The Brits have an important election coming up, and the future of the NHS is at stake. Fears of healthcare privatization under continued conservative rule has dominated the election narrative in the UK, with the Labour Party warning that Prime Minister Boris Johnson would be more than happy to cozy up to President Trump on trade deals that could put the NHS at risk. And what better way to disseminate the evils of privatized healthcare than to quiz Brits on their knowledge of the United State’s dysfunctional privatized healthcare system. Watch the looks Advertisement Attorney General William Barr continues to be a massive drama queen. He is none too pleased that the Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz has concluded that the FBI was, in fact, justified in opening an investigation into the Trump campaign’s potential links to Russian interference in the 2016 election. Horowitz is set to release his findings next week, but Barr is reportedly very fucking … [Read more...] about Watch the Horror of Brits Finding Out How Much American Healthcare Costs
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How To Steal A Soviet Helicopter
Deep in the Sahel, as Muammar Qaddafi’s Libya exploited instability in Chad to expand its territory, a daring operation took place to obtain one of the Soviet Union’s most advanced attack helicopters. It was a complex plan involving Chadian rebel groups as well as French and American soldiers and spies, but it worked. A Libyan Mi-24 Hind had been abandoned in a forward base not far from the frontier between Libya and Chad that had now been secured by Western-backed Chadian rebels. Though the helicopter was now in friendly hands, it was going to be a challenge to remove it from dangerous territory so close to the threat of Libyan fighter jets. Advertisement Absent a pilot who could be recruited to defect and fly the machine to friendly territory (as Iraqi MiG-21 Fishbed pilot Munir Redfa did in 1966), getting the machine out was going to be complicated, and it required some unorthodox thinking. Youtuber Mark Felton gives a great account of the plan to exfiltrate the … [Read more...] about How To Steal A Soviet Helicopter
A Woman Could Be Replacing Jackson on the $20 Bill
President Andrew Jackson could be getting the boot from the $20 if a legislative bill that puts a historical female icon in his place gets passed. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the Women on the Twenty Act, which would call for a “panel of citizens” to advise Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew on finding a replacement design. The bill goes hand-in-hand with the Women on 20s organization, whose goal is to see a female-focused redesign of the $20 just in time for the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. According to Circa, the candidates for the spot are Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Cherokee Chief Wilma Mankiller. What, no Ri-Ri? (She’d already have a good theme song.) Advertisement While there have been women featured on money in the past such as Sacagawea and Susan B. Anthony, this of course would mark the first time a woman’s face would appear on actual paper cash. Let’s hope it happens … [Read more...] about A Woman Could Be Replacing Jackson on the $20 Bill
Awkwafina wrestles with a true lie in the scattered Sundance favorite
If you’ve heard anything about The Farewell other than it stars rapper-turned-actress Awkwafina, maybe it’s the tagline: “Based on a true lie.” The lie in question isn’t a treacherous one, but it is illegal—at least in the States, where it’s expected that if you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness, well, you’ll be hearing about it. But in China, some follow a different protocol, perhaps a more merciful one, in which families carry the emotional burden by simply not telling a dying loved one that they’re dying. It’s an unbelievable practice from a Western point of view, but things aren’t as clear-cut when you’re standing with one foot in your native culture and the other in an adopted one. Advertisement Lulu Wang’s sophomore feature captures this tension with tenderness and despair, revisiting the inter-generational family drama—the kind a pre-Hollywood Ang Lee specialized in—through … [Read more...] about Awkwafina wrestles with a true lie in the scattered Sundance favorite
Listen to The Rock do commentary on his first WWE match, 20 years ago
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has only been on YouTube for two months, but his channel is already host to a pretty eclectic batch of content. Some of it is on-message—a style guide from the guy who designs the costumes on Ballers, a foul-mouthed reality show about wrestling promos—but some of it is just bizarre. Witness, for example, the theme song for Pokérock, featuring vocals from the original Pokémon theme song’s Jason Paige: A few days ago, though, the channel released some real content from the man himself: “Rock Reacts,” which shows Johnson reacting to and talking about various video clips. In this case, one that’s obviously pretty close to his heart: his own debut, as Rocky Maivia, at the then-WWF’s Survivor Series in 1996. Johnson dishes up plenty of details about the match—including his affection for one of his opponents, Brian “Crush” Adams, who died in 2007, and the way it felt to hear 20,000 … [Read more...] about Listen to The Rock do commentary on his first WWE match, 20 years ago