January 17, 2019

No Country For Bearded Young Men: Only 'Well-Groomed' Tajiks Getting Passports

DUSHANBE -- Authorities in Tajikistan are being accused of stepping up a yearslong campaign against full beards by denying international passports to men who turn up shaggy for their photos.

President Emomali Rahmon has publicly discouraged beards, which are regarded by many officials in this impoverished Central Asian state as a foreign intrusion on local culture or a telltale sign of religious or other extremism.

During one recent week, more than a dozen Tajik men told RFE/RL's Tajik Service that passport officials had demanded that they return without beards if they want those essential international travel documents.

"They told me directly at the state visa and registration department that a passport for a man with a beard is only possible if the applicant is over 60 years of age," 51-year-old Soleh Navruzov said after being denied a passport when he submitted a photo of himself with a beard.


link
https://www.rferl.org/a/no-country-for-bearded-young-men-only-well-groomed-tajiks-getting-passports/29705257.html

Tajikistan Government has set up a barber shop in the same building

January 17, 2019

Does Deadpool Promote Nazism? Russian Censors Think So

Deadpool Max, a comic-book installment of the superhero saga that stormed the U.S. box office, includes a chapter about the bungling superhero's face-off with Zemo, a white supremacist hellbent on repeating the Holocaust. Deadpool's adversary spouts radical anti-Semitic conspiracy theories on his way to the grave.

David Lapham, the author, follows the chapter up with a note of caution to his readers, explaining that the historical figures and events praised by Zemo -- the Holocaust, Hitler, and the KKK -- are deplorable. "I know you're all savvy readers who get sarcasm and satire," Lapham writes.

snip

On January 9, Russian comic-book publisher Komilfo said that it had removed the entire chapter from its Russian-language version of Deadpool Max, set for release on January 18, because Russia's consumer-protection agency concluded that it promotes extremism.

link
https://www.rferl.org/a/does-deadpool-promote-nazism-russian-censors-think-so/29711680.html

Was going to post this in lounge but I wasn't sure if it went there or here

January 17, 2019

The Badass Women Of The Nomad Games

Turkey's Janset Genel in full flight during the mounted archery event, which the 18-year-old would go on to win.



Aida Akhmatova, from Kyrgyzstan, awaits her run in mounted archery. The contest stipulates that riders wear their nation's traditional dress, firing arrows from horseback at three targets along a 120-meter track.



A stunt rider sets the pace during a performance. Organizers expected competitors from 77 countries to participate in 37 types of ethnosports at these 3rd World Nomad Games.



Ban Batar, of Mongolia, awaits her turn in the mounted archery.

link:
https://www.rferl.org/a/the-badass-women-of-the-world-nomad-games/29476494.html

cross post in sports

January 17, 2019

The Badass Women Of The Nomad Games

Turkey's Janset Genel in full flight during the mounted archery event, which the 18-year-old would go on to win.



Aida Akhmatova, from Kyrgyzstan, awaits her run in mounted archery. The contest stipulates that riders wear their nation's traditional dress, firing arrows from horseback at three targets along a 120-meter track.



A stunt rider sets the pace during a performance. Organizers expected competitors from 77 countries to participate in 37 types of ethnosports at these 3rd World Nomad Games.



Ban Batar, of Mongolia, awaits her turn in the mounted archery.

link:
https://www.rferl.org/a/the-badass-women-of-the-world-nomad-games/29476494.html

January 15, 2019

Pictures from the Rally in Support of Congressman Steve King

January 7, 2019

North Korea Issues New Stamps for the New Year

The DPRK, North Korea, has released new stamps for 2019. Yonhap News (YNA is a South Korean News Organization) shows one of the stamps. It is for use only in North Korea, so getting one would be rather difficult and costly.




link
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/PYH20190102057100320?section=image/nk

January 5, 2019

43

According to the WSJ, that's how many House Republicans did not vote for Mc Carthy to be their leader
So, more Republicans did not vote for McCarthy to lead their party than the number Democrats that did not vote for Pelosi to be Speaker (and in essence be their leader, even though Hoyer has the title of House Majority leader)

January 3, 2019

People you may not realize are still alive

In light of the sad deaths of the Captain, Super Dave, Penny Marshall, Mean Gene and others, I decided to post alist of people you may not realize are still alive, or maybe how old they are

In the 100 or older club:
Roberta McCain 106 (the mother of John McCain)
Julie Gibson 104
Beverly Cleary 102
Herman Wouk 102
Nini Theilade 102 (Famous ballerina. Midsummer's Night Dream 1935)
Norman Lloyd 102 (Actor. Oldest working actor in the world -- still active. Most recent movie Trainwreck 2015. Gave up tennis two years ago)
Olivia de Havilland 101
Kirk Douglas 101
Vera Lynn 101
Art Rupe 100 (He started Specialty Records, noted for its rhythm & blues, blues, gospel and early rock and roll music recordings, in Los Angeles in 1946)
I.M. Pei 100 (architect)

90's

Hugh Downs - 97
Carol Channing
John Paul Stevens

Carl Reiner - 96

Normal Lear - 95
Larry Storch
Chuck Yeager
Pierre Cardin
Cicely Tyson

Gloria Vanderbilt - 94
Doris Day
Rhonda Flemming
Bob Barker
Bob Dole
Jimmy Carter

Leslie Phillips - 93
Bill Macy
Hal Holbrook

Dick van Dyke - 92
Marv Levy

Mel Brooks - 91
Sidney Poitier
Cloris Leachman
William Daniels
Lee Iacocca

Norm Crosby - 90
Vin Scully
Estelle Parson
Walter Mondale
Doc Severinsen
Peter Mark Richman

Still with us -- sadly

Lyndon La Rouche - 95
Robert Mugabe - 94
Henry Kissinger - 94
Sumner Redstone - 94
Alan Greenspan - 92
Tommy Lasorda - 90
Orson Bean - 89
Rupert Murdoch - 87
Roman Polanski - 84
Don King - 86