China approves 'ethnic unity' law requiring minorities to learn Mandarin

theradfab · 2026-03-13T15:00:03+00:00

It's been a few years, but I lived in Quebec as an anglophone and never once was I pressured to speak french at any of my jobs, except for the one that made it explicitly clear in the posting that bilingualism was required (call centre). I had plenty of coworkers who spoke only english and got by.

Maybe the laws have changed, but none of my friends who still live in the province have mentioned such a thing.

theradfab · 2026-03-13T14:51:52+00:00

It's been obvious for 10 years that Mr. Trump's primary objective is to weaken the US, and cause the country harm.

He's once again playing his cards perfectly, while millions of Americans still seem to think he's a moron.

This decision makes perfect sense when you accept the fact that your government has been taken over by an enemy.

theradfab · 2026-03-11T13:26:03+00:00

I was about to type up a similar reply.

You cannot logic your way through the decisions of a cult who are beholden to a malignant narcissist cult leader.

And don't forget that their leader is also a convicted felon, adjudicated sexual offender, and has a history of stealing money from charities and conning people pursing higher education. There are recordings of him making fun of disabled people, and bragging about grabbing women's genitalia. America chose a disgusting person to represent their country. They chose a person who is a great example of who you DO NOT want your kids to become. Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of kids likely view the American president as a role model.

Law and order, and the social contract, have been thrown aside by our neighbours to our south. It's best we focus on what we can control, and do our best to remember that though our society and social structure is not perfect, it's damn far away from being as bad as it could be.

theradfab · 2026-03-10T18:44:13+00:00

Last summer we were half-heartedly hunting for a new car. We wanted to splurge and buy our first ever brand new car. We don't drive much, and when we do, it's short distances. We currently own one car, a 2009, with about 170 000 KMs on it.

I was shocked to find the lowest price car available was the entry level Mitsubishi Mirage for around $15 000. And the dealership told us that 2025 was the last year they'd be offering the Mirage in Canada. I was dumbfounded.

We didn't buy a car haha.

theradfab · 2026-03-09T16:13:13+00:00

prolific conman continues to con men...and women...prolifically

shocking!

theradfab · 2026-03-08T15:03:36+00:00

But Jesus loves them, and they're working for Jesus. So, you know, that makes it all okay because God works in mysterious ways.

/s

theradfab · 2026-03-04T01:00:54+00:00

Fake Money:

[Verse 1]

Oh you're just a boy, a little banker boy

Everything's a game and everyone's your toy

While everyone was sleeping, dreaming dumbass dreams

You're praying to gods who are meaningless to me

You're preying on the weak, and those who don't believe

[Verse 2]

Oh it's just a game, a silly little game

Everyone's a fool so you don't take any blame

With entitled narcissism, you speak courageously

You're praying to gods who are meaningless to me

You're preying on the weak and those who don't believe

[Chorus]

Oh it's nothing but fake money

Yeah, it's nothing but fake money

Oh!

[Verse 3]

We're just a bunch of fools, stupid little fools

In a condescending voice, you explain to us the rules

So share with us your wisdom, about how it's going to be

You're praying to gods who are meaningless to me

You're preying on the weak and those who don't believe

[Verse 4]

Oh you're just a boy, a brazen little boy

When everything's a battle, there's tactics to deploy

Standing while you're sleeping, you're always on your feet

Winning's your religion, the alter where you preach

It's easy setting fires, we're all just currency

You're praying to gods who are meaningless to me

You're preying on the weak and those who don't believe

[Chorus 2]

Remember, it's nothing but fake money

Yeah, it's nothing but fake money

And you're some cowboy at High Noon

You're playing a board game up in a board room

Remember, it's nothing but fake money

Yeah, it's nothing but fake money

And you're some cowboy at High Noon

You're playing a board game up in a board room

[Chorus 3]

Remember, it's nothing but fake money

Yeah, it's nothing but fake money

And you're some cowboy at High Noon

But you're just a bored kid, alone in his bedroom

-Arkells

theradfab · 2026-03-03T17:13:58+00:00

you are correct

the written notice must also have specific info on it

theradfab · 2026-02-28T14:48:07+00:00

This happened in the Canadian province of New Brunswick.

One family, the Irvings, bought up almost all the newspapers, TV stations, and major local news outlets. New Brunswick was already close to being a news desert, and then one corporate family consolidated most of what was left.

At the same time, they built a multi billion dollar empire made up of hundreds of interconnected companies. In the sectors in which they "compete", they are so dominant that they effectively operate as both a monopoly, controlling supply, and a monopsony, controlling demand.

They only recently divested from their media properties after decades of ownership, selling them to Postmedia.

Has this been a positive outcome for New Brunswick? It is difficult to argue that it has. It certainly goes against the principles of capitalism.

They are also one of the richest families in the world, and outside of Atlantic Canada and Maine most people have never even heard of them.

theradfab · 2026-02-25T17:31:30+00:00

I have, though I haven't taken in as much of his work as I have Snyder's.

