Meme - "The New York Times
It Turns Out the 'Deep State' Is Actually Kind of Awesome
Meet the unsung heroes making our country great."
"it doesn't exist -> it's a right wing conspiracy -> it is real and it's stunning and brave -> repeat"
Thread by @joni_askola on Thread Reader App – Thread Reader App - "The fact that Julian Assange is alive and free underscores the stark contrast between the democratic west and the authoritarian regimes he supports. Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is an immensely controversial figure. He is regarded as a traitor to the West, working in the interests of our adversaries, possibly due to being driven by a profound antipathy towards the West. Following the resolution of his 12-year fight against extradition to the United States through a plea deal, he was released from a British prison and on Monday, he was journeying back to his home country of Australia. The release of Julian Assange was met with cheers from both adversaries of the west and western traitors, shedding light on the interests he aligns himself with. He is poised to admit guilt to an Espionage Act charge related to obtaining and disclosing nationally significant information, thus officially acknowledging his status as a traitor. While WikiLeaks may have initially served a positive role by uncovering corruption and military misconduct, its reputation took a turn in 2010 when it published a video from a US military helicopter depicting the killing of civilians in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Assange released the leaks without redacting any names, exposing hundreds of dissidents in Afghanistan and Iraq to "serious harm, torture, and even death." Following the publication of the unredacted documents, some sources reportedly "disappeared." The release of the leaks endangered hundreds of Afghans who were fighting against the Taliban. In response, Assange remarked, "Well, they're informants," and went on to say, "So, if they get killed, they've got it coming to them. They deserve it."In 2010, it was reported that Assange's associate, Israel Shamir, purportedly provided a list of "organisers, instigators, and rioters, including foreign ones" to Lukashenko. In 2012, there were reports that RT would offer Assange his own talk show. Assange is an agent of russian disinformation. A genuine journalist would never host a talk show on RT. In the same year his show premiered, Assange chose not to publish a leak concerning a 2 billion euro transaction between Assad and a russian government bank. In the 2016 US presidential election, the release of hacked emails and documents from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and John Podesta, the chairman of the Clinton campaign, by WikiLeaks, favored the Trump campaign, consequently benefiting russia in return. In 2016, WikiLeaks obtained a substantial collection of documents related to the russian government, with over 50% of them never having been previously published. However, "Assange provided a series of excuses" for not releasing them. In 2017, WikiLeaks sought to quiet its critics by releasing a "Spy Files russia" dump, which included details about the russian online surveillance system SORM. This system had been previously disclosed, and the leak did not reveal significant new information. When questioned about WikiLeaks' role as a whistleblower in russia, Assange remarked that russia already has Kremlin critics like Navalny and publications such as Novaya Gazeta. The question of whether Assange became a disinformation agent and traitor due to being an opportunistic pawn driven by his antipathy towards the West or if he was a legitimate operative for russia or another authoritarian regime remains unresolved. If we in the West behaved like his beloved russia, syria, or china, the current arrangement would not be taking place. He would not be free, or even alive. This is what sets us apart from them. The fact that all the adversaries of the West, including numerous traitors within the West, are exceedingly pleased to see him released speaks volumes about whom he was valuable to. It will be intriguing to observe Assange's future actions now that he is at liberty. It is quite possible that he will persist in his efforts against the West and in favor of authoritarian regimes. It is fortunate that we didn't turn him into a martyr."
When you just hate the West
Why 324 Front Street Barnum Iowa 50518 Is Trending After Hawk Tuah Video - "The trend basically comes from a Google Street View flasher post after a X user spotted a woman standing in a parking lot outside a bar and grill, allegedly flashing the google street view car in broad daylight."
Why is heat in the UK different? : r/AskUK - "Im on vacation in London and was outside basically all day today and I think I got heatstroke. I couldn’t keep my eyes open or see properly, couldn’t walk straight, and nearly fell down a flight of stairs. I’m Canadian but even in other countries I can cope with it better. Why is the heat here hotter even though it’s not as warm"
"The interesting thing is that people from really cold countries (Sweden, Canada) come here during winter and say that although it’s far, far colder where they come from, it feels much colder here because it’s so damp. Basically, our weather’s shit."
