Right Now

> Israel hits Beirut with nuclear missile, Trump and Lebanese Govt. confirm (New infrared images from 2 cameras)

https://www.veteranstoday.com/2020/08/07/breaking-israel-nukes-beirut/

:(

>>67
Are you sad because of the deaths?

2020 really has some heavy shit happening. Riots, giant explosions, pandemic, natural disasters and more. Feels like the world has building up tension over the years and it's about to be released all at once.

>>69
That's exactly how I feel, which makes me think there is more to come.

># 750 Million Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes To Be Released In Florida Keys Despite Objections Over 'Jurassic Park Experiment'
> Named OX5034, the mosquito has been genetically altered to produce only female offspring which die in the larval stage, before they can hatch and start biting things. Only female mosquitoes suck blood, which they require to mature their eggs. Males feed on nectar and are not carriers for disease.

https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/750-million-genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-be-released-florida-keys-despite-objections

>Mikhail Gorbachev has died (reuters.com)
https://www.reuters.com/world/mikhail-gorbachev-who-ended-cold-war-dies-aged-92-agencies-2022-08-30/
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32654734

>>1366
And I'm the Queen of Scotland.

Russian Reserves are being called up by Putin. Russian males aged 18-50 are leaving in droves...

How the US is trying to maintain dominance of the advanced semiconductor industry and limit China's ability to develop its own

The US has long dominated the advanced semiconductor industry and is going to great lengths, and expense, to stop China from catching up.

The tiny computing components are essential for almost anything that runs on power these days — from home appliances to consumer technology like smart phones, computers and cars, through to defence systems, satellites, AI systems and weapons of war.

On top of pumping billions of dollars in subsidies and other incentives into its industry, the US has sought to build alliances with South Korea, Japan, the Netherlands and Taiwan to boost production.

It has also taken steps to drastically restrict China's ability to access the critical technology, also known as microchips.

But experts warn the latest suite of US moves in the so-called "chip wars" could also backfire, and push China's industry to develop its own advanced semiconductors.

FIDE not only strives to increase women's representation in professional sports and official positions but also to change the perception of chess as purely a men's world.
https://fide.com/news/2008

Who is Rishi Sunak? Meet the millionaire Hindu politician who emerged from Tory chaos to be Britain's next PM
Sunak, the son of a GP and a pharmacist, who was head boy at the ancient boarding school Winchester College before going to Oxford, was the face of the modern British middle class.

When asked about his social circle, Sunak gave a response that would come back to haunt him two decades later.

"I have friends who are aristocrats, I have friends who are upper class, I have friends who are working class," he said.

But he quickly corrected himself.

"Well, not working class," he admitted, and his father chuckled.

Elon Musk now owns Twitter USD44 000 000 000 later.

RIP Kevin Conroy 1955-2022

Danish Prime Minister in Rainbow Colours in Qatar

Fiji's attorney-general, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, caught in extraordinary dispute just a week out from national election

Tao Huabi's Lao Gan Ma chilli sauce is a beloved household staple but will her Chinese success story continue?

Back in 1989, Lao Gan Ma's founder, Tao Huabi, now 75, was an illiterate widow raising two sons in a rural village in Guizhou Province, one of the poorest regions in China's south-west.

The province is also the origin of Maotai, a luxurious brand of the grain-based Chinese liquor, baiju.

To make a living, Tao ran a food truck and sold rice tofu and cold noodles. She would offer home-made chilli crisps for dipping.

Soon she noticed people preferred her chilli sauces over the tofu and noodles. And so, in 1996, the Lao Gan Ma brand was born.

It was an adventurous and risky decision for Tao to launch her own businesses, according to Dali Yang, professor of China's political economy at University of Chicago.

At the time, China was in the midst of widespread economic reform, privatising state-owned enterprises to embrace the market economy.

Professor Yang said the Asian Financial Crisis that followed in 1997 forced many companies in eastern China to shut down.

Despite the challenges, Tao took her opportunity.

"One of the most-striking things about her business is that she was able to control and manage the sourcing of the product," Professor Yang said.

