My father-in-law is from Burkina, and his family, including my brother-in-law, still live there. The rejection of ECOWAS and the alliance with Mali and Niger is popular, owing mostly to what I’d describe as a general anti colonialist and, particularly, anti French sentiment, which I suppose is understandable.

The article talks about how the countries have rejected French military aid, but the overwhelming opinion I hear from any of the expats I talk with is that the French were only there to protect their mineral interests and provided minimal aid outside of that.

Ultimately, the combined military power of all three nations is not enough to fend off the insurgency. They are further hampered by inter-ethnic conflict, and I very much doubt that Russia will be able to provide any meaningful support, especially for free. This all leads to intense civilian suffering which, in my opinion, requires UN intervention. Unfortunately unless the military junta suddenly reverses its opinion on western influence, this is unlikely to happen.

Honestly, it sounded like my Nan when she’s got her teeth out

At least in CWD-causing prions, plant accumulation is significant enough for the plants to be infectious when consumed by mice in a lab setting. So, maybe?

https://www.usgs.gov/publications/plants-vectors-environmental-prion-transmission

Ah yes, the famous Soviet era of the United States. How could I forget?

It was a US made Bell 212

Why do you feel the need to defend mediocre artist who has demonstrated that he has a complete inability to learn and grow past his horrific behaviour? Hip Hop is littered with abusive, mysoginistic, violent arseholes and each one of them should be called out.

If you’re specifically worried about people talking about how Chris Brown is an abuser, but not Eminem, you can rest easy in the knowledge that he has justifiably been criticised for his behaviour for the entirety of his career. The difference is Eminem never swept any of it under the rug, nor did he shy away from speaking about his problems with drugs and mental health, and the harm he caused because of it, specifically to the women around him.

The same cannot be said for abusers like Bambaataa, his defender KRS, NAS, Dre, Puff Daddy, Chris Brown or any of the other countless motherfuckers who use their money and position within the hip hop community to avoid criticism and consequences for their abhorrent behaviour.

Hope you enjoy!

I pre-ordered DUSTWUN by Echotide

Full disclosure, I’m mates with the bass player- the best way to support your friends by paying full price!

I get where you’re coming from, and I can always relate to any scepticism around corporate policy. To clarify, specifically, my thoughts around the workplace, they’re entirely dependent on my own experience in small to medium sized companies in Australia with strong culture and policies around this sort of thing.

I recognise that other regions would have differing levels of enforcement and while not every social situation is equitable to expectations at work, in my personal view it’s pretty cut and dry- you shouldn’t need a rule in a social club specifically banning uninvited sexual comments, it’s just a given that you don’t do that.

I’d suggest, also as a male, that it’s a red flag. He’s a new member and his first instinct is to sexually harass a female member, and then double down when he doesn’t get the response he’s looking for.

In any workplace I’ve been in, he’d be sacked. Why should he be given more leniency in a social situation?

"And that’s not because ancient Romans and Greeks weren’t living to a ripe old age.

Per the article: “While average life expectancy before the common era was roughly half of what it is today, the age of 35 was hardly considered ‘old’ for the time. The median age of death in ancient Greece was, by some estimates, closer to 70 years, which means that half of society was living even longer than that. Hippocrates himself, the famous Greek physician and so-called father of medicine, is thought to have died in his 80s or 90s.”

Great timing, thanks for posting. I’m beginning my own journey with a Bachelor of Archaeology today with equal parts excitement and apprehension.

Not a Roman village, a pre Roman Celtic village.

I’ve been listening to Rum, Sodomy & the Lash on repeat this morning. Thanks for the melodies, Shane.