"My boss is working from Bali ATM and on every call he looks like he's about to die from the humidity to such an extent I wonder if it's even enjoyable being there for any amount of time"
Why is heat in the UK different? : r/AskUK - "I spend a large part of my life in the Caribbean as I'm 50% Caribbean, I can tell you the heat in the UK is completely different. In the Caribbean, it rarely gets below 20 degrees, however there is a constant cool breeze coming from the sea which works as natural air conditioning. People on holidays are often caught by the heat, cause it seems alright however the sun is quite strong so you burn easily without noticing. The UK isn't built for heat. Houses are built to trap the heat, cause most time of year it's freezing. My flat has great insulation which is amazing in the winter, but deadly in the summer. Once the heat gets in, it's hard to get it out. It's not even hot outside today (17 degrees is a very comfortable temp), but my flat is still 24 degrees from yesterday even with all windows open. Also noticed the UK is quite humid. When it gets hot, the air is so thick and I get clammy. I have asthma so I really notice the difference. It just gets so unpleasantly hot. Honestly, 25 degrees here is not the same as 25 degrees in the Caribbean"
What Could Have Caused Poland's Crooked Forest? - "n a small corner of western Poland, near the town of Gryfino, a strange and eerie woodland exists. This bizarre collection of curved trees, named the “Crooked Forest,” is shrouded in mystery and despite the numerous different theories that have been proposed over the years, no one truly knows what caused the trees to adopt this conformation. The Crooked Forest consists of around 400 pine trees that grow with a 90-degree bend at their base, the vast majority of which are bent northward. Curiously, the Crooked Forest is enveloped by a larger forest of straight growing pine trees. It is estimated that the trees were planted in the 1930s and that they were around 7-10 years old when they experienced whatever force/damage that resulted in trunk curvature... The final idea that has been thrown around that seems to have gained most acceptance is perhaps the most boring one (Occam’s razor and all that), which proposes that the curves are man-made. This would make sense given the fact that the trees are very consistent. The suggestion is that during the 1930s, local farmers planted and manipulated the trees for ultimate use as a construction material, for example for pieces of furniture or, more likely, ship building. An extract from a piece entitled Wooden Vessel Ship Construction even supports this idea... The invasion of Poland during World War II would have likely interrupted this activity, preventing the farmers from being able to finish the job and thus leaving this peculiar forest that we still see today. The local town was also devastated during the war and was not reestablished until the 1970s when a new power plant was built in the area. This would explain why none of the locals have the foggiest idea why the trees look like this."
MEVnet lets you monitor Malaysia's EV charging infrastructure
The network is better than I expected. Of course, uptime is another issue
Meme - "Getting a rejection email with multiple fried chicken related puns is a new low for me"
"KFC. Hi Eboni, Thank you for your application to Team KFC. We're cluckin' delighted you're keen to join our flock, however at this 'moment in time your skills aren't the secret recipe the Colonel is looking for. But we'd love to hear from you again give us a cluck if you would like to apply in the future. Best Wishes,
Team KFC Dublin - Westmoreland Street"
Why US Signs Look Different Than The Rest Of The World’s - YouTube
Even more reasons driving in the US sucks. Even if you are used to then, you need to read text instead of looking at pictures
🍃 on X - "Thinking about when the Jamiroquai guy said in an interview that he broke up with Winona Ryder because her boobs were too big and she wanted to have sex all the time. World historic fumble"
Meme - Mia @miakhalifa: "Stop thanking people for their military service and start asking how many civilians they k*lled"
Licensed Memes: The Banterbury Tales: "No, Mia. Even the most proficient soldiers don't have a body count as high as yours. Look elsewhere."
Meme - Hot Takes Nobody Asked For: "former *corn* actress mia k has received backlash after this statement. maybe she should ask how many people they helped while she was busy trolling online."
