Arthur's recent activity
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Comment on Johnny Depp to star in ‘Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol’ at Paramount with Ti West directing; Andrea Riseborough also joins movie dated for November 2026 in ~movies
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Comment on Johnny Depp to star in ‘Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol’ at Paramount with Ti West directing; Andrea Riseborough also joins movie dated for November 2026 in ~movies
Arthur (edited )Link ParentCould you or @cfabbro or anyone who knows about Depp/Heard trail point me towards a balanced/nuanced take on the whole situation? The vast majority of my 'woke' and leftist friends (not used here...Could you or @cfabbro or anyone who knows about Depp/Heard trail point me towards a balanced/nuanced take on the whole situation? The vast majority of my 'woke' and leftist friends (not used here as a pejorative, I consider myself woke and leftist) severely dislike Depp even after the trail, with opinions ranging from:
Depp used his influence, wealth, power and Hollywood fame etc. to manipulate proceedings/public opinion away from Heard towards a mysoginistic view that she is hysterical/malicious ex-wife stereotype and that she remains the victim in this case.
To:
Heard was a perpetrator of abuse but this was alongside or perhaps because of similar abuse by Depp both previously and at the time of proceedings.My understanding of the court case was essentially the latter: paraphrasing here but - both parties were in the wrong but there was more evidence and consistency with Depp's claim. Combined with a more money/power/public backing, Depp came out on top although this does not mean he was 'innocent' as it were. (And thus he is still 'cancelled' and I am soft-boycotting his work).
I'm very happy to be challenged on this and would love a (as much as can be within reason short and consise) resource to take to friends who have different opinions if there is something that is a nuanced and fair approach.
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Comment on Make new friends here! in ~life
Arthur Link ParentNo, NTU. My Chinese is passable but not enough to take classes in Chinese, so most of the courses I did were in English (barring language classes), so I'm sure I didn't get the full experience but...No, NTU. My Chinese is passable but not enough to take classes in Chinese, so most of the courses I did were in English (barring language classes), so I'm sure I didn't get the full experience but I really enjoyed it!
I know it's a major drawback for many but honestly one of the things I miss the most is the weather. That and the bubble tea I think haha. Fortunately I've made a few great friends there so always have a good excuse to go back.
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Comment on Make new friends here! in ~life
Arthur Link ParentI honestly think Taiwan is the hidden gem of Asia, and I'm torn between wanting more people to know about it and enjoy it and wanting to keep it all to myself! I lived in Taipei for a year as a...I honestly think Taiwan is the hidden gem of Asia, and I'm torn between wanting more people to know about it and enjoy it and wanting to keep it all to myself! I lived in Taipei for a year as a student and I fell in love with it. I was fortunate to be able to travel most of the island and while I loved Kaohsiung, Tainan, Qiao Liu Qiu and other places, Taipei has such a special place in my heart. It's hard to describe, but I visited again last year and just felt like I was returning home, somehow.
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Comment on Make new friends here! in ~life
Arthur Link ParentI'll be perfectly honest, from this list we have absolutely nothing in common, except that Taiwan is our favourite country. What drew you to Taiwan/ what do you love about it??I'll be perfectly honest, from this list we have absolutely nothing in common, except that Taiwan is our favourite country. What drew you to Taiwan/ what do you love about it??
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Comment on ‘Sex reversal’ is surprisingly common in birds, new study suggests in ~science
Arthur Link ParentDon't worry, I'm not! This really was more of a light-hearted expression of joy over how wild and unique nature is. As a non-binary person, sex and gender are a topic I'm particularly interested...Don't worry, I'm not! This really was more of a light-hearted expression of joy over how wild and unique nature is. As a non-binary person, sex and gender are a topic I'm particularly interested in, and as somebody with no real understanding of why I'm non binary, I find do find it interesting to look to the mystery of nature. I don't think anyone should be using this research to make any real decisions about sex and gender in human culture, something that (to other people, apparently) is invariably important.
