Margarine became an invaluable to both Britain and Germany in the 30s, because the two countries couldn't support sufficient domestic fat and butter production. Between them they consumed 85% of all whale oil products in the the world, sourced from their own fleets and the Norwegians.

I like this one in principle

Painting by Emma May Riley, ‘Glass of Water’ 2013. Oil on Canvas. Size 23.6 W × 35.4 H

$5bn+ in equity wiped out, one of the largest losses in private credit and private equity history. Blackstone yet to mark the loan down further than 63 cents on the dollar for its $1.5bn in debt that will no longer get paid. Medallia was killed by onerous loans made based on stupid projections.

This part.

Fun fact: Florida's orange harvest is now only 8% of what it was 20 years of global warming ago. Increasing hurricane activity and more hospitable environment for disease and pests, has *already* destroyed the Florida orange industry. citrusindustry.net/2024/05/07/f...

Sure am glad we’ve spent 12+ months & $$$ accessing support and reports for an NDIS application for a condition that may no longer be eligible. But don’t worry, Thriving Kids is coming. What’s that, he’ll be too old by the time it starts? Great system. Love this for my family.

I read something recently about how young kids (like 5/6yrs old) that have been used to using Siri and Alexa at home, are using the same sort of abrupt demanding language with women outside of the home, because those tools are predominantly 'woman-coded' and instruction driven.

5 stars to my child who pressed a large red button at a museum and then served shocked Pikachu face when it caused a large noise: “how was I meant to know pushing a large red button would do something?”

Receiving a flu shot doesn’t just protect you, it protects all the people you would have passed your flu on to. Among those people may be some who are frail or old. It takes five minutes, it may save a life and will certainly save some suffering. Get a flu shot.

It’s as if the Iran war was fought to sustain the Russian economy. Lifting sanctions for Russians does nothing for Americans. It just makes it easier for Russia to continue its war in Ukraine.

Be kind to your neighborhood sporty lesbian today. Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird split up.

& it's been that way: “During the Vietnam War... every respectable artist in this country was against the war. It was like a laser beam. We were all aimed in the same direction. The power of this weapon turns out to be that of a custard pie dropped from a stepladder six feet high.” ― Kurt Vonnegut

Not once in the 80s, 90s or 00s do I recall a politician urging the public to embrace email, mobile phones, texting, two factor authentication, online banking, air fryers, or to replace all their cassette collection with a CD collection. So forgive me if I smell a rat.

I thought the dystopia would be… colder?

Exactly one year ago today:

"I did this because X and Y happened, you did this because you're an ___ kind of person" underlies a lot of how humans explain behaviours.

You wear this because you want to look good for your birthday tonight. She wears that because she's a slutty kind of person. You made a math error because you were rushed. Your server made one because he's a stupid kind of person.

On the unfulfilled promise of MMC (the much heralded Modern Methods of Construction). Unlike places like Sth Korea or Scandinavia, in Australia’s dispersed, limited market can it ever deliver on its potential? thefifthestate.com.au/columns/spin...

I do wonder what possesses someone with a history of sexually assaulting others or infidelity to run for public office. Like, dirt files are a thing.

The fact that the ask is "joint control" and not "freedom of navigation" tells you everything you need to about the thugs running the US atm.

Amia Srinivasan’s “Sex as Pedagogical Failure” should be required reading. Whenever a man in position of authority pursues a subordinate woman, he is changing her trajectory in that space forever. The research on how much even “consensual” affairs hurt the women involved is jaw dropping.

If she gives in then everything she accomplishes afterwards will be because she slept her way to the top. If she refuses, her career will stagnate. As soon as he propositions her she's lost.

#caturday #cats

Grim wants to help with the landing

Feels like we went from “don’t bother about climate change, China makes it pointless” to “don’t worry about climate change, China will solve it” in 15 years. [neither position mine to be clear]

Mis-read this as beers. Pity.

tears rolling down my face at this FT correction

Once-Adventurous Salmon Can’t Believe She Ended Up Moving Back To Birthplace, Having A Bunch Of Kids https://theonion.com/once-adventurous-salmon-can-t-believe-she-ended-up-movi-1825827223/

214/ Don't know how to say this to american liberals but this is not Trump's war or Trump's defeat, but a US war and US strategic defeat. Yes ofc the war is Trump's war of choice but all US institutional checks against executive failed (Pentagon, State, CIA, Congress) bsky.app/profile/did:...

The buried lede here is the loss of freedom of navigation as a point of principle - something that global hedgemons have spent 300+ years using arms to defend. The foundation stone of global trade. I suspect, say, Malaysia will be taking note.

there is only 1 trick to remember which is that when there is an object used to hit the ball it is an umpire and when there is a body part used it is a ref

Reminder for non sports fans that it is super easy to pass for a sports fan, just sit down during any game, make a disgusted face like you just saw your dog eating a turd and say " fuck this umpire, man" and nobody will even know you didn't start the sports program at your high school

Everyone in his orbit spent the whole day shorting crude for the plunge in the hour after the "deadline" passes in silence or with some phony "deal." They will all wake up tomorrow six or seven figures richer. This is not a sustainable system of government but it is inarguably our present system.

to imagine back on that beautiful blue orb that makes all of this unique life possible we can’t stop bombing and killing one another, it’s terribly sad

A short thread of some North Macedonian Brutalism in Skopje. Starting with the Central Skopje Post Office by architect Janko Konstantinov.

It’s probably nothing. 🤡 @dkthomp.bsky.social

The golden age of corporate profits (see also: corruption)

I hadn't seen this before. This is pretty remarkable. Earth and Moon in one NASA photo. ht @astrokatie.com

they prematurely declared air supremacy, then lost a fighter jet for the first time in decades, then lost a bunch of other aircraft during rescues it’s a colossal fuckup amid an illegal war but sure I bet those bombs really “lit up the silhouettes of the surrounding mountain”

what makes empires do this?

I find it kind of funny They find it kind of sad When they say that they are hungry say "Hi hungry I am Dad" Dad world Dad world

What does it mean that the Iranians are charging Hormuz “toll” in yuan? End of petrodollar?

Today he became… Presidential.

Meanwhile Prof Tim Snyder is also issuing warnings about the same.

I will die on the hill that it's inappropriate to call Easter "Zombie Jesus Day." Zombie is not a generic term for undead - it has a specific meaning. We HAVE a generic term for beings who have returned compos mentis from death in their original, physical bodies: Revenants.

🧵Spotted at a Country Easter Fair in Aotearoa New Zealand: A small human (3?) is full of all the woe. Lip quivering. Mum says: "What's wrong?" Small Human wails: "There's TOO MANY THINGS and I am having VERY BIG FEELINGS!" Mum picks her up for a hug. "One bite at a time. That's how we do it." (1)

Have just smashed through 3 John la carre books and honestly, no regrets.