I’d expect the vast majority of such workers in the Arab region to be OFW’s (Overseas Filipino Workers). They’ve got such unending dedication and loyalty to their families that they send a very large share of what they earn home, often sacrificing most prospects they have for financial and personal growth for the good of their parents or younger siblings. The remittances from abroad make up about 8% of the country’s GDP, which is a staggering amount. This creates a vicious circle of dependence on Filipinos as cheap labour. A sad state of affairs when Filipinos are relatively well-educated, but often become victims of social dumping, simply because of where they’re from. They get paid, but are kept in a limbo where it’s very difficult to move up in the world. Can’t call it slavery, but you can’t not call it slavery either. I really hope conditions will improve for workers from developing countries.

Reminds me of when I was having a chat with the owner of a company I worked at in London. We had just made ourselves a cup of tea, he got himself a digestive to go with it. He dipped the digestive in his tea, and mid-sentence only half of the biscuit came back up. Stunned silence. The look of utter misery and disappointment on his face stays with me to this day - this was the last thing he needed just then. I suggested it could be fixed by adding the rest of the packet of biscuits and enjoy it as a biscuit porridge - he wasn’t entirely convinced. 😄

I had cat scratch disease last year, and do not recommend it. Very painful and uncomfortable. If a cat bites or scratches you hard enough to break skin, clean and disinfect immediately. If you feel ill after a couple of weeks to a month, test yourself and kitty for Bartonella Henselae. If positive, prepare for three months to a year of misery.

“Your money or your life!”

“Omg, wait, let go! Oh… That’s actually really nice and warm, purrrrrrr…”

I don’t nap, but it baffles me that someone would be horrified over someone else having regular naps. If a nap takes you to your happy place, you do you.

Maybe at least pour it in a different container? Edges on those things are sharp.

I’ve lived in London for seven years, never felt there was pressure or expectations of tips, though there were options to tip on the card terminal occasionally. But yes, wages in London are shit (unless you’re a banker), so if I could afford to leave 50p in the pub jar, I would.

Norway has been considered to be super-expensive among tourists and others looking in from abroad. However, Norwegians going to the US really have to mind their spending nowadays, especially when eating out. Forcing employees to rely on tips to get above slave wage is generally not a thing in Europe, so the price we see on the menu is what we expect to pay.

If you go to a gas station near an airport in Western Norway, you can get a massive 300g burger (3/4 lb) with added cheese and bacon for about 200 kroner, which is $19. If you want something that normal people can finish, a regular 150g cheeseburger is about $12. A McDonald’s double cheeseburger is 43 kroner, or $4.12. If you order a burger at a restaurant or a pub, you’ll probably be spending about $25 for a bacon cheeseburger with included fries. You’re not expected to tip in Norway.

Considering that the prices Americans here refer to don’t include taxes and tips, I’m actually pretty sure it would be more expensive to eat out in the US than in Norway, and average pay for a waiter/waitress here is about $41 000 per year.

He’s an attention-seeking edgelord and a buffoon, but I highly doubt the Nazi allegations. This comes from someone who genuinely believes in the right to punch Nazis. We need to be careful about throwing the Nazi-card in all directions, or the real ones will slip through the cracks (some have already managed to skip into positions of power while us plebs are squabbling). He did a couple of insanely stupid things that he should have grown out of by age 15, hopefully he learned from that.