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PaperclipPerfector  13d ago (text post)   973 thread views

Transnational Thursday for April 17, 2025

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

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Rare that this doesn't get even one hit? I'll go first.

The Japan expo in Osaka (I guess the Osaka Expo) with its bizarre mascot that looks like a walking pathogen has begun. No Japanese person I know (admittedly I stay home a lot) is going or has any interest in going. But Japan is choc-a-bloc with foreigner tourists now. Drives me nuts.

Bizarre! When bird flu hits us with an unexpected mutation!

Btw, do you know of any good japanese vloggers on YT or elsewhere with interesting stuff to say? Whether positive or negative about Japan.

As the resident tinfoil hatter, that mascot looks like predictive programming for something. Also a three year old girl in Mexico died of bird flu a few hours ago. No underlying conditions, no history of travel, no association with dairy or farm work as far as I can tell.

Predictive programming? What is that? AI picking up on data? Or "they" doing a psyop to prime us for something?

The second. If you want another example, the giant grim reaper holding a syringe at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.

Honestly, in terms of the symbols of those Olympic games, I preferred the Goatse submission [SFW]. The "Lisa Simpson blowjob" one just didn't hit the same way.

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