"The company gained a significant reputation, because she priced the product very inexpensively. It's very accessible to the average consumer, in fact, to the low-income people as well."

Before a price rise in 2022, a bottle of Tao's sauce was less than $2 in China. The sauce is widely popular among people short on cooking time.

Tao — who had retired in 2014 and handed the company over to her two sons — was praised by the Chinese Communist Party as a symbol of the Chinese dream.

As one of the country's few female entrepreneurs, Tao was given an outstanding achievement award in 2018.

>>1460
https://qz.com/911118/the-hottest-woman-in-china-is-a-70-year-old-grandmother-with-a-chili-sauce-empire

Mass shooting following Chinese New Year celebrations near Los Angeles
Right to bear arms indeed.

Turkey recovering from earthquake

Finland joins NATO.

Cyclone Ilsa unleashed damaging winds and rain on Pardoo, Western Australia.

4/20 Solar Eclipse @ Exmouth WA

Bonus:
Unintended domino effect
https://twitter.com/misslarrydavid_/status/1648353805329739777#m

King Charles III Coronation

2023-06-05
What caused the Ukraine dam breach? How Russia Destroyed the Kakhovka Dam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z4rhBKTT5U&pp=ygUMcnlhbiBtYWNiZXRo

Twatter
https://syndication.twitter.com/srv/timeline-profile/screen-name/XXXXXXXX

>>1537
Threads
https://www.threads.net/@zuck

Netanyahu Claims 'Successes' in Gaza Amid Israel Ground Offensive
Iceland declares state of emergency over volcanic eruption threat

China is recalling pandas from zoos in the West

France
https://www.parisunlocked.com/best-of-paris/annual-events/celebrating-bastille-day-in-paris-our-full-guide/

In depth analysis on the Ukrainian Offensive by General Dr. Freuding
https://youtu.be/xP3QTufqxzo

RIP Atsuko Tanaka (田中 敦子)

https://twitter.com/seiyuucorner/status/1825851579687383436
Atsuko Tanaka was known for voicing Motoko Kusanagi in the Ghost in the Shell franchise, Konan in the Naruto series, Bayonetta in the Bayonetta series, Flamme in Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Caster in the Fate series, Lisa Lisa in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Karura in Utawarerumono, and Hanami in Jujutsu Kaisen.

>>1624
Sad.
Olga Yakovleva is dead.

topic starter's post made a circle in fall of 2024.

A Melbourne dining stalwart has become a high-profile addition to the city’s mounting number of restaurants closing their doors as soaring business costs and tighter spending begin to bite.

At least 15 restaurants, cafes and bars have closed in the metropolitan area since September, and the situation is similar in regional Victoria.

Gingerboy, on Crossley Street in the CBD, appointed liquidators on Monday, after its owners tried to sell the 18-year-old mod-Asian restaurant, which was a regular recipient of Good Food Guide hats in the late noughties.
Gingerboy and its striking interior in 2006.
Gingerboy and its striking interior in 2006.Rodger Cummins

“Part of the reason for closing is because we couldn’t run it as a quality operation any more,” says chef-owner Teage Ezard. “We didn’t want to cut corners or reduce staff too much.”

He says he felt a turning point in the past two to three months due to increased expenses, including on wages and alcohol.

“It was a perfect storm, with prices going up and patronage going down,” Ezard says.

Quieter dining rooms are never a restaurant owner’s friend. But it gets particularly untenable when basic overheads – such as electricity and produce – have skyrocketed. Gas bills for businesses in Victoria are up 30 per cent.
Gingerboy was part of a wave of mod-Asian restaurants in the late noughties.
Gingerboy was part of a wave of mod-Asian restaurants in the late noughties.Supplied

The Restaurant and Catering Association estimated that only a fifth of businesses in 2021 were making the industry-standard 10 per cent profit.

>>1662
“We looked at staying open and increasing prices, but then it wasn’t fair to the consumer,” Ezard says. “Now that we’re closed, I can honestly say we should have raised our prices.”

