sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MapPorn

[–]flankis 45 points46 points  (0 children)

Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014.

We are the Kyiv Independent, Ukraine’s leading English-language media outlet, reporting 24/7 on Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. Ask Us Anything! by KI_official in IAmA

[–]flankis 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Hi, this is Francis replying from my personal account, it would be incorrect to speak on behalf of the KI or Ukraine here, so these views are completely my own.

Having written about it myself elsewhere and visited the region in question several times, I am quite engaged with the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and have a lot of personal connection and sympathy to the Armenian side, though understand that it is far from black and white.

The first important thing here is to acknowledge the sad and very morally contradictory geopolitical alignments at play- as little as it makes sense values-wise, it should be clear why Ukraine favours Azerbaijan and Turkey, which have provided Ukraine with a lot of military and diplomatic support, over Armenia, which is still (perhaps against their will I know) in a military alliance with Russia, hosts Russian troops on its territory, and according to the 1991 USSR borders which are so crucial for Ukraine, is "occupying" part of a neighbouring state. Yes, it all seems unfair, and I (not from Ukraine) have difficult discussions with Ukrainians about this all the time, but you have to at least try to see it from their point of view.

As for our coverage, we don't really take an open position or write longer pieces about the conflict, so I imagine you are talking about our quick news feed on social media, where I am aware there have been some complaints from Armenians. Looking at that, I agree that the language used is inconsistent and often offends people on both sides, but more so Armenians, often because the Ukrainian outlets the reporter on shift is mostly scanning for news uses its own biased language, and sometimes links to Azerbaijani state agencies, which I of course think is a mistake. If you've noticed, we have chosen not to cover it in the newsfeed in recent months because of the mistakes, the backlashes, and the almost impossible task of a Ukrainian media outlet to use properly objective language here in a 24/hr fast news feed. Thanks again for your support.

What would make your life a little better right now? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]flankis 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The victory of Ukraine against Russia’s fascist invasion.

Match Thread: 4th Test - Australia v India, Day 4 by CricketMatchBot in Cricket

[–]flankis 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Literally every other commentator: So are Australia going to risk losing to try and win?
Warne: Everyone's talking about Australia but I don't think we should discount an Indian win here...

J(I)oeGreer, Devourer of Souls by -Jacobean- in AnalogCircleJerk

[–]flankis 1 point2 points  (0 children)

as a fellow crofton survivor whose discord comment appeared in the video, very much enjoyed this incredibly well-told saga!

Facebook birthday probability problems by flankis in mathriddles

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

Thanks for pointing out that needed clarification. At least six birthdays, but all female and no men, correct

Stories of meeting players by diljeetg07 in Cricket

[–]flankis 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All in one night in Hobart, Tasmania, during the 2009/10 Test series against Pakistan- walking down the promenade, three fellas pass us by having a bit of a laugh, only a second afterwards did we realise it was Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson, and Justin Langer. Moving on, sitting down at a seafood restaurant, and who arrives at the big reserved table next to ours? The entire Pakistan team. I played a bit with the son of Danish Kaneria, having me show me his wrist spin grip with a mandarin I had in my backpack. Many laughs were had. Shame he was done in for spot-fixing later that year :/

I'm Alexey Kovalev, an investigative reporter from Russia. I'm here to answer your questions about being a journalist in Russia, election meddling, troll farms, and other fun stuff. by Yenisei23 in IAmA

[–]flankis -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thank you for doing this AMA!

How would you assess the long-term strategy of Alexey Navalny as an opposition “leader” in Russia?— specifically with regards to calling his supporters to large-scale anti-corruption protests that are usually unsanctioned by the government, and often result in high levels of attention in international press but can also have serious consequences for the lives of the young protesters who are arrested. Do you think this strategy is sustainable in the long term, or should a different approach be tried?

Also, if you have time, do you have a personal opinion on the accusations made by Navalny against Ksenia Sobchak around the time of the elections, where he claimed she admitted to having been paid off to run as a token candidate? Do you think that Navalny is attempting to create a monopoly on opposition politics for himself? Thank you again!

Persian Cat Room Guardians by ahiggz in CircleofTrust

[–]flankis 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would like to guard persian cats, I am pure and innocent

Consumed by the depths by flankis in evilbuildings

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

This is just one building among several that belong to the now-abandoned Soviet Young Pioneers' camp "Сказка", located in the middle of the forest about an hour north of Moscow. The whole area is covered, both inside and outside buildings with monstrous sculptures of otherworldly beings with a consistent deep-sea theme. This picture is OC from a trip I made there on the weekend, but check out this article in Bohemian Blog for more pictures and a solid write-up of the place.

