Posting to Reddit’s “Am I The A**hole” forum on Tuesday under the username u/RichSlummer, the woman explained that her best friend wanted to marry a “real man,” not a “working class man.” Already, the Reddit post has racked up more than 19,000 upvotes and over 1,200 comments. “My best friend and I grew up in poverty,” u/RichSlummer recalled, adding that they didn’t have many opportunities to receive an education....
The man, known only as u/AdNO3535435, received more than 16,800 votes and 3,850 comments in less than nine hours. In the post, the man, 33, explained that his brother died from cancer a few months ago and left him with several of his belongings. He explained that they were really close and had a lot in common. He said that his brother was a gamer and that one of the most special items was his brother’s gaming chair which he wanted him to have before he died....
We live with cross-border terrorism in an uncertain world, but we have to get on with the job and emphasize the positive things in life rather than being defeated by the acts of a few evil people. The prime minister had to take some interim decisions to ensure that the government remains strong despite the disparate forces of the coalition. But I believe he’ll continue with reforms and [state] disinvestment and do all that’s needed to continue our 8....
S.H.: For The Veterans History Project you gave advice to regular people interviewing veterans in their own families. You talked about establishing a “comfort zone” for the interview. How did you do this with vets you interviewed for The War? BURNS: What we look for at the essence of an interview is free exchange. We aren’t investigative journalists. We aren’t there with their tax returns for the last ten years grilling them....
That’s not easy. Even as U.S. forces struggle against rising chaos and violence elsewhere in Iraq, the fear now is that the north could also be engulfed, thanks to Kurdish separatists’ use of Iraqi soil as a staging area for their war against the Turks and the Iranians. The rebels see themselves as standing up against centuries of often brutal repression. This year the Blacksnake’s guerrillas have staged more than 250 attacks on Turkey, in one bloody week killing 14 Turkish soldiers, a toll unmatched since a decade ago, at the height of the separatist conflict....
Argati and his fellow coca farmers are on the front line of a war that is likely to grow a lot more deadly. Last year the Clinton administration approved a $1.3 billion aid package to bolster the Pastrana government’s Plan Colombia, aimed at halving Colombia’s drug production in the next four years. Some of that money is paying for up to 200 U.S. Special Forces troops training the Colombian Army’s new anti-drug battalions, and the biggest chunk will be spent on supplying those troops with Blackhawk and UH-1N (Bell) helicopters....
As the decades passed, some traditional genres mutated, hybridized and spread like viruses. Many others were left for dead on their home soil. In the United States, where the descendants of African slaves dreamed up jazz and the blues, sounds emerged that would conquer the world. A few returned home transfigured. In the 1960s, for example, a British quartet in love with Chuck Berry and Little Richard reinvented American music....
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) said it was alerted to the situation after an employee from Seattle retailer Petco found the species, zebra mussels, inside a moss plant product that’s officially branded as the “Betta Buddy Marimo Ball.” An ODFW invasive species expert who visited a second store in the Salem region on Wednesday confirmed “viable” zebra mussels in the same product. “We urge all pet stores to immediately remove this product from their shelves,” said Rick Boatner, who is an ODFW supervisor....
The IOC decided during a December meeting of its executive board to reinforce its solidarity with Ukraine as the Russia-Ukraine war approaches its one-year mark next month. The IOC said it also “unanimously” decided during that meeting to retain previously announced sanctions for athletes from Russia and from Belarus, which has acted as an ally to Russia during the war in Ukraine. The IOC’s sanctions include banning the display of Russian and Belarusian flags at IOC events and withholding event invitations from Russian and Belarusian state and government officials....
BENDER: Alabama’s loss shakes up College Football Playoff picture Iowa? The Hawkeyes rallied at home in a top-five showdown against Penn State for a 23-20 victory. Iowa added four more interceptions to its FBS-best total of 16. Iowa is the odds-on favorite to get through Big Ten West play with one loss or less, and they beat Ohio State 55-24 in their last meeting on Nov. 4, 2017. Michigan State?...
