Ed: This was previously unpublished due to "spam" so I split it into 2 posts to try to narrow the problem down. This post was again flagged, but was reinstated on appeal (but apparently got hidden again). This was originally from 21st May 2025 (2). This is to split it again to confirm what has tripped the filter.
Travel news: Want to join the Mile-High Club? This company encourages it - "A California-based hot-air balloon company is offering mile-high flights – with amorous Mile-High Club privileges – over the Temecula countryside. Guests can enjoy the views with a whole basket to themselves – and a privacy screen separating the pilot compartment from the passenger cabin. The pilot, who Magical Adventure Balloon Rides promises will be wearing protective hearing gear and focused solely on flying, ascends the balloon to 5,280 feet (about 1,610 meters), which is about 2,000 feet higher than a typical recreational flight. While intimate clinches are usually thoroughly discouraged in the skies, the company invites you to bring your own bedding and music playlist. A complimentary Champagne breakfast is included to fuel your frolics, of whatever sort. Pricing for two passengers starts at $1,400. If your mantra is “the more the merrier,” each additional adult in the larger 10-person basket is $159."
What to do if you wake up with a Banksy on your wall - "if Banksy chooses your wall for one of his drawings, you could be seriously in the money."
Suspect in 14-year-old Jackie Strahle's death arrested in Illinois - "A man facing initial charges in relation to the homicide of a 14-year-old girl that occurred at the end of January is in custody after more than a weeklong search. Evrinn "Zo" Worlds, born in 2006 and from Springfield, is charged with the felony of abandoning a corpse and a misdemeanor charge of tampering with physical evidence. According to a Greene County Sheriff's Office news release Friday, Worlds has been taken into custody and is awaiting extradition in Madison County Jail in Illinois. On Jan. 28, deputies discovered the body of a young girl, later identified as Jackie Strahle of Springfield, at 5622 W. Farm Road 140... a witness said Worlds lived at the Farm Road 140 address and was believed to be in a relationship with Strahle. The document recounts the discovery of Strahle's body wrapped in large sheets of insulation, with a large black trash bag around the top of the body and black sleeping bag, black sheets and a red sheet around the lower body. According to an autopsy report, it is believed Strahle was shot one time. A second witness mentioned in the probable cause statement arrived at the house the evening of Jan. 27 and found a "frantic" Worlds, who allegedly said he had shot Strahle and didn't know what to do. The second witness called a ride to leave the residence and advised Worlds to report the incident, though not before allegedly observing the body in the upstairs of the house... The abandonment of a corpse charge is punishable by up to four years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $10,000. The tampering with evidence charge stems from Worlds allegedly concealing the body with the purpose of obstructing the investigation. This charge is punishable by up to one year imprisonment and/or a fine up to $2,000."
Meme - "Not sure if this is the correct forum, but I heard a rumor years back that the ZANU and ZAPU rebels in Rhodesia often were found to have the rear sights on their AK's maxed out to 1,000 meters, thinking this would give them "more power". I never really paid much attention and just filed it away along with all kinds of other gun myths. However, today I was reading on the history of interarms and saw the picture below, with the biafran soldier apparently having his K98 set to 2,000 meters. It brought that story back and I had to ask: does this story have any sand? Are there any cases of poorly-trained armies getting confused with sight settings?"
After 40 hours of sniping, I just now learned you can zero your scope. : r/BattleBitRemastered - "This reminds me of something I read from the Bush War
> Rhodies recover enemy rifles after each engagement
> They keep finding rifles with the rear sight dialed in to the highest setting, practically fucking indirect fire
> They are extremely confused by this
> Eventually they ask a prisoner about it during interrogation
> Literally none of them know what the sights are for, they think that choosing the bigger number makes the gun shoot harder
Warfare in Africa is truly unbelievable"
Thread by @SirEvanAmato on Thread Reader App – Thread Reader App - "This stuff drives me up the walls. American couple visits Europe and thinks 2 weeks is enough to accurately glimpse local life. They then return to the US, complaining about why it sucks and how Europe is so much better. DELUSIONAL thinking on all accounts 🧵
I used to be all for people traveling, but unless you do it for genuinely EXTENDED periods of time, it’s impossible to get a glimpse of real culture. My first time in Europe, I lived in Spain for 6 months. I came back to the US totally convinced Europe was heaven on earth… Later, I spent about two years in France. First 6 months, great. The latter year and a half, the cracks started to show… To be clear, I didn’t travel or sight-see barely at all during this period. I stayed pretty much in one place, spoke the language, and had a real job that felt truly local. It was as “authentic” as you could get. The more time you spend actually living real life in Europe though, the more you realize how much American “freedom” is actually legit. For ex, say you want to throw something in the trash. In the US, you just throw it in the trash. In Italy, you have to do the “raccolta differenziata” and divide waste into paper, plastic, organic, or tin/glass. This then gets collected in small bags administered to you by the gov (which are tracked by RFID so you can be fined if you put the wrong thing in the wrong bag). Have something bigger that won’t fit? Like a Swiffer mop? You’ve got to drive to the dump — but not just any dump, the local dump assigned to you based on your legal place of residence (which you must register with the gov). But even THEN, it’s not easy… Many dumps still do a version of the “raccolta differenziata”, so you still have to divide things even there! I chose the Swiffer ex for a reason — I once saw a man forced to break it up (idk how) into the rubber handle, the small metal pole, and the dust-collecting piece itself
So in America, you can say “I need to throw away this Swiffer” and do just that. In Italy, you have to load it into your car, drive through traffic to the dump (bringing your gov-issued medical card to access it, not just your ID), take it apart by hand, and then drive back home. I know this is just one silly example, but it perfectly demonstrates the sort of thing you’d never experience even if you came to Europe for 6 months. Don’t get me wrong, I love Europe BUT… You are absolutely delusional if you think even 6 months here gives you an accurate view of local life. I’ve lived here for the better part of the past decade — in Spain, France, the UK and Italy. I worked here. I got married here. I had a child here. And I’m STILL learning…
It is peak American arrogance (and unironically, privilege) that makes something think they “get it” after such a short trip (fwiw, the couple in question also believes the US is “descending into fascism”…)
But it also makes you reconsider the “importance” of travel. While OF COURSE travel opens up your eyes to other parts of the world and ways of doing things, it’s largely overrated. Precisely bc it makes you *think* you understand, when it reality you don’t… Want study abroad students to become socialists? Send them to Europe for 3 months. Want them to join the “far-right”? Send them to Europe for 3 years.
Again, to be clear, I LOVE Europe. I love foreign languages. I love the beauty and charm of the Old World. And I love the people who live here. BUT (as obvious as it should be) everything comes with trade-offs. There are great things about living in the US. There are not so great things about living in the US. Same goes for Europe. But in either place, you can find abundant reason to be happy. Neither the US nor Europe provides the magic bullet to happiness …and I guess that’s the point of this schizo thread.
Travel (and the idea of moving abroad) promise to bring you happiness. They promise to provide the right conditions in which you can be happy. But in reality, no country can do that for you. Your happiness doesn’t depend on the country you live in. It’s determined by how you choose to live life where you’re at. So love your hometown a little bit more. Invest in your local community. And above all, understand that YOU are responsible for your own happiness"
