The Small Stuff That Doesn’t Need a Thread #5

[BigFatCoward]

I love how cheap chocolate is after Easter. Buying mini eggs at discount like they are going out of fashion. 

Edited April 20, 2023 by BigFatCoward

[Fragile Bird]

Maybe this is something that actually deserves a thread of it’s own. A story popped up on my Google news page that said an Egyptian man is suing Netflix to get the production of their upcoming Cleopatra series shut down, saying Netflix is “blackwashing” history, casting Cleopatra as a black woman. Cleopatra, the lawsuit states, was of Greek origin, not African, and the series will damage and diminish Egyptian history and heritage, since Egyptians are not Africans. The suit also asks that Netflix be banned in Egypt.

Egyptians are considered part of the Middle East, like Syria, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. The first Egyptians I ever knew were the family members of the manager of the real estate office where my mom worked as an agent. He was very firm about saying Middle Easterners were Aryans, not Africans. A quick look at some articles shows that genetically Egyptians today are about 8% African, likely due to the long history of the slave trade in Egypt. Archeologists have been trying to use DNA from mummies to sort out the genetic history of Egyptians, but heat destroys DNA so the process is difficult.

[Derfel Cadarn]

Cleopatra was descended fron Ptolomy who was Greek. Who knows what ethnicities entered the lineage in the years between, though apparently that dynasty was quite in-bred.

[maarsen]

1 hour ago, Derfel Cadarn said:

Cleopatra was descended fron Ptolomy who was Greek. Who knows what ethnicities entered the lineage in the years between, though apparently that dynasty was quite in-bred.

Macedonian not Greek. Alexander the Great was Macedonian as was his General,  Ptolemy. Which makes Cleopatra of Macedonian descent. For reasons that I really don't understand people from this region take this stuff really seriously.

[Ran]

Cleopatra's mother was part Persian, and there was some Sogdian way back in the line, but yeah, there's no evidence that she is descended of any native Egyptian or Africans in general, and the majority of her lineage was Macedonian Greek. There's little evidence that her forefathers had Egyptian/African mistresses, much less that they had Egyptian/African wives. 

DNA studies on mummies have extracted a pretty good amount of mitochondrial DNA, and in general ancient Egyptians didn't have a lot of sub-Saharan DNA (statistically, they had substantially less than modern Egyptians do today). The origins of the ancient Egyptians seem to best fit the Middle East and North Africa, from what I can recall.

Googling about it, I missed the fact that Kevin Hart cancelled a concert tour in Egypt this year, allegedly due to logistical issues, but it coincided with Egyptian scholars (most notably, the spotlight-loving Zahi Hawass) protesting past Afrocentric claims Hart had made about ancient Egypt. 

As for this docuseries, the trailer suggests they're at least going to discuss the issue, so so long as they present what the facts actually are and not just pass along folk history, I guess it doesn't matter too much. That said, Jada Pinkett Smith who is one of the executive producers claimed that she was looking to tell a story about a black queen... so picking Cleopatra seems like an odd choice! There's certainly some alternative options, like the Kandake queens of Kush who we have some record of.

[BigFatCoward]

Looking for a newish car (just bought one and it was fucked so its gone straight back) and there was one that had an insane license plate that had both my initials and my wife's. That's not a good reason to buy a car right, right? 

[A Horse Named Stranger]

Weekly visit at my dad's.

Not his best day, not his worst day. Anyway, he mentioned in a conversation that my auntie (well, my mum's cousin, so not actually aunt, the farmers) called him and and he said something about her second son having had a fatal accident.

Knowing my dad and his condition, I was sorta sceptcial that actually happened, but nevertheless I felt kinda obliged/spooked enough to call and make sure everything was ok. Good news, it was as expected. Everybody there is still alive and kicking.

Furthermore one of my favorite nurses over there is leaving. She found a better job in her neighbourhood/closer to her home. Good for her, and I wish her well.

[Ran]

28 minutes ago, BigFatCoward said:

Looking for a newish car (just bought one and it was fucked so its gone straight back)

Just bought a "new" car today, after a couple of weeks of waiting for the old one to be fixed and realizing that the troubles it had been having lately probably meant it was time to move on. It's 2016 model, so I wouldn't call it "newish", but it's the last year they made the Volvo V70, which is the only model of car I've ever owned and am quite happy with it. The V90 that succeded it looks nicer and has a lot of nice modern features, but they prettied it up in part by angling the rear such that it has less baggage space, which means the double cage we have for our dogs won't fit so there goes that.

