Yeah and characterizing the US response as “piss off” is melodramatic at best

Maybe “The US and its allies”?

I mean Japan is typically included as part of The West, and it is to the east of China. Cuba is in the western hemisphere, but it is Marxist-Leninist. I don’t think directional terms of the globe make as much sense in the 21st century as they did in the premodern world.

You’re right, sorry about that! It does! I removed my comment.

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Well yes, you are definitely exaggerating if you are suggesting that half the planet is a ‘death cult’. Maybe if you want to say that the foreign policy establishment in certain countries is, then it would be a more reasonable statement.

I don’t think that “the West” is even a useful term.

Absolutely. I feel this way about referees/umpires in sports too. The best ones aren’t flashy but just enforce the rules.

Nintendo 3DS is my favorite of all time 😁

In the US, all AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts will dispose of your oil for free. Also, most municipalities will take it at special centers (same place where you might go to dispose of electronics).

Personally I have a designated where I let the oil collect from multiple oil changes, and then I take it to the county landfill maybe once every two years when there’s enough to justify a trip.

It’s a small hassle, but worth it IMO. Just depends on what is available to you.

You can teach yourself how to change the oil on your car simply by watching YouTube videos. And then all you need to buy are a few basic supplies, and you’ll be able to change your oil for life. Oil changes are either absurdly expensive (dealership) or done half-assed (Jiffy Lube), so doing it yourself gives you a job done right for pennies on the dollar.

And if you find that you have a knack for it, you can teach yourself more basic maintenance jobs like changing brake pads.

Just want to note that the link is an opinion piece, not a news article.

For anyone who isn’t familiar, RBG was a liberal Supreme Court justice that was getting very old, and a lot of people thought she should have retired during Obama’s term, where she could have been replaced by him. Some accuse her of stubbornness/hubris for not stepping down when it was “safe”, and point out that her whole legacy is now being undone.

Others point out that common wisdom at the time was that Hillary was going to he a shoe in as the next president, and nobody expected a Republican to win, including RBG.

Anyway, I’m not taking a stance but just fleshing that out for anyone who is interested in the controversy.

I find it very strange how much Russia relies on this mercenary group. I know there are other groups like this in the West (I’m mainly thinking about Blackwater), but Wagner seems many orders of magnitude larger and more powerful, seemingly rivaling Russia’s own military itself.

I’m surprised that someone as notoriously paranoid as Vladimir Putin has allowed this man to gather so much power, and indeed, his own personal army. Putin will probably still come out on top, but this is going to hurt him tremendously in the PR arena.

That’s what needs to change. If there was enough support internationally, the UN could facilitate a treaty being signed between nations with uniform regulations on submersibles. Then it wouldn’t matter if it was international waters.