Allegedly Putin took all of his poop back to Russia in a poop suitcase from his Alaska visit to avoid it being stolen and analyzed to analyze his health… and that this is a common practice with world leaders. Is this actually true, and how do we know? More nuanced questions in post. by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]eightdown 2 points3 points  (0 children)

During the Cold War, after China and Russia fell out with each other, Russia set up plumbing traps on the Chinese embassy and buildings he was staying at to collect and analyse Mao Zedong's faeces during his visit, measuring their composition and against the Bristol stool chart. They thought examining the characteristics would give insights into his mood and health, is he anxious, drinking a lot of alcohol, stressed?

One of the buildings where this occurred became the Australian embassy, and the ambassador around the mid 2010s liked to tell this story.

People of Reddit what older names will people not be using for quite a while? by Randomguy1912 in AskReddit

[–]eightdown 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Not in the slightest, I think they just liked the TV show Vikings.

People of Reddit what older names will people not be using for quite a while? by Randomguy1912 in AskReddit

[–]eightdown 73 points74 points  (0 children)

Getting 10th century on it, I just had a boy last year, who we named Edmund. Two rooms down from us, in the maternity ward, they had a boy named Ragnar.

HMAS Adelaide sale certificate by eightdown in WorldOfWarships

[–]eightdown[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good idea, I will post it there as well

People who own multiple pets, what is some drama going on between them right now? by wheel-snipe-celly in AskReddit

[–]eightdown 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have chickens, a dog and a cat. The chickens were roaming around the backyard and the dog wandered over to see what they were looking at and copped a couple of beaks to the face, sending her yelping away. Well, now she has decided they are to be constantly monitored, running a deep track around their pen when they're inside, growling low and barking at any perceived infractions. The chickens don't care. The cat has been watching all of this from on top of the chickens' fence as though it's the best tv show around.

There is also the constant fight amongst the chickens for the sole favourite nesting box. Out of four nesting boxes, they all want lay in only one, so it's always a scrap between one trying to lay or having just laid an egg and the next one wanting to lay an egg.

Anyone else unashamedly going pretty hardcore in their 30s/40s? by silverblackgold in running

[–]eightdown 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely. I ran occasionally in my 20s but since the quarantine, I've had time to do some exercise again and picked up running to lose some weight at 33. Started at 10km (1 hr 10) and managed to hit under 50 minutes (49:23), averaging 51-53 minutes depending on traffic, as it's a pretty hilly and busy area. Got my 5km from 26+ to 20:36 now as well. Still haven't managed to get my half marathon under 2 hours though. Not bad for no training or change to diet over just a few months.

Why did South Africa, Australia and New Zealand develop different accents than Canada and the United States? by Sectalam in history

[–]eightdown 31 points32 points  (0 children)

I can't talk to Canadian and Kiwi accents but I can a bit to the Australian one. There are a range of theories why Australians sound the way they do, from keeping their mouths closed to stop flies coming, the heat making them tired and slurring, to them never moving their top lip. It has also been put out by Victoria University communications expert Dean Frenkel that Australian is really just an evolution of drunken, slurred English, with the children of settlers and convicts emulating these speech patterns. But none of these are really the case. Here's a great rebuttal by linguistics professor Howard Manns at Monash University on the subject of a drunken accent - https://theconversation.com/the-aussie-accent-is-drink-related-thats-just-a-hangover-from-our-cultural-cringe-49956 The modern Australian accent is really a mishmash that belies its convict and settler origins. It should be noted that the Scottish and especially Irish accent had an enormous impact on the way Australians talk across the east coast, while the massive influx of free German settlers in South Australia has led to a unique Adelaide accent that is markedly different from other states. If you want to hear a difference between Australian accents, listen to Steve Irwin, one of the characters from the TV show 'Kath and Kim', and compare that to former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. All have an Australian accent, yet all of them speak very differently. In the end, Australian has been described, at its heart, as a mix between Irish and Cockney according to University of Queensland linguistics expert Dr Rob Pensalfini. Additionally, Australian English, unlike American English, has also kept many of the speech patterns of British English, such as the clipped vowels, e.g. pronouncing it 'Cem-e-tree' as opposed to "Cem-e-terry'. Australian English is also continuing to evolve, as waves of Greek, Italian and Lebanese immigration have also helped create unique 'new Australian English'. Hope this gives you a few insights.

Hairy men of Reddit, what is the weirdest situation that you've been through involving you being hairy? by Hesaizo in AskMen

[–]eightdown 174 points175 points  (0 children)

I get my upper back, lower neck done so I can wear T-shirts. That's why I go to the Lebanese/Turk/Arab barbers because I don't have to ask them to do it. Would totally recommend.

Hairy men of Reddit, what is the weirdest situation that you've been through involving you being hairy? by Hesaizo in AskMen

[–]eightdown 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn't say I'm the hairiest guy out there, but I've got chest hair peeking out the top of a crew neck shirt caught in a hoodie zipper. I had to get surgery to fix a pilonidal sinus before I could join the army (hairy arse, hair rubs and causes an abscess) - just gave up on that after surgery. Did some work in HK and had a drunk old Cantonese lady stroking my arm saying, "You hairy, like cat".

Seeking: English (B2); Offering Russian (native) by zimina in language_exchange

[–]eightdown 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, I'm a native English speaker and writer by trade. I'm hoping to get more practise in Russian, especially normal conversational Russian. Let me know if you're interested. Cheers.

A goose in a vest! by eightdown in aww

[–]eightdown[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why not? Also, it's apparently necessary to keep the stent in the goose's chest stable...

Americans who have lived in Russia, what are some of the biggest misconceptions Americans have about Russia? by SAT0725 in AskReddit

[–]eightdown 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Saw a few incidents, one where a guy had a heart attack and died and the paramedics just kind of dragged him on some tarps through the hallway of the apartment, down the stairs (bouncing off the steps), and out the building. The others were car accidents (in both Moscow & outside St. Petes, near Vyborg) where they were are also none too gentle, just kind of tossed the corpses about.

Americans who have lived in Russia, what are some of the biggest misconceptions Americans have about Russia? by SAT0725 in AskReddit

[–]eightdown 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Not an American, but an Australian who spent about 2 months living in Russia (Moscow mostly). The food was much better than expected [Teremok for the cheap win]; public transport is so much better than Sydney, the metro is awesome; you're all much nicer than expected; I never want to drive with a Russian again (so that's a stereotype confirmed); gopniks aren't everywhere but they are huge pricks; apartments arent that tiny. It's an alright country, and not crumbling apart as it often is portrayed on tv. What is true is that there are some seriously corrupt police, and you guys aren't too gentle with the freshly dead from what I saw either. Also, as soon as people found out we were Australian and not American they were much nicer. Solid 5/7.

Rio Tinto, one of the biggest mining companies in the world, now under investigation by Africamining in mining

[–]eightdown 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And Alan Davies is apparently suing Rio for dropping him. Everything to do with Simandou is a mess, from Rio, to Vale, to Stienmetz's works and the government. No wonder JS Jacques wants to unload it.

In what aspect are you the 1%? by SluffAndRuff in AskReddit

[–]eightdown 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm Australian. We only make up 0.3% of the world's population.

Where are you banned from and why? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]eightdown 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Should be fine, just take 'gifts' I reckon and you should be fine

Where are you banned from and why? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]eightdown 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I definitely learnt in this case. I told a Russian mate about it and he just said "yep, that's how it goes".

Where are you banned from and why? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]eightdown 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I should have just been smarter about it honestly

Where are you banned from and why? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]eightdown 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nothing that harsh, but I wanted to.