Onigiri Shaped By Sweaty Armpits Of Cute Girls Are A Hit In Japan - "There are now places selling onigiri prepared by young and attractive women. The catch? The snack is not shaped by their skillful hands but their armpits that have been, um, scented by their perspiration... These rice balls also don’t come cheap and have been retailing more than 10 times that of regular onigiri. Onigiri in Japan typically sell for just 100 yen to 200 yen (S$0.90 to S$1.70) a ball. According to reports, the onigiri is even said to be made onsite which allows would-be buyers to watch the process of the rice balls being shaped. Back in 2016, a male Japanese reporter decided to try one made by his female colleague and gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. “It’s so good! I didn’t know that it could be this good just because a beautiful woman made it,” he said before adding that he also wished to display his unfinished snack on an altar."
Double word score? New two-sided Scrabble is 'more inclusive' - "Brett Smitheram, the current UK number one at Scrabble and the 2016 World Scrabble Champion, said: “The game speaks to a trend in younger people who want to avoid competitive games and sense of losing, instead favouring teamwork and collaboration working towards a fun goal together.” It comes as a growing number of younger players say they find the traditional game difficult, with three quarters of players aged 25 to 34 admitting they have searched a word online to check it exists. Almost half of Scrabble players also say they have tried to make up a new word to win a game, a poll of 2,000 adults by Markettiers for UK Scrabble found... It also showed the importance of board games in an age when people are glued to their phones, with more than half those polled saying they play board games to de-stress or to unplug from social media. Some 65 per cent of board game players agreed that it helps them to switch off."
Why French chefs want us to eat this bird – head, bones, beak and all - "The customary way of eating ortolan, a delicate songbird, involves the diner covering his or her head with a large napkin. Tradition dictates that this is to shield – from God’s eyes – the shame of such a decadent and disgraceful act. But if a clutch of leading French chefs have their way, the dish will soon be back on the menu, allowing gluttons to indulge in a meal that ranks as one of the most controversial of all time. The four cooks, including Alain Ducasse, who has a dazzling 18 Michelin stars to his name, have called for a partial reversal of the ban on killing and selling ortolans. He told a French food magazine that the prohibition “undermines centuries of tradition, customs, and promotes a black market with exorbitant prices”. A single ortolan bird is no bigger than a baby’s fist and weighs less than an ounce, but they can be sold for as much as £100 to those willing to break the law. “This is a cry from the heart,” said Michel Guérard, one of the inventors of “nouvelle cuisine”, who wants to serve the dish for one day or one weekend of the year. Killing and selling the bird, a member of the bunting family, has been banned in France since the late 1990s, though the ban was not strictly enforced until 2007... the rarity of the bird is not the only reason why killing it is so controversial. It is the method in which they are dispatched. Hunters catch the birds using traps set in fields during their migratory season (when they fly to Africa). They are then kept in covered cages, encouraging them to gorge on grain in order to double their size. It is said that Roman Emperors stabbed out ortolans’ eyes in order to make the birds think it was night, making them eat even more. They are then thrown alive into a vat of Armagnac, a trick that manages to both drown and marinade the animal at the same time. Killing two birds with one glug, as it were. French chefs argue that “it’s not a bad way to die”. Indeed, it is probably no crueller than force-feeding a goose in order to fatten up its liver into foie gras, another dish that French gourmets refuse to give up despite mounting howls of horror around much of Europe. Then comes the eating – part pagan ritual, part essay in gluttony. The birds are cooked for eight minutes and served with their heads still attached. After the shame-hiding napkin is placed over the diner’s head (helping, too, to trap the aroma of the dish), the ortolan is popped in its entirety into the diner’s mouth, who then proceeds to eat everything including the head and bones. Those who have tasted ortolan rave about the hazelnut and gamey flavours... There is some romanticism to the barbarous act – it appears in Proust and the title character devours one in Gigi. The American chef Anthony Bourdain says the experience is close to ecstasy: “With every bite, as the thin bones and layers of fat, meat, skin and organs compact in on themselves, there are sublime dribbles of varied and wondrous ancient flavours: figs, Armagnac, dark flesh slightly infused with the salty taste of my own blood as my mouth is pricked by the sharp bones.” Ducasse and his fellow chefs point out that the songbird ban in France also prohibits the killing of woodcock, which is legal in Britain. This is true. The small, long-beaked bird can be found on the menu of St John restaurant in London, famous for pioneering “nose to tail” eating, where it is served with its head on, split down the middle. Traditionally, the most prized part of eating woodcock is scooping out the brain... The most famous fan of the bird was President Mitterrand, who, just days before he died from prostate cancer, hosted an epic meal on New Year’s Eve in 1995. It involved Mitterrand eating 30 Marennes oysters, foie gras and capon, washed down with Sauternes and local red wine, before moving on to not just one, but two ortolans. The sheer gluttony of the old Socialist shocked many Frenchmen, even those who think us Brits sentimental animal lovers for turning up our noses at horse meat."
