[Non-US] News That Makes You laugh/cry/neither...

[Longes]

Russian government is debating the law that would allow them to block websites that contain any kind of information about unsanctioned protests, skipping the courts and stuff

[OgreBattle]

This isn't because I am so British I shit the Queen, but... I don't give a fuck about becoming a Republic. Honestly, look at the track record of other countries that joined the "We're not in the British Empire any more!" club: Myanmar, India, America... totalitarian shit-holes where I would not dare walk outside without a machine gun.

What about Britain made it turn out not a shit-hole, compared to India, Myanmar, and the US?

-----

People's Republic of China's citizens now make up 3rd largest nationality in French Foreign Legion, and Chinese nationals can be found in conflicts around the world:
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subc ... 9&cid=1501
Nothing particularly frightening about it, just interesting.

[Starmaker]

Russian government is debating the law that would allow them to block websites that contain any kind of information about unsanctioned protests, skipping the courts and stuff

Once you can block websites for "content harmful to children", "extremism", and "copyright infringement" without a court order, you can block anything, everywhere, every time. Adding protests to the list is simply Putin smacking protesters in the face with a dick.

[Longes]

In North Korea 80 people were shot for watching south korean TV programs.

EDIT: for watching south korean TV programs, gambling, distribution of pornography.

EDIT2: for watching south korean TV programs, gambling, distribution of pornography and ownership of the Bible.

[Koumei]

What about Britain made it turn out not a shit-hole, compared to India, Myanmar, and the US?

Oh, Britain certainly is a shithole, and recently had its economic crisis and the riots that go with that. But I would feel relatively safe wandering around the place. It just happens to be less shitty than the others.

As for why, I have no idea. In America it largely seems to be built on racism (which, granted, the British actually set up in the first place) and religion (again, it was settled by British puritans who thought the fucking UK was too liberal and cozy). In India's case, religion seems to play a part in it, and probably poverty as well. In the case of Burma, the fascist junta in charge is pretty much to blame.

[Kaelik]

In North Corea 80 people were shot for watching south corean TV programs.

EDIT: for watching south corean TV programs, gambling, distribution of pornography.

EDIT2: for watching south corean TV programs, gambling, distribution of pornography and ownership of the Bible.

In related news, Corea doesn't exist.

[Lago PARANOIA]

As for why, I have no idea. In America it largely seems to be built on racism (which, granted, the British actually set up in the first place) and religion (again, it was settled by British puritans who thought the fucking UK was too liberal and cozy).

Oh, the wonders humanity could work if the UK had send the embarrassed prisoners to North America and the middle-class respectable Puritans to Australia.

[Longes]

In North Corea 80 people were shot for watching south corean TV programs.

EDIT: for watching south corean TV programs, gambling, distribution of pornography.

EDIT2: for watching south corean TV programs, gambling, distribution of pornography and ownership of the Bible.

In related news, Corea doesn't exist.

Spelenh. Korea it is.

[Username17]

In North Corea 80 people were shot for watching south corean TV programs.

EDIT: for watching south corean TV programs, gambling, distribution of pornography.

EDIT2: for watching south corean TV programs, gambling, distribution of pornography and ownership of the Bible.

In related news, Corea doesn't exist.

He's getting it off Russian news. You didn't expect him to write "Респу́блика Коре́я" did you?

-Username17

[Longes]

In North Corea 80 people were shot for watching south corean TV programs.

EDIT: for watching south corean TV programs, gambling, distribution of pornography.

EDIT2: for watching south corean TV programs, gambling, distribution of pornography and ownership of the Bible.

In related news, Corea doesn't exist.

He's getting it off Russian news. You didn't expect him to write "Респу́блика Коре́я" did you?

-Username17

Accents on у and е aren't needed But yeah, I was translating it from Russian news, and proper nouns I rarely use tend to fail me.

[MisterDee]

Besides, if we'd spell it like the Koreans pronounce it, it'd be Kuriya anyway

EDIT: and the capital would be Saoul

[TheJerkStore]

If we spelled it like the Koreans, it'd be 한국.

[Kaelik]

In North Corea 80 people were shot for watching south corean TV programs.

EDIT: for watching south corean TV programs, gambling, distribution of pornography.