I suppose my main point is that I can't quite fathom how, in a world so full of exceptions and variety, TERFs can only imagine one without any.
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Comment on ‘Sex reversal’ is surprisingly common in birds, new study suggests in ~science
Arthur (edited )LinkThis is a bit of a step away from birds, but I do find it really interesting to consider sex in nature. It's facts like this that really makes me not understand gender essentialists. Don't get me...This is a bit of a step away from birds, but I do find it really interesting to consider sex in nature. It's facts like this that really makes me not understand gender essentialists. Don't get me wrong, I know we're not even in the same Class so it really isn't comparable, but it's absolutely remarkable to me that humans have such a strict and binary understanding of gender.
Even if you ignore the very existence of intersex people (something that 'gender criticals' are very good at), theres so much evidence to suggest that even in humans, sex isn't this solid binary thing.
Looking at the animal kingdom, we have so much evidence to suggest that sex is often a suggestion and not a rule. From hermaphroditic slugs (the true non-binary icons) to genderbending fish, and now transgender birds, nature is alive with animals that haven't quite figured out their sex: why shouldn't we be the same?
Granted, this phenomena seems to be far less common in mammals, but we still have intersex whales, bixexual monkeys, and homosexual lions! Sometimes it seems like the more we know about the world, the less we know. TERFs will argue all day long that sex is permanent, immutable, and binary. Everything we see in nature, and our own scientific research within humans, suggests this isn't the case. And that's not even getting into gender: something that for now, we assume only humans have, though I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't true. Plenty of animals seem to have their own sex/gender roles and rules.
Again, I know this is a bit off topic and I really didn't mean to go into an anti-TERF tirade, but I really do just think it's fascinating to see how complex and surprising the world can be sometimes.
Edit: I should say, before somebody comes for me about the genderbending fish and transgender birds: I know. Please, just afford me this tiny bit of joy!
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Comment on What is your silly or (kinda) useless talent? in ~talk
Arthur Link ParentThis is one of my odd talents too! I used to impress my housemates a lot by setting a timer on our smart speaker while cooking, forgetting about it entirely, and asking how long was left when I...This is one of my odd talents too! I used to impress my housemates a lot by setting a timer on our smart speaker while cooking, forgetting about it entirely, and asking how long was left when I remembered. Almost always the answer was 'you have less than 10 seconds less on your timer'. Interestingly though, I am entirely incapable of doing this if I try. I always end up asking a few minutes too soon. It's a pretty rubbish party trick if I can only do it when I forget I can do it.
I put it down to doing a lot of cooking and being familiar with the times it takes for things to finish, but also probably receiving subliminal clues like the smell or sound of a pot boiling down to the right moisture level.
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Comment on Scientists estimate European heatwave caused 2,300 deaths last week in ~enviro
Arthur (edited )Link ParentThis article seems to suggest that research has shown that mass installation of AC in Paris could warm Paris by up to 4°F (~2.2°C* for us normal folk). On why Paris authorities are reluctant to...This article seems to suggest that research has shown that mass installation of AC in Paris could warm Paris by up to 4°F (~2.2°C* for us normal folk). On why Paris authorities are reluctant to encourage uptake of AC:
...Third is the urban heat island effect, which is more severe in Europe’s denser, grayer cities than it is in America’s more suburban metropolises. Even if they rely on clean power, A/Cs heat the air outside as much as they cool the inside. That means the comfort of those with air conditioning feeds the discomfort of those without. Researchers at the French National Center for Weather Research have concluded that if Paris doubles its A/C use by 2030, it could raise outdoor temperatures in the city by 3 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, policymakers have been very reluctant to encourage A/C adoption except in vulnerable places like nursing homes.
To be clear, I have no real stakes in this discussion. I don't know all that much about climate science or policy. I can't read French either, so really can't speak to the validity of the source, but thought it was interesting and would be interested in hearing your thoughts.
