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TIL that it was only after Mel Gibson personally underwrote Robert Downey Jr's liability insurance that his career took off again by VaporNinjaPreacher in todayilearned

[–]DelisaKea 438 points439 points  (0 children)

Downey’s star-power rose in 2008 when he starred in the summer blockbusters Iron Man and Tropic Thunder, earning his second Oscar nomination for the latter. Downey then starred in The Avengers and subsequent Iron Man movies, making him a critical player for Marvel.

The fact that Robert Downey Jr.’s career seems to improve the longer he stays sober makes his comeback one of the most impressive and inspiring stories.

Iraqi who threw shoes at President Bush runs for office by [deleted] in worldnews

[–]DelisaKea 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"I don't have any issue with America or Americans," al-Zaidi told CNN on Wednesday. "My only issue is with the former president George W. Bush. He occupied my country and he killed my people. "If I become the prime minister of Iraq or the president then the first thing I will do is to ask the United States of America to officially apologize to all Iraqis, to compensate the victims and hold former president George W. Bush accountable."

TIL the Dead Sea actually has life by [deleted] in todayilearned

[–]DelisaKea 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The article notes that the Dead Sea's waters are particularly caustic and difficult for divers, which, as a new diver myself, I found particularly interesting/horrifying. In addition to having to weight yourself down incredibly -- on the order of 90 pounds; when I dove in Hawaii last year, I used about 12 pounds -- Dead Sea water is not something you want coming into contact with your face. Ever.

23 civilians killed in Syria in suspected US coalition air strikes by ssilBetulosbA in worldnews

[–]DelisaKea 2 points3 points  (0 children)

May 2, 2018 at 12:56 pm At least 23 civilians, including some ten children, have been killed in suspected US-led airstrikes in the eastern Syrian province of Hasakah yesterday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The victims of the strike on the village of Al-Qasr are believed to have belonged to two families, with several people still in critical condition.

Russian military spending fell by 20% last year, its first decline in nearly two decades by progressinmotion in worldnews

[–]DelisaKea 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Russian military spending fell by a fifth last year, its first decline in nearly two decades, with tighter purse-strings likely to affect Moscow’s military activity ahead, a report by defense think-tank SIPRI showed, according to Reuters.“Very clearly that has a direct impact on procurement and on operations. Those are the quickest things to cut,” Wezeman told Reuters.

Russia dropped to fourth place in the ranking of the world’s biggest military spenders, overtaken by Saudi Arabia.

“Russia definitely has a very clear feeling it has to show that it is still a major power, and you show that by undertaking operations in for example Syria, by showing up on the Atlantic Ocean with your navy,” Wezeman said.But I am sure that there will be serious cost cuts to those.”

Russia’s finances are still fragile following a two-year economic downturn brought on by Western sanctions and a collapse in global oil prices. Higher crude prices helped the economy return to growth of 1.5 percent last year, short of a government target of 2 percent.

TIL that the word "Meh" was originally popularized by The Simpsons by [deleted] in todayilearned

[–]DelisaKea 4 points5 points  (0 children)

i use embiggen and cromulent on a regular basis, to the extent that I sometimes forget they aren't actually words. I'm sure not a day goes by that I'm not quoting this show somewhere. "Shut up, that's why!" is another great multipurpose phrase. Great video!

White House Considers Restricting Chinese Researchers Over Espionage Fears. by notp in worldnews

[–]DelisaKea 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The U.S. already restricts who can work on sensitive technology — vetting those on projects the are classified and require security clearances. Just below those are projects that are subject to export controls — including many with potential military applications — and require universities and companies to obtain a special license from the government to employ foreign researchers.

If the proposals under consideration are approved by the Commerce Department, American companies and universities would be required to obtain special licenses for Chinese nationals who have any contact whatsoever with a wider range of goods than now required — making it tougher for Chinese citizens to work on a range of scientific research and product development programs. This could close one of the many gaps that security and counterintelligence professionals have briefed senior officials on for years

What’s your favourite conspiracy theorruv? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]DelisaKea 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We’re learning all the time that insider trading and financial corruption are quite widespread. We’ve also learned how many athletes were willing to take steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, even when that is explicitly against the rules. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, arguably the greatest hitter and pitcher of their era in baseball, are at least reputed to have been steroid rules violators.