#Afghanistan Blast

[worldspotlightnews]

Taliban governor of Afghanistan's Balkh province killed in blast - SUCH TV

The Taliban governor of Afghanistan’s Balkh province was killed in a blast at his office on Thursday, police said. “Two people, including Mohammad Dawood Muzammil, the governor of Balkh, have been killed in an explosion this morning,” the province’s police spokesman Asif Waziri told reporters. He said it was unclear what caused the blast. According to international media reports, the incident…

[abandonedography]

The 6th century Buddha of Bamiyan in Afghanistan Before the Taliban blasted it into rubble.

[gunsandspaceships]

Tony was disabled and suffered from chronic pain

Tony may not have looked like a disabled person, but not all disabled people need wheelchairs, canes, or hearing aids. Some simply live in constant pain, cannot breathe properly, cannot sleep due to nightmares, or may die without medication or a medical device. All this applies to him.

Tony has suffered from many conditions, many physical and mental traumas. I will describe the most important here (in chronological order), but some things like broken bones, cuts, bruises, etc. happened to him regularly and their impact on his health is unknown.

Blast injuries

You can find details here.

This type of injury has happened to Tony many times, as explosions are not uncommon for superheroes. In his case (he's not an enhanced Homo sapiens, we remember that, right?) they were more harmful than for many others, like Thor, Hulk or Steve.

We can't say exactly how these injuries affected his health, but they couldn't disappear without a trace. What he could have been left with: damaged hearing, vision, brain damage, respiratory system and blood vessels and heart damage, damage to muscles, liver, spleen and intestines.

Shrapnel

And here comes chronic pain, and our first case of overt disability - shrapnel in Tony's chest and most likely right in the heart. Some shrapnel may have remained in other parts of his body, such as his arms and legs, but this was not mentioned in the movies.

Shrapnel can cause harm in two ways:

mechanical (cuts tissue - leads to scarring, puts pressure on nerves and blood vessels, causing pain and ischemia - reduces blood and oxygen flow to parts of the body);

chemical (metal ions can be released from the fragments and travel through the bloodstream, affecting other parts of the body). Many forms of shrapnel contain uranium, which is highly toxic and can lead to health problems, including kidney damage, liver cancer, and bone cancer. It may also cause high blood pressure, autoimmune disorders, and loss of reproductive function.

Other complications may include infections and chronic inflammation around the fragments.

In Tony's case, he received at least three unpleasant gifts from the shrapnel: chronic pain, heart damage, and the constant possibility of death if the medical device that literally keeps him alive stops working or is taken away from him.

So yes, guys, shrapnel is already enough to consider him disabled. But this is just the beginning of the list.

Arrhythmia

Here is a post entirely dedicated to Tony and his arrhythmia.

To summarize: Tony had a severe arrhythmia (most likely Sick Sinus Syndrome) that required a pacemaker and an ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) powered by an arc reactor. Possible causes of this condition include the blast injury, electric damage from water torture with an electromagnet in chest, and heart damage.

This is the second case of disability and constant mortal danger for Tony - just like with the shrapnel, without the pacemaker he would have died, and even sooner than without the electromagnet that stops the shrapnel. And let's not forget the risk of sudden death associated with arrhythmias.

What Tony could experience on a daily basis due to his arrhythmia: exercise intolerance (he stopped running and surfing after Afghanistan), exhaustion, shortness of breath, chest pain, fainting (among all the Avengers, Tony lost consciousness most often), lightheadedness or dizziness, heart palpitations. Arrhythmia is a thing that usually gets worse over years.

Reactor

Hard stuff. Here you can see why.

The damage done to Tony's body in order to implant the reactor was enormous. With all things considered, it is not necessarily a deadly trauma, but certainly a debilitating one.

This case is the third obvious disability and the main source of chronic pain that Tony suffered from 2008 to 2014.

What he definitely experienced every minute of those years: pain, exhaustion and depression due to this, discomfort and pressure in the chest, difficulty breathing (for which his suits contained supplemental oxygen), limited upper body mobility and decreased muscle strength, sensitivity to ambient temperature (the metal would conduct the temperature of the environment and could become too hot or too cold. That's why he would prefer to stay in California until his surgery at the end of IM3 and not move to New York yet - because of the cold winters).

Potential complications that required Tony to constantly monitor his health included: collapsed lung, asthma, chest infections, chest trauma, thoracic lymphedema, blood clots.

He would also be prone to respiratory infections, which could easily lead to complications. For example, a common cold would most likely develop into bronchitis and/or pneumonia. That is why it is very dangerous for him to be around sick people.