*Edit: revised from 2.7°C to 2.2°C, which I think is now correct (feel free to let me know if I'm wrong). I don't understand this cursed unit of measurement ;p
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Comment on The second Tildes Short Story Exchange is now open to submissions! (June-July 2025 edition) in ~creative
Arthur LinkTitle: Spring Author: Arthur Word count: 1319 Genre(s): Scifi Expected feedback: Your honest thoughts. I'm not a confident writer, so please don't be absolutely brutal, but I appreciate honest...Title: Spring
Author: Arthur
Word count: 1319
Genre(s): Scifi
Expected feedback: Your honest thoughts. I'm not a confident writer, so please don't be absolutely brutal, but I appreciate honest feedback to help me grow.
Should your story be on the EPUB? Yes
Additional note to community: I originally wrote this for the April writing prompt by @CannibalisticApple . The keyword prompt was: Rain, Spring, Renewal. I never submitted it, but I reread it the other day and quite liked it so I thought I would share! Bonus points if you guess the two pieces of writing that inspired this one.They said there was life on this planet. But from what we could tell, it had less life than a graveyard. For the past three months, we’ve been wandering on this grey, dusty husk, waiting. The journey here wasn’t easy. It took a team of us eight years as we hurtled across the vast and empty void of space, leaving behind everything we’ve ever known. It was lonely then. Don’t get me wrong, we had each other. But there’s only so much ‘each other’ you can stand when there are only five other people to talk to. I swore it wouldn’t happen, but I started to miss home, started to wish I’d never come. I think we all did, though some more than others.We were so excited when we set off. There isn’t anything like it - orbiting the earth and looking down at everything that ever was. I guess that isn’t strictly true anymore. But in that moment, it certainly felt true, as we looked through the capsule window at the planet we once called home, that we might never see again. If you looked close enough, you might see a tiny brick house jammed between a row of identical houses in a city of houses that went on and on and on. And if you looked a little closer, you might see a little girl playing with a toy spaceship and waiting for her mummy to come home. That's what I tried not to see as I hung above the earth, convincing myself that I’d made the right decision.
And even then, with all of that beauty, sadness, and trepidation mingling within me, I wasn’t remotely prepared for what was to come.
Alpha Centauri is, aside from our sun, our closest star. At four light years away, it takes eight years to reach with the most modern interstellar tech. We’ve had this tech for a while, but never used it. It's too dangerous, not to mention expensive, to visit an empty star, especially one that can take decades to reach. But curious as humanity is, we sent a probe. And twelve years later, we heard a call from the deep.
Life. A 99.9997% chance. Right on our doorstep, a sister planet that we had somehow missed. This planet was, if calculations were correct, harbouring billions upon billions of tons of life - a planet with life almost as active as our own.
It was a fluke, surely. But with odds that good, we couldn’t risk it. And so they sent us a team of astronauts, biologists, and chemists. Plucked from our home on our lonely rock to find out if maybe we aren’t alone as we thought.
Eight years whiled away as we waited. That little girl grew big, dropped her toy rocket, and stopped hoping for her mum, a stranger by now, to come home. She wasn’t wrong to do so. Each day, her mother flew further and further away, until she was just a twinkle in the twinkle of a star.
Life moved on out there, but not on the ship, where time almost seemed frozen. At long last, though, that day arrived. At first, it was a tiny dot, indistinguishable from the hundreds of thousands of stars hanging in the void of space. But the closer we got, the bigger the star grew, until finally one day we could see it for what it was, a tiny planet, barely bigger than our own Pluto, that wobbled precariously on the edge of the Goldilocks zone around Alpha Centauri. After so long alone, we were overjoyed to have made a new friend, but our hearts quickly sank as we drew closer. Our scans found no life, just a lifeless shell which barely had enough water to fill a lake, never mind the oceans that we had been dreaming of.
Still, we gritted our teeth, tried not to show our disappointment, and recalibrated our mission. We were wrong, there was no life here. But we had come all this way, and we sure as hell hadn’t left everything we knew and loved for nothing.