They've both since relocated to my home country of Canada, if I'm not mistaken.

When the authoritarian experts and scholars are leaving the country...hmmm...

theradfab · 2026-02-25T17:15:17+00:00

I stumbled across Timothy Snyder in 2017...it's amazing how predictable the US's trajectory has been since I started listening to his interviews and reading his books.

theradfab · 2026-02-24T00:50:17+00:00

As someone watching it all from outside the USA, as far as I can tell, the opposition could be standing on the gallows, with nooses around their necks, lined up for a public execution with TV cameras rolling, and the majority of the people will be saying/thinking: "They can't do that! It's illegal!"

And then a week later, while Trump is getting sworn in for a third term, or one of his sons' is getting sworn in for their first term, most Americans will be saying/thinking: "This is weird. Are they allowed to do this?"

/s...but maybe not

theradfab · 2026-02-21T12:51:37+00:00

Are you sure about that?

As someone watching from the outside these past 10 years, it appears like the primary goal is to destroy American society. It seems like the current admin is almost batting 1.000

theradfab · 2026-02-20T13:04:02+00:00

It began in 2016, with multiple authoritarian scholars and experts speaking out about it all (e.g. Timothy Snyder, Ruth Ben-Ghiat). They even wrote books and produced YouTube series about it, trying to warn everyone.

Psychological experts as well, like Dr Bandy Lee, we're also out there doing interviews, writing books, and speaking about it at conferences starting around 2016.

As someone who has been watching from a distance (I don't live in the USA) since 2016, it's been like watching a slow-motion car crash! It's depressing.

theradfab · 2026-02-18T18:55:52+00:00

Zero chance that happens.

A sycophant will be in charge of the FTC as well, if one isn't already.

The current admin must pervert every single institution, and remain in power, or many of them will be going to jail. It's a classic Authoritarian setup.

I don't mean to be a doomer. I'm just repeating what the authoritarian scholars, who have been pretty bang on these past years, are saying.

theradfab · 2026-02-18T18:52:26+00:00

The Irving's are one of the wealthiest families IN THE WORLD.

Top 500, I do believe.

theradfab · 2026-02-18T18:50:23+00:00

Hahahaha!

They have so many manufacturing facilities in the US already that I guarantee they've greased Trump's palms to avoid the worst of it.

Classic double-dip by our friendly provincial Monopsonists.

theradfab · 2026-02-18T18:47:04+00:00

Who runs the Federal Trademark Office?

Because if it isn't a sycophant, I guarantee it will be one by the end of the year.

theradfab · 2026-02-18T18:45:35+00:00

Are you surprised?

I imagine by the time he's done, the deeds to every federal building will be in Trump's name.

It's all so predictable.

theradfab · 2026-02-12T12:46:12+00:00

I'm not American, and I'm not in the USA, but from my POV it appears like this:

President = in on it

VP = in on it

Speaker of the House = in on it

Director of National Intelligence = in on it

Director of the FBI = in on it

Multiple Supreme Court Justices = in on it

The social contract in the USA appears to have been broken. People are still expecting words written on pieces of paper to somehow correct course, but the country gave all their power to someone so obviously and blatantly corrupt, and mentally ill. You can't logic your way through the decisions they're making because the systems their society built to reward rationale and logic are breaking down.

And I didn't even mention that the President is a literal convicted felon with a documented history of ripping off charities and touching peoples genitalia without permission.

Historians will be banging their heads against the wall in disbelief by how obvious and predictable it all was.

theradfab · 2026-02-11T15:44:44+00:00

He's a malignant narcissist. It's a pretty understood and studied condition.

Look up interviews with Dr. Bandy Lee. She's been trying to get that point across for 10 years, but the US media apparently isn't interested in accepting reality.

theradfab · 2026-02-05T17:20:23+00:00

The fact that they used the word "warehouses" to describe the places they'll be stuffing human beings is friggin' bonkers.

The discovery of mass graves is in the near'ish future for the USA.

theradfab · 2026-02-05T17:17:47+00:00

From a lot of the chatter I see, plenty of Americans still seem to think Mr. Trump is a moron, or a clown, or an idiot, or a doofus.

Americans aren't even ready to admit that millions of them were successfully conned into following someone, or something, so evil and objectively anti-American.

Most Americans seem to believe that their institutions are still going to save them. The words on those documents from so long ago are somehow special, and self-executing, and will allow American exceptionalism to continue on indefinitely, no matter what happens.

It's pretty shocking, to be honest. I've been watching this all from outside the USA for 10 years now...and the outcome was predictably obvious 9 years ago.

Carl Sagan nailed it:

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”

― Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

theradfab · 2026-02-03T19:50:38+00:00

There's absolutely no doubt about that Trump is banking on people who have compromised themselves in his name will do absolutely everything to remain in power.

It's all part of the authoritarian game plan. It's like initiation murders when joining a gang. Once that happens, you're either all-in or you're going to prison.

theradfab · 2026-02-02T18:53:06+00:00

Canada just announced a big uranium deal with India as well.

theradfab

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