The device could also pose a real danger if it encounters another strong magnet (no MRI for Tony!).

Tony always had to be on medications to help him breath (oxygen, asthma inhalers when he picks up a virus or his airway gets irritated, nebulizer treatment), antibiotics due to weakened immune system, painkillers as needed, regular beta blockers to reduce risk of arrhythmias and sudden death.

PTSD

In IM3, we were shown Tony suffering from this mental disorder. In CA:CW we also saw him using B.A.R.F. to ease his trauma over the death of his parents. This is one of the factors that makes me think he had complex PTSD since childhood, not just acute PTSD caused by the alien invasion.

The acute PTSD affected his quality of life, depriving him of sleep, causing nightmares, anxiety and panic attacks from 2012 to 2014. Although it couldn't go away just because Tony became a little more confident in himself by the end of the movie. It takes years of treatment to get rid of this condition, and the VA considers it a permanent disability.

Other things that could have long-term effects on his health:

Radiation (cancer, liver failure, infertility, and thickening and scarring of lung, liver, and kidney tissue)

Heavy metal poisoning (palladium is carcinogenic, may damage bone marrow, kidneys and liver)

Repeated concussions (one possible consequence is chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which often begins years or even decades after the last brain injury)

Use of B.A.R.F. (could be the cause of the migraine he experienced at the beginning of CA:CW)

Left arm/shoulder injury

Penetrating trauma (it is unknown whether Carol actually brought Tony the Xorrian elixir to cure him as she promised)

Conclusion: before the attack that changed his life forever, Tony was a healthy, strong man who ran canyons and surfed. Thanks to his health and high exercise tolerance, he was able to survive many serious and even critical injuries. However, he was not an enhanced super soldier, and the injuries that did not kill him left him physically weaker and with disabilities that could not help but affect his well-being. He became immunocompromised, could no longer endure strenuous exercise without his high-tech prosthesis, take a proper deep breath. He also became smaller due to loss of muscle mass (compare IM1 and IM3).

Tony also suffered from chronic pain due to the damage to his chest and the presence of shrapnel.

PTSD gives him another type of disability that affects his mental functions. Unlike the damage from the reactor and shrapnel, this damage was not fully healed in 2014 and remained with him until the end, although the symptoms subsided.

[merfolkplantgay]

Tyria Pride 2024 is coming June 22 and 23!

Hello one and all! Tyria Pride is returning to Tyria for the 9th time! Join us any time next Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23, on both EU and NA for an awesome event that takes us all the way from Ebonhawke to Rata Sum, while we raise money for a good cause!

You can also watch it on my twitch at twitch.tv/lelling!

More info below the cut

What is Tyria Pride?

Tyria Pride is a two-day in-game pride march from one corner of (core) Tyria to the other to show support both LGBTQ players and devs, and a fundraiser for Rainbow Railroad, a non-profit organisation which helps queer people escape state-sponsored persecution and violence around the world.

It's tons of fun every year, a ton of streamers join in so there are many ways to follow along even if you're not in game, music guilds hold concerts, and we have some pretty legendary giveaways! It's always blast!

For more info, check out the post on the official forums at tyriapride.com/2024

Fundraiser

Rainbow Railroad is a non-profit that helps LGBTQ+ people get to safety from countries where their lives are at risk. They've done tons of work all over the world, working tirelessly in places like Russia and Afghanistan, and have already sprung into action as a response to the death penalty laws in Uganda, where you could even get up to 10 years in prison if you don't tell the police your child is gay. Rainbow Railroad works tirelessly to save lives, and we're honored to support them in this cause!

To check out the fundraiser, go to tyriapride.com/donate

How to get involved?

There are so many ways you can help out - spread the news, tell your friends and guildies, if you use any social media, share the information, let people know where and when to find the event!

Another way you can help out is by donating in-game prizes! We incentivize donations to the fundraiser by raffling off legendaries, black lion skins, and even artists give away commissions! If you can spare donations, both in-game or out, let me know! My in-game name is Lelling.6795

You can also join us on the Tyria Pride discord for more resources and information: tyriapride.com/discord

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jay Kuo at The Status Kuo:

Celebrations turned to horror in New Orleans as the driver of a pickup truck plowed into a crowd of revelers in the French Quarter of the city in the early hours of New Year’s morning. A total of 15 people are dead and around three dozen injured, some very seriously. The nation was just processing that attack when a Tesla cybertruck exploded outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas later that same morning. The vehicle’s trunk contained large firework mortars and gasoline and camp fuel canisters. The driver was killed and seven people in the blast zone were injured, thankfully none seriously. Many Americans are understandably concerned about the threat of violence, terror and how the incoming Trump administration will handle such incidents. As I’ll discuss below, there are some important questions that remain unanswered about the attacks, and the response to them from the right is a disturbing preview of what we can expect.