Five years or so, we may have the option for charging a car at our residence, and then we'll probably look for something hybrid.

 

 

[Raja]

52 minutes ago, BigFatCoward said:

Looking for a newish car (just bought one and it was fucked so its gone straight back) and there was one that had an insane license plate that had both my initials and my wife's. That's not a good reason to buy a car right, right? 

I've been looking at used cars in the UK and I hate it cause I know nothing about about cars.

[Maltaran]

1 hour ago, BigFatCoward said:

Looking for a newish car (just bought one and it was fucked so its gone straight back) and there was one that had an insane license plate that had both my initials and my wife's. That's not a good reason to buy a car right, right? 

My parents’ car has both their initials on the plate. However, that was Dad deliberately getting a personalised plate.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

2 hours ago, Ran said:

Just bought a "new" car today, after a couple of weeks of waiting for the old one to be fixed and realizing that the troubles it had been having lately probably meant it was time to move on. It's 2016 model, so I wouldn't call it "newish", but it's the last year they made the Volvo V70, which is the only model of car I've ever owned and am quite happy with it. The V90 that succeded it looks nicer and has a lot of nice modern features, but they prettied it up in part by angling the rear such that it has less baggage space, which means the double cage we have for our dogs won't fit so there goes that.

Five years or so, we may have the option for charging a car at our residence, and then we'll probably look for something hybrid.

My grandfather would get these kinds of Volvos like clockwork. He loved them and found them to be incredibly functional. Then again, he also said he could never buy a Corvette even if he really wanted one because he knew he'd crash it five minutes off the lot (and to be fair, he was always a horrible driver).

Do people drive many non-European cars where you guys live? I'd never recommend an American brand btw. Ick unless you love muscle cars. When in doubt get an Accord or Camry because of the low maintenance and strong resale value if you start off with a slightly used one.

Edited April 20, 2023 by Tywin et al.

[Fragile Bird]

I was driving along a main drag (can’t use street, can’t stop it capitalizing) in the city three weeks ago when a guy pulled out of a side street in front of me. Normally in heavy city traffic this happens safely all the time, but the car in front of him stopped, so he stopped but I couldn’t stop in time. My passenger side bumper, lights, hood et al were badly damaged but, I assumed, repairable. His driver side corner was damaged, so you can see what the angle was.

Sadly, my lovely 2013 Toyota Avalon’s frame got twisted, so it was a write-off. The other guy was determined to be 100% at fault. He had tried to convince me not to report the accident to the insurance company, I passed immediately, too much damage. When the adjuster called to tell me the news he also told me that I had missed having the air bag trigger by a fraction of a millimeter. That would have been very unpleasant for you, he said.

I went hunting for a car and discovered, or re-discovered, that Toyota discontinued the Avalon and used ones, like all used cars these days, are very expensive. Toyota has revived an old name from 50 years ago, the Crown, to replace it, and omg the thing looks like an armoured limo. The top model here costs $70,000+. Damned plush and comfortable, but too big and mannish for me, not to mentioned effing expensive, so I told the salesperson no. When he heard I had had 4 different Avalons over the years (all bought used) he really tried.

I decided I wanted a hybrid and had planned to look at the Corolla, and then discovered there’s now a brand new small Corolla SUV, and a hybrid is coming out as well, called the Cross. I test drove the hybrid RAV4, but when they last changed the model it became huge and it felt like driving a truck. I think I’d have to go back to 2016 or 15 to get the smaller version and didn’t really want a 7 or 8 year old vehicle. I figured I could buy a new car for the first time in 30 years, and I ordered the fancy version of the Corolla Cross. Guess what delivery is being quoted? May 2024! I hope I can drive my brother’s 2008 Avalon until then, and I expect the vehicle could show up earlier than next May. New, yes, and full price (no bargaining, they must love it) but the price of 4 or 5 year old used cars is shocking. It also means I got a good price for my 10 year old car in the settlement, so the cost of the new one doesn’t hurt much.