From 2014
Sargasso Sea - Wikipedia - "The Sargasso Sea (/sɑːrˈɡæsoʊ/) is a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre. Unlike all other regions called seas, it has no land boundaries. It is distinguished from other parts of the Atlantic Ocean by its characteristic brown Sargassum seaweed and often calm blue water"
Actual Fact Bot: Revived | Facebook - "During the Cold War, the Soviet Union used an automatic nuclear weapons system known as Dead Hand. It had the capability to initiate the launch of Russian ICBMs targeting various cities in the event of a detected nuclear attack through seismic, light, radioactivity, and pressure sensors along the country's borders, even without human oversight. Allegedly, the Dead Hand system remains in use by Russia."
Parliament: New ERP system 'not a threat to privacy' (2014) - "Data collected by a satellite-tracked electronic road-pricing (ERP) system Singapore is building will be "aggregated and anonymised", said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew in response to questions about how privacy will be safeguarded. In Parliament on Monday, Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) and Non-Constituency MP Gerald Giam both raised oft-cited concerns regarding privacy, with the latter pointing out that the new ERP system is not subjected to clauses in the Data Protection Act."
Data from ERP, public transport cameras to be used in terror fight (2016) - "THE Home Team wants to expand its use of intelligence and investigation tools, and it will make better use of available data in Singapore to combat the growing threat of terrorism and serious crimes. Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam made this point in Parliament on Wednesday during the debate on his ministry's spending plans for the new financial year. He cited examples such as the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system and public transport video cameras, both of which contain important data that could be vital to Singapore's safety and security. "We had initially taken the position that some of these data would not be used ... but with a changed security environment, it means we have to change our position," said Mr Shanmugam. The Home Team had to be able to collect and analyse suspicious travel patterns, and respond in a swift and decisive manner "for our collective security".
Police Can Now Use On-Board GPS To Track Speeding; Implementation By Late 2024 (2024) - "The police’s unveiling of their vehicle forensics capability signifies a paradigm shift in traffic enforcement strategies. With plans to fully implement this capability in 2024, authorities are poised to leverage onboard diagnostics (OBD) ports to extract telemetry data, including location, braking, and acceleration patterns."