Organized terror?

After a police shootout that killed the New Orleans attacker, identified as Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, investigators found devices resembling homemade bombs in and near the truck and elsewhere in the area. This has understandably led to questions over whether Jabbar acted alone. [Update: Authorities now believe Jabbar did in fact act alone.] Jabbar’s public statements also suggest that law enforcement should look further into whether he was a sole attacker or part of a group or cell. Hours earlier, he had posted videos to Facebook indicating he was inspired by the Islamic State, and investigators found an Islamic State sticker on the trailer hitch of the rented truck. By these acts, it’s clear Jabbar fully intended his allegiances to be known once he completed his attack. “By carrying an ISIS flag with him during the attack, the suspect wanted to show that he was a true believer, aligned with the ISIS cause, and perhaps hoping to trigger others into following suit,” said Colin P. Clarke, a counterterrorism analyst interviewed by the Times. [...]

A terrorist that few suspected

We’re beginning to learn about Jabbar’s background, and it doesn’t seem to fit any easy patterns nor raise immediate red flags. Contrary to initial right wing claims that he was a recent migrant, Jabbar was born in Texas and was raised as a Christian but converted to Islam long ago, according to his brother. Jabbar served almost eight years in the army, deploying to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010. He became an Army Reservist after leaving active duty in January 2015, then left the reserves as a staff sergeant in July 2020. He received several awards including the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal and a National Defense Service Medal. [...]

The Tesla bomber suspect

Less is known about the perpetrator of the other attack. A local Denver news outlet, Denver7, reported that the suspect in the Las Vegas Tesla explosion is Matthew Livelsberger, who has multiple Colorado Springs addresses associated with him. There are some unsettling coincidences between the two attacks that have police investigating whether there could be any connection between them. Like Jabbar, Livelsberger was a former servicemember. According to a LinkedIn profile bearing his name and image, Livelsberger was a Special Forces Green Beret as well as an intelligence, operations and communications specialist.

[...]

Politicization of the attacks

Right wing media, Donald Trump and other radical politicians immediately sought to exploit the New Orleans attack, insinuating falsely that Jabbar, a former Christian born and raised in Texas, was somehow a migrant who had recently arrived in the U.S. The first culprit was Fox, which falsely reported that the vehicle driven by Jabbar had crossed the Southern border at Eagle Pass two days before the attack. Fox has since corrected its reporting, but not before Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (Q-GA) picked up on the misinformation and amplified it. She has not taken her post down. Donald Trump also jumped in to insinuate that this attack was due to migrant crime. In typical Trump form, he talked first about criminals coming into the country, claimed falsely that the crime rates in the U.S. are at levels never seen when they have in fact fallen sharply, then went on about the New Orleans attack as if migrant crime and the attack itself were related, when they are not at all.

The Las Vegas attack is also coming under political scrutiny. After the identify of the Tesla cybertruck driver became known, MAGA loyalists leapt to portray Matthew Livelsberger as anti-Trump by (checks notes) accusing his wife of being a Trump hater. This was based primarily on (checks notes again) a Facebook comment from 2016. Rather than give much oxygen to these absurd efforts, I note simply that it appears the two have been divorced for some time, that she is now remarried, and that Livelsberger’s politics aren’t clear but are being scrutinized to assess a possible motive. [Update: A close family member of Livelsberger told The Independent that Livelsperger was “100 percent” a patriot who “loved Trump” and was a “Rambo type.”]

Jay Kuo’s commentary on the two terrorist attacks on New Year’s Day 2025 is so spot-on. Imagine Kash Patel leading the FBI under such scenarios? It would be a nightmare.

See Also:

Let's Address This: MAGAs Exploit Atrocity to Incite Hatred

[edosianorchids901]

Smoke and Mirrors

@sherlocktember2024 prompt - "war"

The explosion tore through the warehouse, flinging wood and bits of flaming merchandise everywhere. Holmes dropped to the ground, sheltering behind barrels, and could only hope that Watson had done the same. Watson had not been close enough for Holmes to seize and pull down.