And so when we touched down, with dampened expectations, we set about studying the planet, not forgetting to bask in the fact that we were the first humans on another planet outside of our solar system. It wasn’t the legacy we had set out for, but it was one we were determined not to squander.
We began three long months of research. We took measurements, scanned every rock, recorded every variation in the breeze, and every fluctuation in humidity. Until one day, a single wispy cloud formed in the sky. It didn’t take long for this cloud to grow, and before long, it covered the entire sky. The next morning, it had grown dark, and finally, in the morning after that, the heavens opened.
It started with a single fat drop of rain, which landed with an audible thud. And then another, a few meters away. And then another, and another, each drop exploding with anticipation as it hit the grey, ashy earth below. A thick, rich smell filled the air, and the winds started to howl, as if the entire planet exhaled the breath it has been holding in for almost a decade. The rain fell for hours, relentlessly battering the ground below. But almost as quickly as it started, it came to a stop. As it did, a miracle happened.
A single blue tendril gently crept up from the sand. It was slow, at first, reaching, feeling, absorbing. All around, more tendrils emerged, each desperately gasping to suck up the water that had churned the soil into thick mud. Then, with violent ferocity, there was life. Each tendril swelled and unfurled, peeling itself open, shrieking with a vibrant show of colour. As it did, more strange creatures emerged from the deep. Small beings zipped into the air, shooting around from tendril to tendril. In some areas, large shards shot up from the ground, billowing plumes of scent into the air, bringing a cacophony of smell. Slower, sluggish, but brightly speckled creatures clawed themselves out of the soil. They were thick and round but rampaged manicaly through the fray, pulverising anything that came in their path. Enormous, drifting orbs appeared, flavouring the sky with hues that whistled, chimed and sang. All around, life slammed gently into itself as every being scrambled to be noticed as it revelled in the glory of the moment. Time itself felt the frenzy as it shivered and jittered along uncontrollably.
All we could do was stand in awe as the very meaning of life became obsolete to us. Each creature, driven by the intensity of survival, desperately vied to outperform the rest. Quickly, the beings transformed, flinging out projectiles into the air, driving limbs beneath the soil, flaking peeling, and flitting away with utmost urgency.
And when the first ray of starlight broke through the clouds, the planet wailed with frantic abandon. Each ray of light struck the life with devastating cruelty. Creatures that towered tens of meters in the air crumbled to dust, as others burrowed deep below the surface. In mere minutes, the chaos ceased, as the searing radiation from a burning star burned every creature that had emerged to dust. Even those below the surface popped and sizzled, until the planet became a lifeless rock once more.
We were broken, then. We had seen dynasties rise, only to fall again before our very eyes. In total disbelief, we watched as beings lived their entire lives in the few fleeting moments of shade. Our hearts ached, devastated by the loss of the world that had been. Yet, even through that sorrow, there remained a glimmer of hope, a quiet reassurance that those fleeting moments of life were truly lived to the full. And when the world weeps once more, this strange new life will once more spring.
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Comment on Tildes Demographics Survey, year… uh, it’s 2024? in ~tildes
Arthur LinkWelcome back @TheMeerkat ! I've missed these surveys! I mentioned that we hadn't had one in quite a long time to another user a while back and thought that we might get another one, but it never...Welcome back @TheMeerkat !
I've missed these surveys! I mentioned that we hadn't had one in quite a long time to another user a while back and thought that we might get another one, but it never happened.
I would have done it myself but... Let's be real, I don't have those skills- and you always did a great job of it back in the day. Glad to have you back (and not just because I missed the surveys)!
