Misinformation Issues
- Thread starter GURPS
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SamSpade
Well-Known Member
Maher HATES religion - and any issue on the right that has anything to do with it. He's one of those "all wars have been because of religion". I wonder what people would claim regarding what may happen with China and Russia.
But - he's been unquestionably right on lots of issues not pertaining to politics. One is his ridicule of "cultural imperialism" - the concept that America "invades" other nations with their culture, so that the world over looks like slightly differing versions of the United States.
Well, crap.
1. We ARE the most dominant power on the earth right now - it is IMPOSSIBLE for our presence NOT to be felt around the world, but for what it's worth, unlike every era where the dominant nation was, say, England - or Spain - or Rome - we've striven more than any country in history to tread LIGHTLY on the rest of the world. Don't believe me? Let's hope the world isn't totally dominated by CHINA one day, politically and militarily. THEY won't be so nice.
2. We experience CLEARLY the opposite of "cultural imperialism". Some Western nations have this - but just TRY and get good Chinese takeout in Russia - or a good sushi bar in Mexico. You can in the major cities - but most cities above 100,000 in this country have a wide variety of cultural food - and that's just food. We use foreign phrases, welcome dance and music from all over. We're invading them with our culture? Much more the reverse is true.
He got reamed over a remark - which I agree with - but at the time wasn't received well. Bush was calling the terrorists cowards. Maher took exception to that - you don't fly a plane into a building and get roasted a few thousand degrees and be cowardly. Heroic, not so much. But it takes more guts than most have.
From time to time, he does get it right. Jon Stewart is far more interested in laughs. He was the one when confronted with the concept of liberal bias in the media, responded that "reality has a liberal bias".
They are ALL FEELING the sting of being silenced, of being marginalized.
As I have said MANY MANY times, it's ALWAYS DIFFERENT to you, when it's YOUR ox being gored.
Clem72
Well-Known Member
I can't remember ever seeing a Russian restaurant. But I have lived places that had considerable immigrant populations from that part of the world (especially after the collapse of the USSR).
Probably haven't seen one for the same reason there are no British Restaurants.
That or the Russian Restauranteur is still standing in line waiting on suppliers.
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
I guess when we were there - it's all we saw. Lots of food with pork and cabbage. Really, nothing to write home about. I did like one of their pork "hotpot" meals which I can't name - but really, when did you ever rave about borscht?
Where are the Russian Immigrants
Lord of War makes it seem their was at least on in Brighton Beach NY
UglyBear
Well-Known Member
Yah?
(My Mrs makes fantastic borscht — and makes it regularly against my objections. It’s good for you, lots of fiber.)
UglyBear
Well-Known Member
Re: former USSR restaurants.
Mostly in cities with large ex-Soviet populations.
At least three in the DC region — RusUz in Alexandria, another one next to NIST.
Tons of eateries in West Hollywood in LA, Brighton Beach in NY, Chicago, several in San Fran. At least three in Baltimore.
Those fall into two types: cafe/imported food store type, hole-in-the-wall with pre-cooked food, and “fancy” ones for large parties, with fine china and crystal. Neither are known or popular outside of the community, most are to scratch the nostalgia.
If anyone REALLY wants to try, I can give some recommendations.
Mostly in cities with large ex-Soviet populations.
At least three in the DC region — RusUz in Alexandria, another one next to NIST.
Tons of eateries in West Hollywood in LA, Brighton Beach in NY, Chicago, several in San Fran. At least three in Baltimore.
Those fall into two types: cafe/imported food store type, hole-in-the-wall with pre-cooked food, and “fancy” ones for large parties, with fine china and crystal. Neither are known or popular outside of the community, most are to scratch the nostalgia.
If anyone REALLY wants to try, I can give some recommendations.
I'm curious. What is Russian food like? What would you recommend?
So that explains why Vlad is such a POS. It's the food he eats. 
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
Yah?
(My Mrs makes fantastic borscht — and makes it regularly against my objections. It’s good for you, lots of fiber.)
ACTUALLY - for my son's international day some years ago - I made my first attempt at borscht. To MY taste buds, it was - ok. Beets are like my least favorite vegetable and generally rates slightly above liver for taste.
Next to me was a Ukrainian woman who had the good sense to make blini. See, my borscht looked a lot like parfait, and the sour cream topping looked a lot like - well, WHIPPED cream. So most kids were surprised and kind of - yuk - at trying my borscht. But the lady next to me said she'd like my recipe, because it was BETTER than her borscht.
But her blini was a lot more popular.
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
They gave him an enema - that's why he's so short.So that explains why Vlad is such a POS. It's the food he eats.
Apparently not Borscht.
I've never gotten the objection to beets. I wouldnt touch liver with a gun to my head but love beets. Yellow, white, red... All of them. Now mixed with sour cream...
UglyBear
Well-Known Member
Who is this Vlad? He sounds delightful!So that explains why Vlad is such a POS. It's the food he eats.
UglyBear
Well-Known Member
Pedantic start — if we are talking about ex-Soviet, there were over a hundred ethnicities there, all with their own distinct cuisines.
The three Slavic foundational ones — Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians — just your usual meat-and-potatoes diet, probably what your American ancestors ate a hundred years ago. Heavy on soups, dairy and grains, like millet, buckwheat, wheat.
Baltic ones — never heard of their cuisines, probably as exciting as Swedish food, reduced by communism.
Caucasus ones — more like Mediterranean cuisine, like Greek, Turkish.
Central Asian ones — like blander Chinese food, heavy on mutton and rice.
DHS Says COVID Misinformation Is Inspiring Terrorism, But It Won’t Provide Any Evidence
“For example, there is widespread online proliferation of false or misleading narratives regarding unsubstantiated widespread election fraud and COVID-19. Grievances associated with these themes inspired violent extremist attacks during 2021,” the DHS bulletin said.
DHS did not respond to repeated requests from the Daily Caller News Foundation asking the agency to provide examples of violent terrorist attacks during 2021 that were inspired by false claims related to COVID-19. The agency also did not respond when asked for examples of violent terrorist attacks, other than the January 6 Capitol riot, inspired by election fraud claims.
The DHS bulletin also claimed that “threat actors” were attacking immigrants and stoking resentment toward Afghan migrants resettled in the U.S. following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
“A small number of threat actors are attempting to use the evacuation and resettlement of Afghan nationals following the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan last year as a means to exacerbate long-standing grievances and justify attacks against immigrants,” the agency said.