ladron posted:

starts drawing concentric circles of 10 minutes walking distance around all McDonalds in Bkk

"The noose tightens, Plunger, " he said, greasy buckethead gleaming softly in the laptop screen's glow.

ladron posted:

can confirm that korean milk was p.good, like cereal milk,

Gromit posted:

There's special milk you have just for cereal?

Grand Fromage posted:

I was told the reason milk in Korea is so sweet is not because they intentionally sweeten it, but since everybody's lactose intolerant they use an enzyme to remove the lactose, and that process converts the lactose into glucose which tastes much sweeter. I was never able to verify this.

Grouchio posted:

1. What would you recommend for reading about modern chinese culture?

Collateral Damage posted:

I've learned everything I know about China from this thread.

Bajaj posted:

Cross-posting because I know some people in this thread like my follies:

peanut posted:

Bajaj basically looks like Kylo Ren but in a polo shirt and New Balance.

quote:

China's debt-trap diplomacy reaches the Philippines, which is likely to accept Chinese loans 1,100% more expensive than other options

The Philippines is close to accepting Chinese loans that are up to 1,100% more expensive than those from Japan, in another instance of China's debt-trap diplomacy.

The loans from China, which will be used to fast-track infrastructure projects including a dam, railway project, and irrigation system, come with an interest rate of 2% to 3%. But loans available from Japan have interests rates between 0.25 and 0.75%, up to 12 times cheaper than those from China.

"We cannot get all the loans from ... Japan. Between 2 and 3 % interest rate is still much better than commercial [loans]," Ernesto M. Pernia, the Philippines' chief economist, announced in February.

According to the government's official news agency, Pernia said Japan's slowness was part of the reason - "We don't want to be left behind" - but CNN and local outlet Rappler both reported the economist weighing up the need for diplomatic "friends."

"More friends is still better than fewer friends," he said.

The Philippines has fought with China for years over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. But President Rodrigo Duterte has overseen trade growth between the two countries, and China is now the country's biggest trading partner.

China has a pattern of funding infrastructure projects in poorer countries in exchange for better relations and regional access, a trend called debt-trap diplomacy.

One of the biggest culprits has been China's Belt and Road initiative, a trillion-dollar project to link 70 countries in Asia, Oceania, Africa, and Europe with railway lines and shipping lanes. To fund the infrastructure projects - which are attractive to poorer and underdeveloped countries that struggle to secure traditional financing - China offers their own loans.

The loans can have exorbitant interest rates or natural resources are used as collateral that China can control if a country defaults on its payments.

China's loans can also come with other strings.

In the Philippines, Chinese-owned contractors will be required to work on the infrastructure projects, rather than supporting local companies and workers. And with an emerging pattern of Chinese-owned businesses being seized by their own government, the line between state and business is blurring.

It's an issue that looks set to increase. During President Xi Jinping's first five year term, China doubled its diplomacy expenditure.

This week China announced it's increasing the 2018 budget by more than 15%, twice the increase on military spending, to $9.5 billion.

Xi made his intentions clear in October last year.

"It is time for us to take centre stage in the world," he said.

peanut posted:

Bajaj basically looks like Kylo Ren but in a polo shirt and New Balance.

Taintrunner posted:

Homeless, and/or drugs. This was the scariest fuckin read I’ve seen in a long time. Aaahgh!!

quote:

I don't know why I am here .

I would blow Dane Cook posted:

Atlas Hugged posted:

I didn't even bat an eye at Bajaj's recent Thai girl story. Par for the course here.

Bajaj posted:

I sent this Youtube to Chaoshan Girl after first explaining with Google translate for the terms what light year is, the distance, why we use that as a measurement, what a galaxy is, and so on,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1mkjkTqg0Y

She watched it and this is the reply I got:


She's having a full blown existential melt down. I asked if China was still number one and she told me to shut up.

Coolguye posted:

did i miss something or has she just never thought about how big space is

Bajaj posted:

I think you missed how Chinese public school doesn't encourage learning or thinking.