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Comment on Norway's national football stadium has the world's largest vertical solar roof – new solution for northern regions, yielding 20% more energy than traditional panels in ~enviro
Arthur LinkAs I was reading this I thought, 'why don't they paint the roof white, wouldn't that boost power generated?' But since they hadn't, I assumed there was a good reason the roof wasn't painted white....As I was reading this I thought, 'why don't they paint the roof white, wouldn't that boost power generated?' But since they hadn't, I assumed there was a good reason the roof wasn't painted white. Perhaps it didn't work. Then I read this:
Vertical PV panels also benefit from the albedo effect, where snow falling between the rows reflects sunlight on
So perhaps they just don't paint it white because white paint isn't as reflective as snow or it isn't cost efficient? Maybe the white paint will dirty?
But later it says:
The company observed how its product performs in southern regions as well. “It performs well, especially when paired with white coloured roofs, which is highly reflective and which are common in hotter, sunnier countries to reduce heat absorption,” notes Mongstad.
So now I'm even more confused why they don't paint the roof white? I thought perhaps it was for heat absorbtion, but... It's a stadium, so it's not exactly like they're using that heat to heat the building.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
Arthur Link ParentI have to agree. As much as I dislike Twitter, and loathe Musk, I can't understand the motivations of Brazil here. It's easy enough to argue that the state has a duty of care to protect it's...I have to agree. As much as I dislike Twitter, and loathe Musk, I can't understand the motivations of Brazil here. It's easy enough to argue that the state has a duty of care to protect it's citzens from misinformation.
What's really quite difficult to argue is that that duty of care extends as far as people who don't want that care , ex: VPN users. I have to assume that anyone who has enough digital literacy to install a VPN also has the knowhow (even if they don't utilise that) to assess the legitimacy of the media they consume.
The fine is also totally disproportionate for a 'crime' that solely effects yourself. A quick Google search (could be wrong, I didn't do that much research) suggests that R$50,000 is around half the average annual salary. It's a life-changing amount of money considering it was totally legal 24 hours ago.
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Comment on PhD Simulator in ~games
Arthur Link Parent5 years and 1 month for me on my first try. I finished with 99 hope. I also never slacked off, so I'm not sure how that works. I also got to see one conference city. (And invested in a failed...5 years and 1 month for me on my first try. I finished with 99 hope. I also never slacked off, so I'm not sure how that works. I also got to see one conference city. (And invested in a failed crypto currency).
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Comment on 'Skibidi Toilet' film and TV franchise in the works from Michael Bay in ~movies
Arthur Link ParentMy apologies, I thought you were asking the question in earnest.My apologies, I thought you were asking the question in earnest.
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Comment on 'Skibidi Toilet' film and TV franchise in the works from Michael Bay in ~movies
Arthur (edited )Link ParentWhy are books adapted into movies? Why are animated films adapted into live action? Why do people write fanfiction of the franchises they love? Art for arts sake - why shouldn't people create...Why are books adapted into movies? Why are animated films adapted into live action? Why do people write fanfiction of the franchises they love?
- Art for arts sake - why shouldn't people create things they enjoy? Why make sequels and prequels and spinoffs if the original had a 'good enough' narrative? Because people like to create.
- It's popular - people like (or think they like) remakes of things. Why has Avatar the Last Airbender been recreated in live action not once but twice? Thus:
- Money - let's not be naive, the most realistic reason for creating a movie like this. Michael Bay & the team behind this clearly think there's a profit to be made.
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Comment on Slugs - how are you coping? in ~life.home_improvement
Arthur (edited )LinkReporting from the frontlines in northern rural UK. The slugs have been declared public enemy number one, as they have gone on the offensive this year and have claimed countless lives. Our entire...Reporting from the frontlines in northern rural UK. The slugs have been declared public enemy number one, as they have gone on the offensive this year and have claimed countless lives. Our entire squadron of carrots were destroyed almost immediately after deployment. They were the lucky ones. The Cabbage unit has been continuously eaten at just below the rate of maintenance. They are slowly getting larger, but each new leaf is eaten overnight eaving only a slimy muched stem the next day. The beans are growing faster than the slugs can munch, for now... The onions, though unpopular, are still being eaten, although not enough to seriously hinder their growth.