No, it's not about the incident in which he shoved a fan against Texas Tech. MORE: Field of 68 projection You see, Marcus Smart has become a flopper. In fact, his flopping has become so pronounced that opposing fans went to great lengths to photoshop Smart into a game of "Flappy Bird," calling it "Floppy Bird." With Oklahoma State in Ames, Iowa to face the Iowa State Cyclones, the Iowa State students had a message for Smart when his name was introduced....
Also dubbed “safety keychains,” these colorful contraptions are sold in an oversaturated online market that taps into women’s anxieties about gender-based violence. The ventures are typically started by Gen Z women and provide near-identical products across businesses. Usually sold for upwards of $30, the keychains are marketed as must-haves for women who want to feel safe while looking cute. Attached to decorated wristbands and poofy pom-poms are weapons—sometimes concealed—such as pepper spray, stun guns, pocket knives, or pointed metal knuckles....
The Biden administration asked Iran Thursday to resume talks on its nuclear program, which was suspended ahead of Iranian elections in June. During a press briefing, Hossain Amir Abdollah was skeptical of Biden’s intentions, emphasizing that actions and “behavior of the U.S. towards Iran is more important than ’empty but beautiful words’.” He said the Iran government believes said Biden “keeps carrying close to his heart the thick file of the Trump sanctions against Iran, even while seemingly pursuing negotiations....
Ali Akbar Salehi, Director of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said the country’s scientists had “mastered” stable isotope enrichment and had the software necessary to do so. “We have acquired the science of stable isotope enrichment and its related technology,” Salehi said, according to Iran’s state-controlled Press TV. “Our engineers and technicians have developed sophisticated software, one of which, for instance, consists of 300,000 lines of programming. Iranian experts are also in charge of designing arrangement of enrichment cascades for stable isotopes....
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) published a new report on Thursday—titled Iran’s Networks of Influence in the Middle East—detailing Tehran’s success in establishing a series of non-state forces across the region to protect and further its interests. While the U.S. and its allies are operating with conventional military forces, the report said Iran’s strength lies in its influence within non-state militias and insurgent groups in several nations....
Rajabian wrote his previous album while in prison serving a six-year term for his illegal music. The composer’s repeated use of female voices in his music particularly rankled the Iranian authorities. He and his brother Hossein went on hunger strike while imprisoned in 2016. Rajabian eventually required hospital treatment for internal bleeding. He lost 33 pounds and was left with severely swollen muscles all over his body. “I experienced death,” he told Newsweek from his home in Tehran, struggling against a poor internet connection....
Consider some testimonials: David Yeghnazar of Elam Ministries stated in 2018 that “Iranians have become the most open people to the gospel.” The Christian Broadcast Network found, also in 2018, that “Christianity is growing faster in the Islamic Republic of Iran than in any other country.” Shay Khatiri of Johns Hopkins University wrote last year about Iran that “Islam is the fastest shrinking religion there, while Christianity is growing the fastest....
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated rapidly over the past few days, with Trump’s decision to order a drone strike that killed Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani in Iraq leading Iranian leaders to vow “revenge.” Zarif was planning to attend the Security Council meeting scheduled for this week but claims he has been blocked by the U.S. government. “Denying me a visa in violation of 1947 UNHQ Agreement pales in comparison to: -Pompeo’s threat to starve Iranians (crime against humanity) - Trump’s bluster about cultural heritage (war crime) - #EconomicTerrorism - Cowardly assassination,” he tweeted on Tuesday....
Strikes erupted last week among workers in industrial sectors including oil, gas, and petrochemical industries, amid worsening economic conditions and high inflation in Iran, Radio Farda reported. Reports and videos published on social media and by worker-affiliated and exiled dissident organizations suggest that the strikes lasted through this weekend as workers demanded the payment of unpaid wages and improvement of poor working conditions. The protest movement was sparked by the death of petrochemical worker Ebrahim Arabzadeh in the southwestern city of Mahshahr in July, who succumbed to heatstroke after working in high temperatures....
The fire burned for hours and resulted in 82 dead and 112 injured while the death toll could still climb. Some officials said the catastrophe was caused by exploding oxygen cylinders, but the cause of the fire has not yet been officially disclosed by authorities. “The fire spread so quickly because of the combustible oxygen cylinders,” Sabah Samer, a doctor who was present during the disaster, told AP. “The walls of the rooms were padded with plastic and nylon, which fed the fire....
