https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/isis-eyes-breakout-opportunity-as-turkish-forces-batter-us-allied-kurds/2019/10/17/b68c6358-f048-11e9-89eb-ec56cd414732_story.html



The Islamic State is racing to capitalize on the deteriorating security situation in northern Syria, stepping up attacks on prisons as well as on the now-weakened Kurdish militia that served as the vanguard in the U.S.-led war against the group’s self-proclaimed caliphate, intelligence officials and terrorism experts say.

Despite Thursday’s announced cease-fire, Turkey’s week-old incursion into northeast Syria is already proving to be a propaganda windfall for the extremist group, which in recent months had been making faltering attempts at a comeback in parts of eastern Syria controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, the analysts said.

The Islamic State’s official ­media arm taunted the SDF on Thursday, calling it an abandoned American ally and warning that further attacks were coming.

“The withdrawal of the U.S. from northern Syria and the destabilization that has ensued has created a perfect situation for ISIS to capitalize on,” said Rita Katz, executive director of the SITE Intelligence Group, a private firm that tracks online extremist activity.

An editorial in the Islamic State’s al-Naba newsletter said the Kurds were only the latest of Washington’s allies to be dumped after they were no longer needed.

“Once they [Americans] attained what they sought from them, they handed them over to the Rafidha,” the essay said, “so we took vengeance on them.” Rafidha is a pejorative term used by Sunni extremists for Shiite Muslims in general, and most particularly for predominantly Shiite Iran, which was among the winners in the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria’s northern border region.

https://www.boredpanda.com/incredible-not-photoshopped-photos/

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, some photos are so astounding that a thousand questions bubble to the surface of our thoughts the moment we see them. In the 21st century, one of the first questions usually is: “Was this photoshopped?”

Whether you think that Photoshop should never be used to edit pictures ever or you believe that it’s an inseparable part of a photographer’s existence in the digital age, the fact is, more and more pictures are being post-processed than ever before. Simply because of how easily accessible cameras and editing software is nowadays. However, once in a blue moon some very intriguing photos pop out from the woodwork. Photos that look photoshopped, but that aren’t.

We love collecting stunning eye-candy for you to gaze at all day long. And today’s no exception. We’ve gathered the finest examples of fascinating pictures that definitely weren’t photoshopped. Grab a cup of tea, coffee, or cocoa, get your scrolling finger ready, and enjoy what our team of hard-working Pandas prepared for you. Upvote your favorite photos, share this post with your buddies, and let us know in the comments what you think of each picture. And check out our previous posts about incredible photos that weren't photoshopped right here and here.

Scroll down for Bored Panda’s exclusive and in-depth interview with professional photographer Anna Chii about the ‘morality’ of editing pictures, her take on ‘all-natural’ photos, her philosophy of photography, what clients usually expect, as well as the importance of trust between a photographer and their clients.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-base-is-smaller-than-he-thinks/2019/10/06/0826a842-e6dd-11e9-a6e8-8759c5c7f608_story.html?wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1



The debate over impeaching President Trump reveals an irony: Those who favor it have far more respect for the president’s supporters than those who oppose it.

Critics of impeachment argue that the effort to remove Trump from office over his open invitations of foreign meddling in our elections will only ignite the Trump “base.” Those who say we should let this all go see his backers as an excitable immovable bloc of people closed to reasoned argument or new information.

Thus are roughly 40 percent of our fellow citizens cast as an unthinking blob that will embrace anything Trump says and turn out in droves in 2020 to beat back the elitist fake-newsers and deep-staters no matter what the facts are.

Those of us who support impeachment don’t deny that there is a “Trump base” but insist that mountains of polling evidence show that it amounts to 25 to 30 percent of voters at most. The rest of the 46 percent who voted for Trump have real doubts about who he is, how he behaves and what he is doing to our country. Even those of us who disagree with them on a variety of issues see this substantial part of Trump’s constituency as made up of rational and engaged citizens open to persuasion.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/10/07/alcoholic-tide-pods-new-way-drink-whisky/



They’re wrapped in seaweed. They’re filled with whisky. And they’re now drawing a collective groan from the Internet, thanks to their suspicious resemblance to a laundry detergent pack-turned-meme-turned-public health hazard.

That’s right: They’re alcoholic Tide Pods.

Well, sort of.

In what is either a highly successful marketing scheme or a inadvertent attempt to launch itself into millennial relevancy, a 195-year-old single-malt Scotch whisky distillery has rolled out three kinds of limited-edition “glass-less cocktails,” available through Sunday at a posh London bar.

These alcoholic amuse-bouche pouches provide “the perfect flavour-explosion experience,” the Glenlivet claims.

But as hundreds of baffled commenters online immediately wanted to know: How do you “drink” them?

“Enjoying them is simple,” said the distillery in a 53-second video last week. “The capsules are popped in the mouth for an instant burst of flavour.”

Then, “the capsule is simply swallowed.”

“Surely this is a sick joke,” said Julia Macfarlane, a foreign affairs reporter with ABC News, asking the Scottish prime minister to intervene. “This is an abomination. What is going on. Somebody do something.”

“Oh dear lord no,” wrote the Scottish actor Sam Heughan, who has announced plans to launch his own (non-capsuled) line of whisky.

https://www.boredpanda.com/small-green-ways-to-help-environment/

Most of us (orange Cheetos with weird haircuts excluded) care about our planet Earth and want to do a little bit better when it comes to environmentally-conscious decisions. However, to those who've just started their journey towards a greener future, all do's and don'ts can seem a bit overwhelming in the beginning. But as with everything in this life, great things are built by taking small steps. Some of these steps are so small, they seem insignificant - but scientific research proves that every little bit counts when it comes to building a more sustainable future. Therefore, Bored Panda has made a list of twenty small but impactful steps that you can take to be more environmentally-friendly than you were yesterday. Scroll down below to see the list and comment if you have any more tips that you'd like to share!

#1 Shop secondhand


#2 Buy loose leaf tea


#3 Switch to rechargeable batteries


#4 Go for meatless meals once a week


#5 Recycle wire hangers


#6 Wash clothes in colder water