Singaporeans aren't really Asian - at least not at work - "Singapore is not only not close to Confucian nations of East Asia — it’s their polar opposite. Only 1 in 10 Singaporeans believe their career is influenced by the employer more than themselves, in stark contrast to an astonishing 68 percent in China, 63 percent in Japan and, also a big surprise, 51 percent in Hong Kong, which is often compared to Singapore. Even in Malaysia, which has a close mutual history with the city-state, about twice as many people believe their future depends on their company, not their own efforts. The only other Asian outlier is India, with which Singapore appears to have much more in common than other countries it is typically associated with. But this is not all—it ranks among the nations of the Anglosphere, like Australia, New Zealand, and the UK itself. The United States of America, often hailed for its freedom-loving individualism, is only in the middle of the pack, with fewer people believing their future depends on them than their employers. Is the American Dream dead? Let’s move to another question: who should motivate the worker? And again, Singapore is an outlier, with just 5 percent of local respondents putting the responsibility on the employer. In truth, most surveyed employees globally recognise that they should work on their motivation to do their jobs well — although, again, not in China or Japan, and only a small majority in Malaysia or Hong Kong, long seen as a beacon of commerce and one of the freest economies in the world. Once more, Singapore is accompanied by India, New Zealand, Australia, and the UK, among others. If that’s not enough, however, here’s a third one: who is responsible for work-life balance? This is a triple whammy. Once more Singapore is at the extreme end of the spectrum, with just 9 percent of local workers looking to their bosses for a better balance between their job and personal life, while China, Japan and Hong Kong are on the opposite end, expecting superiors to plan their lives for them. Even bearing in mind that Singapore is not ethnically homogeneous, the differences are just too huge to be ignored. It outranks not only other Asian nations but Western ones as well. It’s not about just a few percentage points here and there but the widest gulf in the entire survey. What could explain such a huge difference? Are Singaporeans simply affected by their heritage as a former British harbour, having spent decades under foreign laws and customs, today finding themselves in the same intellectual category of self-responsible individuals as Australians, New Zealanders and the British themselves? This seems plausible, looking at the proximity between all of the countries in the survey, until we consider the case of Hong Kong. The city had spent far longer under direct British management than Singapore and yet is clearly closer to the Chinese mainland than the Lion City. It seems that the answer is more complex and might remain highly speculative forever. It may be that Singaporeans had to embrace the self-resilience while being raised in a tiny state that could only count on itself surrounded by largely uncooperative, and occasionally hostile, neighbours. Unlike Hong Kong, which had been merely a gateway for foreign business into China, independent Singapore was forced to open itself up to every willing foreign investor or merchant to find relevance and survive. It’s a truly international hub whose success is entirely self-made. This, coupled with the British heritage in law, education and language, could have made Singaporeans even more independent than the original founders of the 19th-century port. Raised under the rigours of compulsory National Service, it wouldn’t be surprising that the mantra of having to do everything yourself — including dying for your country if necessary — is carried over to the workplace... as a recent PISA study for 15 year olds has shown. Singaporean teenagers took the first spot globally in a test of creative thinking"
Is S$100-200K enough to live comfortably in Singapore? — Canadian man who dreams of raising his family in SG asks - "“Very subjective,” said one. “Upper middle suggests a private flat (not public housing) plus a car. If two kids (in local school) I would say S$400,000. Our family lives in public housing. We spend about $180,000 a year – kids in local school, no tuition... “British ex-PR here,” shared another. “$150k was not enough, and that was living in HDB. You’re going to need upwards of $200k.”"
Dear Hong Kong, Singapore is not your biggest rival | The Straits Times - "Intensifying competition from cities in Hong Kong’s immediate proximity – such as Shenzhen and Macau, among others, threatening to overshadow its traditional role as the lone star of southern China’s economy – is what Hong Kong should be most wary of... Hong Kong consumers – many once reluctant to even step foot on mainland China – now flock in droves to Shenzhen on weekends to dine, shop and even undergo dental treatment. They are enamoured with the city’s lower prices, more polite services, greater choices and longer opening hours compared with Hong Kong’s. In 2023, Hong Kongers made 53 million trips to Shenzhen, while mainlanders made 26.7 million visits to Hong Kong. Interestingly, Hong Kong’s closer integration with the mainland in terms of the increased convenience of its cross-border rail services and wider usage of the WeChat Pay and AliPay systems has also aided the migration of consumption out of Hong Kong to Shenzhen. Retail sales in Hong Kong dropped 14.7 per cent in April