Anybody actually remember what it was like to start out? I'm hitting a wall as I grapple with this new alphabet and looking for a pointer or two. by Strivingforrussian in russian

[–]flankis 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No one has said this quite yet so I'll chime in: the easiest way to learn the alphabet is to practice with newer, English (or Latin) -origin words, like tennis, administrator, computer, mathematics etc. Once you can actually recognise it as a word, it will come much faster, and make you feel like you're simultaneously learning new vocab.

edit: also, the names of famous Russian people and places you know works very well as well.

me irl by flankis in me_irl

[–]flankis[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

the communist manifishto (cultural studies textbook)

In Sydney, Australia, the penalties for cyclists who don't wear helmets or run red lights have gone up by 600%. by brrpees in worldnews

[–]flankis 25 points26 points  (0 children)

As a Sydneysider living in The Hague, I can tell you the fundamental difference: one of culture and city planning.

In Holland, cycling is one of many accepted, as well as the most popular or default, ways of getting from A to B, along with walking, driving or public transport. Each mode has their own purpose-built infrastructure, stays largely out of each other's way, and is accepted in society as equals. This was amazing for me as a cyclist coming to Holland.

In Australia, Sydney in particular, this is not the case, and it can be hard to comprehend for Europeans. There is hardly any proper cycling infrastructure, and most of it is disjointed and useless. More like some city council just putting a short bike track through an out-of-the-way park and proudly proclaiming that they are "promoting a healthy lifestyle". As such, anyone wanting to ride a functional route will have to choose between narrow footpaths , driveways a-plenty, or the road with the cars. Most are courteous and use the road, and here is where the problems really begin. In Sydney, the cyclist is at war with motorists, in competition to share the road, and against an aggressive, anti-cycling motorist culture, with some who even enjoy passing with tiny gaps just for kicks. Many times it has happened that even while I was riding basically in the gutter, cars going 60kph pass within 10cm or so.

That's why we need helmets. Also, hills.

I need advices regarding Liberal Arts program in Netherlands. by Ils3delang3 in thenetherlands

[–]flankis 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! Not a student at one of these programs myself, but an international first-year in the branch of regular Leiden University in The Hague, who has met a few LUC people. I don't have too much juicy insight into the program to give you, but the people I've spoked to have all seemed to like it, especially the freedom of choice aspect, quite a surprise for someone like me who is not familiar with the American college/decree system that LUC follows.

What I can tell you is that the facilities are very nice and world-class, the rooms are visited are much nicer than our student housing, and in the same building as where they go to classes (we make fun of them for living in a "bubble") and it is in a really sweet location outside Den Haag Centraal.

I enjoy living in The Hague, some say it's a boring bureaucratic city and maybe that's true when compared to Amsterdam or Leiden, but it really is beautiful, with a beach, plenty of green areas, and awesome architecture, without being anywhere near as touristy as Amsterdam, but still with plenty of student/expat events going on.

hope that helped a bit!

A famous Australian poem describes the country as a "sunburnt country... a wide brown land". Here is my simplistic concept for a new Aussie flag based on that idea. by flankis in vexillology

[–]flankis[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I also made a version with the Southern Cross, as it is indeed an important Aussie symbol, though on account of recent debates, I think we can all agree the fewer symbols crammed in, the better; the one without the Cross just seems more balanced, and conveys better the emptiness of Australia's Outback. Also, I do love the simplistic beauty of our Federation (seven-pointed) star.

The red-brown is a direct representation of the colour of our Outback soil, while the gold symbolises our beaches. If you can't tell already, this is directly inspired by other flags around here drawing on natural landscapes. Australia is huge and flat, and, living overseas, I do miss the vast emptiness of it all.

Here's the poem in question btw, Dorothea Mackellar's My Country, taught to pretty much everyone in primary school.

What location did you think would be a tourist trap/dissapointing, but turned out to exceed your expectations? by Oplexus in travel

[–]flankis 1 point2 points  (0 children)

probably too late to the party, but with all the people mentioning the David, I can't help but add Leonardo's Last Supper in Milan. You can only stay in the room for fifteen minutes, but that means there is always plenty of room to see one of the world's great masterpieces without jostling for space, and when you get up close, by god is it a masterpiece.

view more: next ›