performed by women to welcome Trump in UAE? All about Al-Ayyala - "Social media is curious about the traditional dance performed by a group in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to welcome US President Donald Trump. In visuals going viral, women are seen flipping their hair from side to side while chanting poetry. What they are doing is known as Al-Ayyala."