from a year earlier. For the first quarter of 2024, the figure was down 1.3 per cent year on year. In Shenzhen, consumer spending rose 4 per cent in the same period... As a technology hub, Shenzhen’s economy has already overtaken Hong Kong’s since 2018. The municipal government, which cultivated the industry with targeted policies including talent schemes and tax incentives, now counts tech conglomerate Tencent Holdings and electric carmaker BYD among its start-up successes... “Hong Kong’s role as a star in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) is fading as it lacks innovation and has been too dependent on real estate development to generate income,” Mr Lee said, referring to the economic region comprising Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau. “For years, Hong Kong used to rank top in competitiveness among all Chinese cities. But Shenzhen and Guangzhou have risen up silently in recent years.” Macau is another close competitor that appears to often escape Hong Kongers’ notice. While local news reports in early 2024 went to town on how Hong Kong should emulate Singapore in securing major concerts by global stars such as Taylor Swift and British rock band Coldplay, none played up the fact that the biggest acts in Hong Kong’s immediate region, such as US singer Bruno Mars and US pop band OneRepublic, mostly went to Macau. Industry players blamed Hong Kong’s lack of large venues while officials attributed it to the government’s principle of allowing entertainment events a free hand to operate. A new 50,000-seat stadium would soon draw to Hong Kong its share of mega concerts, they promised. The city’s current two biggest concert venues seat 12,500 people each. Meanwhile, Macau – whose two largest venues each seat about 15,000 people – hosted some 240 concerts in 2023. It was a threefold rise from the pre-pandemic years and Hong Kong singers accounted for 60 per cent of those concerts, Macau media reported... Macau, which has traditionally relied on its casinos as its main economic driver, has made a concerted effort to boost its non-gaming entertainment sector. The rebranding push comes after China’s 2022 crackdown on high-rollers that made up half the city’s gaming revenues, and the Chinese authorities’ imposition of stricter regulations on the casino industry... Where two decades ago Hong Kong was consistently the world’s busiest container port, now a string of mainland ports have knocked it out of the top 10 rankings... Ultimately, HKUST’s Prof Low puts Hong Kongers’ fixation on how their city fares against Singapore – often to the exclusion of its Chinese competitors – down to “a reflection of Hong Kong’s self-image”. “Hong Kong sees itself as an international financial centre, and in that respect, no other Chinese city comes even close,” he said"
The Difference Between Korean BBQ and Japanese BBQ | Explained - "One of the main differences between Korean BBQ and Japanese BBQ is how each is prepared. Korean BBQ is cooked on a Korean BBQ table grill where meat is grilled on gas or charcoal grills that are inlaid into the dining table. Japanese BBQ involves cooking meat either over a Japanese hibachi table grill, which is a small, portable barbecue made from cast iron; or a Japanese teppanyaki grill, which features a solid flat griddle and works with a propane flame... Another difference between Korean BBQ and Japanese BBQ is the way that the meat is flavored. Korean BBQ adds flavor by soaking meat in marinade to make it well seasoned and more flavorful, while Japanese BBQ focuses on the taste of the meat and incorporates various dipping sauces such as garlic, mirin (a type of rice wine that is a common ingredient in Japanese cooking) and soy sauce to add flavor to non-marinated meat. Korean BBQ and Japanese BBQ both incorporate beef and chicken into their dishes, although Japanese BBQ tends to focus more on high-quality cuts of beef whereas Korean BBQ also prominently features pork in its dishes. Korean BBQ comes in several different varieties including bulgogi, which consists of meat that has been soaked in a mixture of sugar, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, garlic and scallions before being prepared on a Korean BBQ grill table. Another type of Korean BBQ is galbi, which is made with beef short ribs that have been marinated with soy sauce, sugar, water, mirin and onions and then prepared on a Korean barbecue grill table. Other Korean BBQ varieties include daeji bulgogi (spicy pork that is immersed in sauce made with gochu garu, a type of Korean chili powder), as well as jumulleok, which features short steak marinated with sesame oil, salt and pepper. Japanese BBQ styles include yakiniku, where pork and beef are sliced into bite-sized pieces and baked into charcoal; yakiton, which grills different pork meat cuts over charcoal; and yakitori, which typically features grilled chicken charcoal roasted on skewers until the outside is crispy and the inside is tender. Teppanyaki is another popular style of Japanese BBQ that consists of thin slices of beef mixed with soy sauce and sugar and cooked on a Japanese teppanyaki grill. Korean BBQ and Japanese BBQ are also served differently. Korean BBQ is served with a wide variety of vegetable side dishes known as banchan that range from kimchi and spicy cucumber salad to seasoned spinach and kongnamul muchim, otherwise known as seasoned soybean sprouts. On the other hand, Japanese BBQ keeps things more simple and the meat is handled with chopsticks and served alongside a smaller selection of raw vegetables with dipping sauces."