Coolguye posted:

did i miss something or has she just never thought about how big space is

Pirate Radar posted:

Wait refresh my memory, is CG the Space Buddha believer or was that someone else?

Fojar38 posted:

the existence of places other than china is still a novelty to lots of mainlanders

Bajaj posted:

That is the Mongol.

This is entirely true, and it's so true that it borders on angering and saddening.

Bajaj posted:

She's having a full blown existential melt down. I asked if China was still number one and she told me to shut up.

caberham posted:

Hype beast is a Hong Kong chinese dude

Coolguye posted:

did i miss something or has she just never thought about how big space is

Lupin posted:

Bajaj face, destroyed

quote:

A Hype Beast is a kid that collect clothing, shoes, and accessories for the sole purpose of impressing others. Although the individual may not have a dime to their name they like to front like they are making far more then everybody else. Equipped with mommies credit card the Hype Beast will try his hardest to make sure he has every pair of Nike’s he saw Jay-Z wearing on 106 & Park.

quote:

A hypebeast is a slang for someone who is a beast (obsessed) about the hype (in fashion), and will do whatever it takes to obtain that desired hype. The term is meant to be derogatory by ridiculing of such with a lack of style. Hyped up brands sell their products for a price more than the average clothing company and can be seen re-sold along the internet for a price much greater than retail due to the fact that it is either exclusive, or somewhat limited. Yes, even when it was worn.

Many brands include Supreme, Bathing Ape, Billionaire Boys Club/Ice Cream, OriginalFake, and many more related to streetwear. Hypebeasts buy their clothes for the logos and brand-name and completely ignores the fact if they personally like the item or not. In general terms, they just buy whatever the brand puts out and dresses to impress others by what brand-name he/she is wearing.

Grand Fromage posted:

I was told the reason milk in Korea is so sweet is not because they intentionally sweeten it, but since everybody's lactose intolerant they use an enzyme to remove the lactose, and that process converts the lactose into glucose which tastes much sweeter. I was never able to verify this.

Bajaj posted:

Not at all. Calling someone a "hypebeast" is...

His Divine Shadow posted:

This is true as was mentioned earlier but I am wondering just how much genes control lactose intolerance... because both me and my SO whose parents are from vietnam, chug loads of milk, I mean we're in Finland which is like world #1 milk consumer or something, like 10 liters whole milk per week in our household currently.

I wonder if how you were raised matters, like if you keep on drinking milk all childhood into adulthood the body just doesn't turn off making the enzymes you need.

His Divine Shadow posted:

This is true as was mentioned earlier but I am wondering just how much genes control lactose intolerance... because both me and my SO whose parents are from vietnam, chug loads of milk, I mean we're in Finland which is like world #1 milk consumer or something, like 10 liters whole milk per week in our household currently.

I wonder if how you were raised matters, like if you keep on drinking milk all childhood into adulthood the body just doesn't turn off making the enzymes you need.

Grand Fromage posted:

Should be specific we're talking about adult lactose tolerance here. As a baby everyone is, but most humans don't have the genes to retain that tolerance into adulthood. It's a fairly uncommon mutation.

Bajaj posted:

As usual, I don't post the cool hang outs because that's boring and everyone has that. I post the weird and dumb ones because I guess some people like it. If everyone hated it, I wouldn't post the stories and would keep them to myself. It's funny to me that posting dumb dating stories in the dating app thread is making some people upset.

oohhboy posted:

I second this. His language is even handed but it doesn't take away how hosed up it is. Despite all his experience, contacts and ability as a middleman it is always a trap where he too is helpless. If the stories and news reports this thread gets from time to time it hasn't changed one bit if not worse in different ways.

I also recommend Flying Upside Down by Duke Nukem.

A horrifying look into Chinese aviation practises and culture on a more local level. The language and tone is not as kind. It has real documents showing that yeah, this is is for real. I can attest it veracity as I have personally witnessed their incompetence in a plane crash on the runway and a government report on a crash famous enough to be publicly distributed in the aviation industry from a plane from my school. If you can't find a copy of Flying Upside Down yourself I would be more than happy to send you one. Don't worry, its not if anyone cares.