Hi besties!!!! I’ve woken up this morning at the ripe time of 4am to drop Hayden off at the airport because he’s moving to Sydney today!! I’m gonna miss a lot about him (mostly his smash burgers) but he’s assured me that he’ll continue sending content through for the Close Friends and I’m gonna see him in like three weeks anyway I think. Still! Everyone is leaving!
I’m also pretty sure that I’m about to set off my office alarm for the second week in a row EVEN THOUGH I’M DOING EVERYTHING THE SAME AS I ALWAYS HAVE. So I’m feeling incredibly gaslit rn.
The State of My TikTok FYP
Malaysia ends mandatory death penalty for serious crimes
Japan’s bear meat vending machine proves a surprising success
Finland prime minister ousted, conservatives win tight vote
Also, Finland is joining NATO
Donald Trump and New York City Brace for a Consequential Week
How do you pronounce Dachshund?
The State of My TikTok FYP
I thought it would be fun to let you all know a little bit about what my TikTok FYP looks like right now (and in turn, I’m hoping you’ll let me know what yours is like) because I’m deeply fascinated by what we’re all getting fed/ how that’s changing us as people.
So, right now my FYP is a mix of:
‘Welcome Home’ theories. Welcome Home is an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) about a kid’s show that seemingly disappeared from the airwaves, leaving behind just a few cartoons and a script. I swear to god I watched ONE video about it and now it’s all I see. It’s also giving mad ‘Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared’ vibes (there’s a big rabbit hole for you to dive into!)
South Park videos. I must admit I sought this one out myself - I am a HUGE South Park fan and because I’ve been fucked by… idk, life, (like the rest of us) I would never simply watch a whole episode - nooooo way! I want to watch tiny clips of Cartman singing and Butters being Butters while a Minecraft/ Slime/ Subway Surfer video plays at the same time so I’m ALWAYS STIMULATED. (I think Rubes has the same thing but with Family Guy videos.)
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Still the dude who reacts to events throughout history (recently tho the Jonas Brothers got in on the Diet Coke finding out about Coke Zero drama.) If this makes no sense to you… LUCKY!
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Taylor Swift Eras Clips: From literally every angle.
Boygenius edits
Lots of people visiting Japan
EBC.JPG and Sevda 🥺🥺
Haircut consultations
PLEASE tell me if your FYP is similar, or if it’s different, OR if you sometimes game your FYP (like I did with South Park) to givie you what you want - I’m just always so interested!!!
🗺Around the world🗺
Asia
Malaysia ends mandatory death penalty for serious crimes (BBC)
Malaysia’s parliament has just potentially spared the lives of 13000 prisoners on death row, after its decision to end mandatory death penalties for 11 ‘serious crimes’ including murder and terrorism.
“But for the most serious crimes, the courts will now hand down life imprisonment sentences of up to 40 years, or corporal punishment such as caning, lawmakers said.
The reforms still need to clear the country's upper house but are widely expected to pass.”
Japan’s bear meat vending machine proves a surprising success (The Guardian)
No one tell Squish about this story! Vending machines in Japan really do sell everything these days - including fresh bear meat.
“The machine, in the northern prefecture of Akita, has attracted a steady stream of customers since it was installed at the end of last year, according to media reports.
The meat, which sells for ¥2,200 (£13/$16.50) per 250g, is proving popular with passengers alighting at a nearby railway station in the town of Semboku, but the operator has also received requests for mail order deliveries from Tokyo, about 400km away.”
Europe
Finland prime minister ousted, conservatives win tight vote (AP News)
Finland’s National Coalition Party has just narrowly won the election, meaning Sanna Marin will no longer be serving as Prime Minister.
“The center-right National Coalition Party (NCP) claimed victory with all of the votes counted, coming out on top at 20.8%. They were followed by right-wing populist party The Finns with 20.1%, while the Social Democrats garnered 19.9%.”
USA
Donald Trump and New York City Brace for a Consequential Week (The New York Times)
Basically he’s en route to NYC to “walk into a Manhattan courtroom as both a defendant and a candidate.”
In the tech world
Today in Twitter: where are the retweet labels, and why did Doge replace the bird? (The Verge)
“Looks like it’s going to be another normal week on the bird site: people’s “Following” timelines are seemingly being flooded with unlabeled retweets from people they don’t follow, and a lot of people are seeing a Doge icon where the company’s bird logo used to be.”
I also can NOT keep up with what’s happening with the blue ticks, nor do I really care!
Today’s mundane poll:
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I’m currently stuck on “is she gay or is she just a woman’s basketball coach” tik tok
Mine is filled with women’s basketball in the states and it is awesome!!!! Year of women’s sport