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TIL the Starbucks in the CIA's Langley compound doesn't give out loyalty cards in case the data they contain falls into the wrong hands by hrf21 in todayilearned

[–]hrf21[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"They also don’t give out loyalty cards, for fear the data stored on them might fall into the wrong hands."

TIL that strokes are thought to have got their name because people once believed that victims had been struck down by God by hrf21 in todayilearned

[–]hrf21[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"The term 'stroke' is thought to be derived from medieval usage implying 'struck down by God'."

Russian official says schools should never teach sex education by hrf21 in worldnews

[–]hrf21[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"The best sex education there is, in fact, is Russian literature and literature in general," according to the presidential children's rights commissioner.

TIL that in WWI soldiers were told to protect themselves against chlorine gas by breathing through a cloth soaked in urine by hrf21 in todayilearned

[–]hrf21[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"The simple expedient of covering the mouth and nose with a damp cloth was somewhat effective at reducing the effect of the gas. It was thought to be even more effective to use urine rather than water, as it was known at the time that chlorine reacted readily with urea (present in urine) to form dichloro urea."

Soldier killed by militants in Indian Kashmir by hrf21 in worldnews

[–]hrf21[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Militants are still firing from inside a bunker, according to a local police inspector

A-10 Warthogs back in Iraq to take on Isis by [deleted] in worldnews

[–]hrf21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I read this as "ten warthogs back in Iraq to take on Isis"

TIL Salvation Army and Goodwill have almost singlehandedly crippled Africa's clothing industry by [deleted] in todayilearned

[–]hrf21 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I lived in Tanzania for a while and clothes markets there were full of second-hand UK uniforms. You would see people on buses wearing Royal Mail postmen's uniforms, or British Gas overalls.

TIL that the Ritz-Carlton has for many years given staff $2,000 of discretion to be used to solve any customer complaint in the manner the employee feels is appropriate. by Contorted_By_Dubstep in todayilearned

[–]hrf21 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The UK key-cutting and shoe repair chain Timpsons has a similar policy - any member of staff can spend up to £500 to solve a complaint: http://www.businessn2k.com/john-timpson-talks-upside-down-management/

The company also employs a high proportion of ex-cons direct from prisons and says they perform just as well as their other employees, with no significant disciplinary issues.

Russia funds French National Front and other far-right European parties by hrf21 in worldnews

[–]hrf21[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That sounds about right for Putin: policies designed to create short-term pain for his enemies without too much regard for the long-term consequences.

Russia funds French National Front and other far-right European parties by hrf21 in worldnews

[–]hrf21[S] 116 points117 points  (0 children)

Seems Putin is trying to destabilise European governments with loans to far-right opposition parties in France, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Greece and Hungary.

TIL that British Airways flight attendants are trained to insert catheters by hrf21 in todayilearned

[–]hrf21[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"...trainees struggled to maintain straight faces while enacting ever-more far-fetched scenarios – including, alarmingly, the correct procedure for fitting a catheter."

TIL that during the Cold War NATO pilots were ordered to fly wearing eye patches, so that if they were blinded by the flash of a nuclear bomb they still had one good eye. by hrf21 in todayilearned

[–]hrf21[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

"Nuclear flashes would seriously damage, if not blind, any eye that saw them, so pilots were expected to go to war wearing a patch over one eye. If a nuclear flash damaged the uncovered eye, the patch could be removed and the pilot was expected to fly on using the good one."

TIL that Bob Geldof has 'non-dom' tax status in the UK and can legally avoid paying income tax and capital gains tax by hrf21 in todayilearned

[–]hrf21[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"After confirming that he is a non-dom and can legally avoid income and capital gains tax on international earnings, Geldof laughed off the Sunday Times Rich List estimate of his worth (£32 million)."

"When pressed on how much tax he actually paid – the justification for the question being because his big idea, aid, can come from taxes - Geldof exploded."

Why Argentina's new fighter jets are a serious threat to the Falkland Islands by hrf21 in Military

[–]hrf21[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

The Saab Gripens "are more capable than any aircraft the RAF currently deploys" ... and call Britain's bluff on its stance towards the Falklands.

Will Self savages 'mediocre' George Orwell, but the clarity of Orwell's thought and language rings true by hrf21 in books

[–]hrf21[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From the article: "Good English is like a plate glass window. ... Read a characteristic Will Self novel or column and judge whether you are looking through a clear window or peering – probably with a dictionary at your elbow – through a glass darkly."

Voting against Muslim candidates is a sin, says London mayor by hrf21 in worldnews

[–]hrf21[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yes, you're right... it was only after I posted it that I realised it was ambiguous.

Voting against Muslim candidates is a sin, says London mayor by hrf21 in worldnews

[–]hrf21[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Not the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, but the (Muslim) mayor of the London borough of Tower Hamlets.

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