TIL: Today I Learned
- Thread starter Gilgamesh
- Start date
Map of the world based on each country's most valuable export: (bigger versions in link)
From this map, I learned that a whole bunch of countries export oil. Also, the top export for Afghanistan is opium.
From this map, I learned that a whole bunch of countries export oil. Also, the top export for Afghanistan is opium.
That's horrible. I hope they hunt down whoever placed that for human trafficking.Today I learned a vietnamese mail-order bride is $6000.
Today I learned a vietnamese mail-order bride is $6000.
Huh, so the Chinese is written in traditional characters paired with an English version of the advertisement printed in what appears to be a Vietnamese publication. Where is this advertisement from?
I'm 95.3% sure it's from Taiwan.
I bet it's the country of Photoshop.
GasBandit
Staff member
One of the recurring reddit rebuttals is that there's no reason to pay, Vietnamese families will pay YOU to get their daughter to America.
I actually have no doubt that this is a real advert. S. Korean farmers, for instance, happen to be a big customer of Vietnamese brides. The whole bit about running away at that bottom is also likely to be true as many of the 'brides' are indeed victims of human trafficking.
The payment is likely not going to the bride or her family, it's going to the agency/middleman that posted the advert.
As for brides running away, human trafficking is a possibility, yes, but in Taiwan's case sometimes the brides are using marriage as a pretext to come to Taiwan to work. Taiwan has limits on the number of foreign workers that can apply to work here, and it's not uncommon for foreign brides from southeast Asia to marry someone in Taiwan, then run away a few days later. And then after a few months they're discovered working as a dishwasher in a restaurant, and get deported.
Vietnamese brides have a particularly strong reputation in Taiwan for pulling this trick. Whether this is justified or not based on the statistics, I don't know.
That's sickening and sad.
And sometimes in Japan's case, they're lured with promises of work and then forced into prostitution or some other form of menial labor without or with little pay.
YIL - In order to work at a research station in the Antartic, you must have had your appendix & wisdom teeth removed.
TIL - Actress Bonnie Bedelia (Die Hard 1 & 2, Presumed Innocent) is the Aunt of the Culkin clan - Maccauley, Kieran et al.
TIL - Actress Bonnie Bedelia (Die Hard 1 & 2, Presumed Innocent) is the Aunt of the Culkin clan - Maccauley, Kieran et al.
TIL I've apparently made quite an impression on my daughter's classmates because of my hair colors. I have a bunch of little pre-k girls and boys who walk past me now and yell "Hi Lily's Mom!" everytime they see me. LOL
Til how to capture a sample of propane to be sent off to the lab for purity testing. Yay for learning how to do my new job
TIL Mainland (China) wives aren't only going to Taiwan to seek work. Sort-of the flip side to our discussion about the sex trafficking mentioned earlier.
Or we may have discovered Bhamv3's second job.
Or we may have discovered Bhamv3's second job.
The ladies love the goggles.TIL Mainland (China) wives aren't only going to Taiwan to seek work. Sort-of the flip side to our discussion about the sex trafficking mentioned earlier.
Or we may have discovered Bhamv3's second job.
figmentPez
Staff member
Last night I learned that in 24 states a plain chocolate bar is taxed as candy, but something like Twix (that uses flour) is not candy for tax purposes.
This morning I learned that crowdsourcing and social media are being used to track wildfire recovery in the environment:
This morning I learned that crowdsourcing and social media are being used to track wildfire recovery in the environment:
Now you know why I'm never around the boards during the weekends.TIL Mainland (China) wives aren't only going to Taiwan to seek work. Sort-of the flip side to our discussion about the sex trafficking mentioned earlier.
Or we may have discovered Bhamv3's second job.
TIL why the terms "Bull Falls" and "Grandfather Falls" are used so much up here in North Central Wisconsin: Blame it on the voyageurs. When a party of these French scouts, working for Jean Baptiste DuBay, started heading up river and came to a set of powerful, but drawn-out series of falls, they called them Taureau (Bull Falls, the name of the rapids down by Mosinee), Gros Taureau (Big Bull Falls, which are the ones that essentially go through Wausau), and Grand Pere Taureau (Grandfather Bull Falls, which were shortened to Grandfather Falls). I live near the Grandfather Falls, which happen to be the highest set of falls on the Wisconsin River.
TIL 8 year olds really love gross things and telling people all about the icky things they've learned, like worms that hide or live in sea cucumber butts. :/
When my cousin was 5 or 6, she had recently learned about boys having different parts than girls. She spent Thanksgiving wandering around telling everyone -and we have a large family, so 30+ people- "My friend is Dentin and he has a penis. My friend is Dentin and he has a penis." over and over and over... And you can't laugh, because you're rewarding that, and of course my Aunt and Uncle are embarrassed and trying to curb her behaviour without making her ashamed, but also, it was so hilarious...
There are two girls who live next door to our new house. I tihnk they must be seven or eight. Jet is trying desperatly to impress them in the only way a recently turned five year old boy can.
By shouting about how he's the master of the known world and all shall bow before him...or he will suck them into a portal of poop.
The girls have not been impressed yet and my advice of just TALKING to them seems to gain little.
Ah, social graces...something you learn the hard way.
No word of a lie, the word 'poop' still makes me laugh. Like... With no context, someone says, 'poop', and I will laugh.
I'm an adult.
They let me vote.
That's what they let you believe, my dear.
The word poop is well within the pantheon of inherently funny words. If I have any talent as a parent, it is allowing myself to deeply appreciate what a delight a juvenile sense of humor truly is, and teach my kids to use it appropriately. Or inappropriately, as the case may be.