EDIT2: for watching south corean TV programs, gambling, distribution of pornography and ownership of the Bible.

In related news, Corea doesn't exist.

He's getting it off Russian news. You didn't expect him to write "Респу́блика Коре́я" did you?

No, but I do expect people who are speaking English to accept corrections on English when they are wrong.

You may note by the most accurate measurement of Kaelik Rage, Monkeyfucks per post, I rate an astounding zero MilliKaeliks.

[Voss]

What about Britain made it turn out not a shit-hole, compared to India, Myanmar, and the US?

Oh, Britain certainly is a shithole, and recently had its economic crisis and the riots that go with that. But I would feel relatively safe wandering around the place. It just happens to be less shitty than the others.

There is that. I lived in Cardiff for a while, and at one point was taking midnight walks around the residential neighborhoods attached to the residence hall I was in. I happened to mention it at one point to the people I hung out with, and got a response of something like 'Don't you think thats dangerous?'

I was honestly surprised. My reply was 'I've lived in DC and LA, so, no. I can't imagine walking around Cardiff is dangerous at all'. Partly because one of the bits that made national news at the time was a bar fight (somewhere in the Midlands) that got out of control and a man shot another man. In the leg, wounding him. I'm used to that sort of thing not even making the local news (which would necessitate an actual death), let alone national (would would require a full on murder spree).

Sometimes it was amusing to play up the 'crazy American' stereotype. But sometimes it was sadly unnecessary, and the culture gap when it came to violence was surprisingly large.

[Cynic]

-snip-
Cardiff, pfft, I lived in the badlands - America.

tl;dr version.

[Koumei]

Oh, the wonders humanity could work if the UK had send the embarrassed prisoners to North America and the middle-class respectable Puritans to Australia.

I'm sure it'd be just as bad. That said, our current PM wants this country to actually turn into a smaller, shittier America.

Also, my state is shitty, but it was the only state that was properly settled by choice, rather than by convicts. The main signs of this are:
A) It's a very white, Eurocentric place without the overt (violent) racism of the Northern Territory, New South Wales... actually most other states.
B) There are a lot of churches. Many of them are still actually used as churches rather than bingo halls or gothic architecture for instilling dread.
C) We speak in a way that's more like posh English - indeed, we say dance in a way that rhymes with car, not ants. For that matter, aunt and ant don't sound identical to us. Yes we do use it to feel superior to others: it's all we have.

[TheJerkStore]

C) We speak in a way that's more like posh English - indeed, we say dance in a way that rhymes with car, not ants.

... darnce? That seems awkward to my barbarian American ears.

[Prak]

D-aah-nce. Imagine Rarity saying it.

[Ancient History]

Dawn-ss does not rhyme with cars, even if you pronounce it as the Boston-style Caws.

[Koumei]

I shouldn't have said car, the r isn't there (though we say castle as though it starts with a car). Fuck. Perhaps it's the "ah!" you get when you see a ghost that startles you. Actually "darn(s)" sounds pretty close, assuming you don't pronounce that in some bizarre way.

[Ancient History]

I know the vowel sound you're going for, it's just not one that rhymes with dance. You're looking for something like...dance rhymes with ponce, or dance rhymes with wants.

[Prak]

C-ah-r, D-ah-nce.

[Koumei]

It's a very real problem. My ears are sensitive enough that loud noises are painful (like the sirens at work), but most American accents short of "the TV one", and most actual Australian ones, I can't make out what people are saying. Between getting my ears magically changed and re-educating people to speak like Stephen Fry, the latter is probably easiest.

[JonSetanta]

I shouldn't have said car, the r isn't there (though we say castle as though it starts with a car). Fuck. Perhaps it's the "ah!" you get when you see a ghost that startles you. Actually "darn(s)" sounds pretty close, assuming you don't pronounce that in some bizarre way.

Do you swap your "er" and "ah" like the Brits?

That always annoyed me in literature since characters would say "erm" when they mean "um"

And as a child I thought the Doctor Who villains were "darleks".

Stupid England.

[Koumei]

I'm exceptionally British even for a South Australian, such that people actually from the UK assumed I was one of them. In my case, I basically speak like Stephen Fry on the telly, except a bit less manly.