Far too many peppers (and chillis) have been munched through, although the ones in the greenhouse are fairing slightly better.
The lettuce is doing remarkably well, but I think that's just because it's growing faster than even the slugs can eat. The broccolis are one bad day away from being no more.
So far, in our entire force, only the tomatoes have resisted being eaten. It seems the slugs are entirely uninterested. I thought that the potatoes, being reasonably close relatives, would also be safe, but alas they also bare the telltale signs of war.
This is my first year growing as many crops as I've grown, so I can't say if the slugs this year are worse than previous years, but it certainly feels like the situation couldn't get much worse. In terms of home invasion, I've yet to find a slug indoors although I have seen a trail on the carpet.
I watched a YouTube video of sombody else dealing with their slug infestation, and he used beer traps and a bright torch a bucket of salty water. The comments suggested using a bucket of hot water instead, so that the slug corpses can be left out for the more desirable nightlife, birds, or be put in the compost (where they belong). Slug pellets, though expensive and inefficient (?), may help younger plants get off their feet and help them start growing faster than they can be eaten. I've also heard crushed eggskeys may help, althiigh I'm not sure on that. At the very worst they'll provide some nutrients for the soil. But to be honest, I can't help but feel like it's a bit of a lost cause this year. Between the slugs and the birds eating my brussels, I'll be overjoyed if I can even get half a crop this year.
Like OP, I eagerly await backup as we're close to being overwhelmed out here. I really hate those little guys. I know they play a very important role in the ecosystem, but to be honest, if I could monkey paw them away, I'd do it in a heartbeat, even if it meant the total and inevitable collapse of the entire ecosystem, just to spite them.
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Comment on What gaming genre could use a renaming? in ~games
Arthur Link ParentMaybe it's just because I'm on the cusp, or maybe I'm not spending enough time online, but I haven't really seen much beef between gen Z and the Millennials. I know for a lot of people my age, Gen...Maybe it's just because I'm on the cusp, or maybe I'm not spending enough time online, but I haven't really seen much beef between gen Z and the Millennials. I know for a lot of people my age, Gen Z wasn't really a common term by the time we started feeling like we belonged to a generation, so a lot of us grow up identifying with the Millennials even if we weren't.
I also saw very little beef between Gen Z and Gen A. It feels to me like the 3 successive generations really are quite friendly with each other. Meanwhile, everyone hates the boomers and nobody really knows who Gen X are.
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Comment on YouTube tests harder-to-block server-side ad injection in videos in ~tech
Arthur LinkWhatever happened to YouTube blocking users who had adblocks on? I got the threatening 'you will be blocked if you continue to use ad blockers' warning, switched to FreeTube for a few weeks, and...Whatever happened to YouTube blocking users who had adblocks on? I got the threatening 'you will be blocked if you continue to use ad blockers' warning, switched to FreeTube for a few weeks, and then switched back over to YouTube with adblock on with zero problems.
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Comment on Denmark has recalled several spicy ramen noodle products by South Korean company Samyang, claiming that the capsaicin levels in them could poison consumers in ~food
Arthur Link ParentDefinitely worth reading on a little further. Right after the quote you provided is the following: On studies done on mice: In the 'discussion' section at the end: From the way it's written, it's...- Exemplary
Definitely worth reading on a little further. Right after the quote you provided is the following:
Therefore, we may not be comparing apples to apples and oranges to oranges. Indeed, in the US, Mexican-Americans on western diet still have a higher incidence of gastric carcinoma than their white compatriots [30]. To explain this paradox, it was postulated that it is not capsaicin per se, but the combination of high capsaicin consumption, H. pylori colonization, and IL1B-31 C > T genotype (which is more prevalent in Mexicans) that increases the risk for gastric cancer [31,32].
To add to the confusion, a large population-based study involving 16,179 American adults followed for 18.9 years reported a mortality of 21.6% among those who eat chili regularly compared to 33.6% mortality among those who do not [33]. This translates to a hazard ratio of 0.87, indicating a smaller risk of dying earlier for chili-eaters.