Consumers are pulling back on discretionary spending as bills and other basics chew up their money. Spending on essentials went up 5.6 per cent in January, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, while extras like going out for dinner remained flat.
Cornersmith owners Alex Elliott-Howery and James Grant have called time on their Annandale cafe.
‘Groundbreakers can’t survive any more’: Is Australia’s restaurant industry on the brink?

The list of restaurants, cafes and bars closing their doors is steadily building. In this financial year, there are already 73 more hospitality businesses that have entered external administration, compared with the full financial year for 2022-23.

“It was a perfect storm, with prices going up and patronage going down.”
Teage Ezard, Gingerboy

“It’s brutal,” Ezard says of the industry at present.

In regional Victoria, industry figures cite tax increases, holding debt from COVID-19, floods, insurance costs and more as contributing factors to a litany of closures in recent weeks.
Melbourne’s restaurant closures

Here is a snapshot of the venues that are among the most recent closures in the city and suburbs.

Gingerboy, Melbourne

Eighteen years of son-in-law eggs and pandan coladas earned Gingerboy a spot on the firm favourite list of many Melbourne diners and out-of-town visitors. Loved for its laneway location, sparkly fit-out and approachable take on South-East Asian and East Asian cooking, it also earned a string of Good Food Guide hats after opening in 2006.

>>1663
Willow Cafe, Kingsville

“Times are tough and it has affected our bottom line too much for too long.” The parting words of this reliable western suburbs cafe summed up the feeling of many in the industry, and were met with an outpouring of messages from locals expressing their appreciation for their local cafe. The owners also included a call to support other neighbourhood businesses.
Ichi Ni, located to the right of The Espy, will be absorbed into the mega-venue.
Ichi Ni, located to the right of The Espy, will be absorbed into the mega-venue.Scott Barbour

Ichi Ni, St Kilda

When this izakaya opened, it was necessary to explain what edamame and yakitori are. After 15 years of living in the shadow of the Hotel Esplanade, serving countless tempura prawns, Ichi Ni was finally swallowed in February by its neighbour, now owned by Australian Venue Co.
Bar Savarin’s oysters with G&T gazpacho were a firm favourite.
Bar Savarin’s oysters with G&T gazpacho were a firm favourite.Simon Schluter

Smithward, Fitzroy

A pocket rocket pouring Victorian wines and serving anchovies with crisps, raclette and other small plates, this wine bar shut its doors in January, citing future development plans as the cause. A six-storey office building has been approved for construction. Smithward’s owners are taking a short break before they search for a new home for their business.

Bar Savarin, Cheltenham

An Age Good Food Guide favourite, endorsed as a critics’ pick for two years running, this wine bar in an industrial pocket called time in late 2023. Praised for showcasing its owners’ personality, French-inspired food and a youthful drinks list, it’s been replaced by Robin’s Deli, another addition to Melbourne’s venue du jour, the sandwich shop.

>>1664
Ascot Food and Wine, Ascot Vale

Licensing delays, lockdowns, a fire: the list of hurdles in going from cafe to thriving nighttime venue was long for Ascot Food and Wine, and stretched over many years. And then the site was earmarked for development and a lease renewal was off the cards, prompting its owners to shut in January. Part-owner and chef Dave Stewart is still considering his next move.

Par Bar, Fitzroy

This inventive bar, which wanted us to think of cocktails more like wine, shut in February. Its announcement spoke of “one of the largest and fulfilling learning curves of our lives” but also mentioned finding a new home for Par. Until then, pop-ups are happening, including one in Canberra last month.
Wolfe & Molone.
Wolfe & Molone.Simon Schluter

Wolfe & Molone, Bentleigh

A wine bar with a unique approach, switching cuisines as different chefs passed through its kitchen, Wolfe & Molone served Brazilian, Trinidadian and Middle Eastern menus in its seven years of existence. Owner Tanya Hanouch asked the public to support local, family-run businesses when she announced the closure in December.