Toyota didn’t quote long enough wait times to customers this past year and I suspect they decided to play it safe. Friends of mine bought a Corolla hybrid last year and were quoted 3 months, then another 3 months, then we’re not sure, and then a car showed up after 7 or more months, just not in the color they picked but they jumped at it. And love it.

Edited April 21, 2023 by Fragile Bird

[BigFatCoward]

9 hours ago, Raja said:

I've been looking at used cars in the UK and I hate it cause I know nothing about about cars.

Me either, unless you are an actual mechanic i don't think anyone does.  I tend to end up buying the ones my wife likes the look of (i just had to spend £1500 extra for an identical car, because she wanted the white one and not the gold one, that's not a hill I'm prepared to die on). 

[Ran]

14 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

My grandfather would get these kinds of Volvos like clockwork. He loved them and found them to be incredibly functional.

Yeah, they have a reputation for reliability (well, besides the bi-fuel 2nd gen Volvo I happen to have bought... motor was apparently from Ford, and was a piece of a shit but I only learned about that a year or two after I bought it!)  and especially safety, which is a big focus of Volvo. 

14 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

Do people drive many non-European cars where you guys live? I'd never recommend an American brand btw. Ick unless you love muscle cars. When in doubt get an Accord or Camry because of the low maintenance and strong resale value if you start off with a slightly used one.

Non-European cars, yes, Americans cars, not so much ... but increasing, with Tesla and some of the Ford crossover SUVs.

Volvo and Volkswagen are the most popular brands in Sweden, and then you get a lot of Kias and Toyotas, and then the upscale Germans (Audi, BMW, Mercedes),  and then it's stuff like Renault, Skoda, MG, Hyundai. Fords are probably the most popular American manufacturer, and it's mostly the crossover SUVS (the Kuga, which Ford makes mainly for Europe I think) and a bit of the Focus,  and the "Mustang" Mach-E's (sacrilege, IMO, to associate them with Mustang)

 We're now entering the nice period of Spring where the car enthusiasts start to bring out their beautiful vintage cars. Took some photos of a beautiful 1947 Chevy Fleetmaster  the other day. I've seen more lovingly-maintained American vintage cars on the road in Sweden than I ever noticed in the US, but I admit I really only started paying attention when I moved to Sweden.

Edited April 21, 2023 by Ran

[A Horse Named Stranger]

I find the and then the Germans to be funny, like really haha. Because you named VW before. 

Hum, also, isn't Megane merely a model by Renault.

As for lack of American brands. GM didn't really produce for the European market, they had bought for European manufacturers to serve the European market. (Opel (now owned by Peugeot) and Saab (defunct)).

Generally speaking US models are really not meant for most European markets. US cars are freaking thirsty and gas is much more expensive here.

[RhaenysBee]

I’m sitting on the tram thinking about how late I am and how much I wish I had time to stop for a coffee and snack, and this billboard rolls up: I’m not late, the world is the one to hurry. So I wish, mate, so I wish.

 

[Ran]

53 minutes ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Because you named VW before. 

Hah, yes. The upscale Germans, I should have said! Those three all cluster together in the sales ranks for some reason.

For Megane, read the UK automaker MG, I blanked. Never even heard of MG before moving here, but they seem to have carved out in a niche in Sweden.

Edited April 21, 2023 by Ran

[Derfel Cadarn]

14 hours ago, BigFatCoward said:

Looking for a newish car (just bought one and it was fucked so its gone straight back) and there was one that had an insane license plate that had both my initials and my wife's. That's not a good reason to buy a car right, right? 

Only if you want to look like a wanker

 

Edited April 21, 2023 by Derfel Cadarn

[BigFatCoward]

21 minutes ago, Derfel Cadarn said:

Only if you want to look like a wanker

 

Only the people who know us would know (it would just look like a normal licence plate to most people), and they think i'm a wanker anyway.  

My father in law dropped 15 grand on a license plate and neither of his kids drive, so that's going straight up for sale when they die. 

Edited April 21, 2023 by BigFatCoward

[BigFatCoward]

Train is fucking rammed yet every wanker has their bags on seats. I wish I was allowed to arrest people for anything I want.