A similar health benefit (a 14% reduction in mortality) for regular spicy food consumption was found by analyzing the China Kadoorie Biobank data in which almost half million Chinese were enrolled [34]. Importantly, the chili-eater group also showed lower cancer-related death rate. Indeed, chili may be “too hot for cancer to handle”
On studies done on mice:
In other studies, pure capsaicin was used. B6C3F1 mice were fed chow containing 0.25% capsaicin for 79 weeks [37]. On week 83, the animals were killed and autopsied: no difference in tumors was found compared to controls [37]. By contrast, more Swiss mice on life-long capsaicin diet (0.03125%) developed more cecum adenomas than controls: 22% versus 8% [38].
In the 'discussion' section at the end:
The literature on capsaicin and cancer is vast. A search of PubMed with these keywords has identified 876 papers, including a large number (152) of reviews. The internet also contains less scholarly articles on the health benefits [138] (or, conversely, deleterious effects [139]) of consuming hot, spicy food.
Unfortunately, the literature on capsaicin and cancer is confusing with different groups reporting exactly the opposite results. From this large body of literature, only two conclusions can be drawn. First, dietary capsaicin in “restaurant-like doses” is most likely safe to eat, though extremely hot concoctions are better avoided. Second, topical capsaicin creams and patches probably carry no risk for skin cancer.
From the way it's written, it's not clear if the authors' recommendation of avoiding high doses of capsaicin because it's definitely/probably bad, or simply because it's 'better safe than sorry'. In any case, the literature is confusing/complex, and although the authors do advise against excessive consumption of capsaicin, it's unclear just how strong they feel the link is.
Edit: Also, conflict of interest: I super love these spicy noodles and all spicy food in general (much hotter than 'restuarant doses') so I really would love to think that capsaicin doesn't cause cancer and instead fights it. On the other hand, spicy food is one of the things that makes life pleasurable to me (much like a good wine or a beer), so even if it were proven beyond any doubt to be carsinogenic I probably still wouldn't stop consuming it (much like a good wine or beer).
Thanks - I appreciate your input here - I'll get round to watching the video you provided when I have some time.
I suppose what I mean when wanting a fair and nuanced approach is one that goes beyond 'Johnny never hit her' and examines motivations and actions from both sides. I don't doubt that Heard carried out numerous unjustified behaviours (whether that be DA, faking injuries, lying etc.) I wonder what behaviours are justified in light of certain experiences. Eg. What behaviour is justified when your partner is drunk/high and causing physical damage your house and immediate surroundings? With hindsight we know that he (probably) didn't hit her, but would she know that in the moment?
On the flip side, was Depp's behaviour justified in the face of abuse against him?
This is speculation, of course, and I'll stop before I go to far into it because it is uneducated speculation. But from what little I do know I would feel uncomfortable deeming one party wholly innocent or wholly guilty. If however, that is the case, I do believe a fair and nuanced examination would reveal this.
The other question for me is: Is the kind of person that Depp is ie. a person who has severe substance abuse issues, anger issues, ect the kind of celebrity I feel comfortable supporting socially or financially (by consuming media with him in)?
I strongly feel that celebrity is a privilege and not a right, and that as an audience and consumers we ought to hold celebrities to a high standard. In my opinion this means disengaging with celebries that are individually or socially destructive. That's not to say that I wish them ill - I truly hope that Depp can get the support he needs to address his issues if he hasn't already. In consideration of this, I think the answer is no. I feel uncomfortable supporting Depp socially and financially because of his behaviours. But I may reconsider this after doing more research. And I don't expect everyone to land on the same conclusions as me. I'm sure most celebrities wouldn't hold up to my high standard of scrutiny, and perhaps my expectations are unreasonable. But I also feel that any individual is entitled to their own opinion to support or not-support any public figure as they see fit. At the end of the day, celebrities are only important as long as the public want them to be.