Oko, Fitzroy

This 70-seat restaurant, opened by mental health advocate and front-of-house pro Sebastian Pasinetti with his mother, fell victim to the same cost pressures as many other businesses. It closed at the end of 2023. The focus now is on running Oko Rooftop and Cafe, also in Fitzroy. At night, it flips into Sydney Nigerian restaurant Little Lagos.
The heritage building that was home to Little Andorra.
The heritage building that was home to Little Andorra.Bonnie Savage

Little Andorra, Carlton North

This pretty corner wine bar served small plates drawing on Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and even Japanese flavours, as well as hosting regular roaming chefs for one-off dinners and kitchen takeovers. Chef Mertcan Dogusgen is now cooking at Noisy Ritual in Brunswick East, and Brico has moved into the former Andorra site.

>>1665
Copper Pot, Seddon

The owners of this Euro-inspired restaurant, recipient of a Good Food Guide hat in 2016, chose to close the business in September and focus on their young family. Chef Ashley Davis is now involved in The Victoria Hotel in the same neighbourhood.
Babajan owner Kirsty Chiaplis at her city shop.
Babajan owner Kirsty Chiaplis at her city shop.Pete Dillon

Babajan, Carlton North and city

A tiny but mighty flag-bearer for vibrant Middle Eastern and Greek flavours, this shop started life as a perennially crowded cafe before switching to takeaway, adding a second location in central Melbourne and even doing catering. But as owner Kirsty Chiaplias said: “None of these sufficed for our continuance.” It closed in September.

>1666
https://hotemoji.com/images/dl/w/5-facepalm-emoji-by-twitter.png

Trump to win potus?
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/us-news/trump-news/2024/10/14/alan-kohler-trump-dishonest-demagogue

Last week, the following things happened:
- Ukraine said it needed to join NATO or acquire nuclear weapons
- North Korea sent troops to Ukraine having already sent considerable military aid to Russia
- China told its people to prepare for war, while conducting further training exercises close to Taiwan
- Russia continued to manipulate the US election through ever more subtle disinformation
- Iran is still trying to acquire nuclear weapons from Russia
- Israel has reportedly moved its nuclear arsenal to dispersed sites.

I’ve seen nothing like this in my lifetime. The world is a powder keg. All it takes is one miscalculation, one unintended act of escalation, one over-reaction, and who knows what could happen.
Meanwhile, America has the two worst presidential candidates of modern times, Europe is governed by weak leaders. And potential adversaries are using fifth columnists to divide the populations of western nations against each other.
I just wonder when we will wake up to the dangers we face.

>>1677
Nothing ever happens

>>1677
Thinking about how we improve the British Army’s offer, not merely to Generation Z, but to all those who serve within its ranks, here are a few ideas about the benefits we ought to provide:
✅ Every soldier gets his / her own room
✅ Every barrack block gets WiFi as well as heating and hot water (amazed I even have to say this)
✅ Every soldier is offered further education so that his/ her service becomes a route to a second career
✅ Every soldier needs to be able to drive larger armoured vehicles so driver training (HGV) courses need to become standard for all at unit level
✅ Free medical and dental care obviously remain an ongoing priority
✅ We need to introduce a “home base” concept whereby soldiers always return to the same area of the country allowing them to buy a home, put down roots, and school their children with some degree of consistency
✅ We will still need to provide married quarters for younger married soldiers
✅ We can reduce the cost of married quarters by helping soldiers acquire cheaper mortgages to purchase their own homes
✅ We will still need to post soldiers overseas unaccompanied. Wherever possible the period should not exceed 6 months.
✅ We need to take PTSD seriously for serving soldiers as well retired ones. Every unit on operations should have a psychologist trained in this area.
✅ Ww can reduce the overall cost of basing by creating military hubs like Tidworth, Catterick, and Warminster, but we must not isolate the Army from society as a whole - it must reflect the people it serves by living amongst them
✅ We probably need to consolidate the regimental system further, for the sake of consistency and efficiency, but we must not abandon it.
What else could we offer?

Donald Trump on the cover of Vanity Fair

Chinese cycling craze
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21FHnC57R9g

we should had 3d printed bikes & 3dprinters able to print 3dprinters.

the bi polar bear animation was great!

Cost of living still going up.
Democracies of South Korea, France and German in turmoil.