Another blast went off, and Holmes clapped his hands over his ringing ears. He curled up on the shuddering wooden floor, bracing. It took every ounce of his considerable self control not to spring up and search for his companion, but that would not be wise.

And besides, Watson had served in war. It had been decades, yes, but surely his instincts and training would hold. He would have taken cover at once.

Still, Holmes’ stomach twisted with worry, and it was with considerable trepidation that he pushed to his feet once the shaking stopped. Smoke billowed through the warehouse, and he coughed as he waved a hand in front of his face. “Watson? Watson?”

There was no reply, and a shiver went through Holmes. He stepped across pieces of crates, studying the wreckage of the warehouse. He must keep an eye out not only for Watson, but the men who had planted the explosives. They had likely fled, yet he was not in the habit of letting his guard down.

“Watson!” It was dangerous to call out, but he most certainly did not care about that. The flames were a more pressing concern, and one that compelled him to search with even more vigor. “Watson, where are you?”

Still no reply, but the toe of a familiar shoe stuck out from behind smoking crates. Holmes’ chest seized with terror, and he clambered across the wreckage. No, no, it was unthinkable that anything could have happened to his Watson…

“Watson. John!” Trembling, Holmes flung himself to his knees. Watson was curled up, unmoving, arms locked over his head. He did seem to be breathing, at least, which was some small relief. “Say that you are not hurt. John, say that you are not hurt!”

Watson didn’t say anything. Holmes struck away the debris and felt his head for injuries. Had he been knocked unconscious?

But now that the ringing in Holmes’ ears had died down just a little, another sound registered. Whimpering, low and frightened.

“Absolute imbecile!” Holmes snarled, striking himself in the brow. “Oh, Watson, my dear fellow. It’s all right, you’re perfectly safe.”

That also seemed an idiotic thing to say after a warehouse had just blown up all around them, and was currently being devoured by flame. But Watson was no doubt not seeing the warehouse. No, he had tumbled back to Afghanistan, to not only instincts and training but memory.

“Watson!” Holmes had no skill for this, not under these circumstances. A lapse into memory in Baker Street was one thing, but here, amid all this destruction? What would Watson do if Holmes were the one stricken by memory? “Watson, can you hear me? Watson.”

He gently took Watson’s arms and peeled them away from his head. Watson had his eyes open, but they were horribly unfocused. He did not react to the touch, other than to curl tighter.

“Watson, can you hear me? It’s Holmes.” Gently, he cradled Watson’s tearstained cheek in one hand. “Watson. John, look at me.”

Nothing was getting through to him, and there was no time to waste. Smoke billowed through the warehouse, and the flames still spread. Soon, the entire warehouse would be engulfed, and them along with it.

“Watson!” Holmes took his hands and held them, trying again to capture his attention. “Watson, you are not in war. Can you hear me?”

He clearly could not, only whimpering softly, and Holmes could delay no longer. He scooped Watson up off the wood, winced at the sudden cry of distress, and murmured an apology. This might perhaps worsen the panic, but it was certainly better than letting him burn to death.

---

Pain throbbed through Watson’s leg and shoulder. He had been shot twice, and could not even move to put pressure on the wounds. It was too dangerous. Too many explosions, fire from the enemy raining down. He could only hide.

Someone was calling his name. And then there were hands on him, raising him up. Murray. It must be Murray, his orderly. But hadn’t Murray already put him on a packhorse?

Smoke everywhere, choking the air, and he couldn’t breathe. Coughing wrenched at him, worsening the pain. And there were sobs, too.

It didn’t seem fitting for an army surgeon to panic over the nature of being in war, but he couldn’t stop crying. Tears cooled on his cheeks, and the sobs only worsened his inability to breathe. Smoke stung his eyes, suffocated him. And there would be more explosions soon, more cannon fire, and he was too hurt to escape…

“Watson. Watson.” Everything shifted again, and then there were hands on his cheeks. “Can you hear me? Doctor, can you hear me?”

Why wasn’t Murray treating his wounds? At this rate, he would bleed to death before they made their escape. Where had the horse gone, anyway?

“John, have you hit your head?”

Why was Murray calling him by his Christian name? And no, of course he hadn’t hit his head. His injuries should be obvious to anyone, let alone an orderly.

“No, I’ve…” Watson couldn’t wrap his tongue around the words. Everything felt so strange. “I’ve been shot.”

“Oh, my dear fellow. No, you have not been shot. We have been in an explosion.” A hand skimmed from his temple to jaw, the touch incredibly tender. “Watson, you’re with Holmes. With Sherlock Holmes. You are not in Afghanistan.”

“Of course I’m in Afghanistan, I was just…” Dazed, Watson opened his eyes. The man bending over him was certainly not Murray. “Holmes?”

Holmes flashed a quick smile, although he looked as worried as he had when Watson fainted years ago. “Yes, my dear Watson. I fear we have been in a little explosion.”

“But… the cannons.”

“No cannons. Explosives were detonated in the warehouse we were investigating.” Slowly, Holmes caressed his cheek with just as much tenderness as before. “It’s all right, Watson. I believe we each have a bump or two, but nothing else. I swear you have not been shot.”

Still woozy, Watson looked down at his shoulder. It was not bleeding. “I thought I was back in the war.”

“I know. I attempted to coax you back to me, but flames were encroaching on our position.” Holmes was breathing hard, trembling as he continued to kneel at Watson’s side. “My apologies for carrying you. I presumed that risking further slide into memory was preferable to allowing you to be set ablaze.”

“Much more preferable, yes.” Blinking away tears, Watson tried to smile. He couldn’t quite manage it. “Holmes, are you hurt?”

“I’m all right, simply have a little ringing in my ears.” Quite suddenly, Holmes sat down and pressed a hand to his brow. “And perhaps somewhat dizzy. And you, Watson?”

“I don’t know. It’s all…” A shudder rushed through Watson, and he cast a nervous look at the smoke. “My God, Holmes, I could have sworn I was back there.”

“You are not back there. You’re here with me.” Holmes tensed, stiffening like a dog that had caught a scent. After a moment, he flashed Watson a smile and patted his arm. “It seems the city’s excellent firefighters are incoming, and we shall have to have a word with the police. Will you be all right?”

“I should prefer to go home at once.” Each whiff of smoke threatened to carry him off, back to the screams and gunfire and agony. “Holmes, I do not feel well.”

All at once, it became too overwhelming, and Watson began to cry. Holmes immediately scooped him up and help him, cradling Watson to his chest. “All right, Watson.”

Holmes did not speak after that, merely holding him. The sound of that familiar voice would have been soothing, but it wasn’t the sort of thing that came naturally to Holmes, and so Watson did not expect it. He simply curled into the careful embrace and sobbed against his shoulder, taking comfort in the arms around him.

But even here, even with Holmes, the war still seemed horribly close. The screams, the smoke, the explosions…

---

Holmes did not know what to do. He had never been even slightly talented in providing comfort, no matter how deeply he cared for those important to him. Hugs were certainly efficacious, in his experience, but he could not simply hug Watson forever.

The trip home had been difficult. Merely escaping the docks without being endlessly interrogated about the burning warehouse had proved more complicated than Holmes would like, and he had ended up shouting at a constable who likely hadn’t deserved his rancor. But that constable had impeded his efforts to take Watson home, and that was intolerable.

They had made it back to Baker Street, which required an uncomfortable cab ride in which Watson had startled at every bump. His eyes remained glassy, and he seemed hardly able to hold onto the present. Mrs. Hudson had to be chased off as well, and Holmes would likely need to apologize to her later.

He couldn’t entirely regret his sharp response to her attempted fussing, though. Watson was overwhelmed enough, and had only wished to lie down on the settee. Holmes would have committed far greater crimes than snapping at Mrs. Hudson in order to give him that wish.

At any rate, Watson was now installed on the settee, curled up under a blanket. He would feel better if he could change out of these clothes, which smelled of smoke, but he did not seem to have any desire to move.

Or at least, Holmes assumed he would feel better if he did not smell like smoke. Holmes had changed his own clothes at once. But perhaps Watson was not troubled by it. It was difficult to tell.

Holmes gathered a basin of water and cloths, and sat beside the settee. Watson had been crying quietly again, but his expression relaxed when he glanced up. “Holmes.”

“I’m here, my dear fellow. It’s all right.” Those were the sorts of things that Watson said to him, in Holmes’ own slips into memory. His battle with Moriarty had left wounds that had merely scabbed over, and were easily disturbed even years later. “Would you like to clean up a little? I have warm water and clean cloths.”

“Yes, I…” For a moment, Watson struggled, as if unable to think of the words he needed. Then he gave a weak smile. “I should like that. Thank you, Holmes.”

“Of course. I am eager to be of assistance.” Holmes dampened a cloth, then took Watson’s hand and began to very gently clean away the soot and ash. His own hands had been the first thing he washed, and it had made life much more bearable. “I fear I am not entirely certain how to help, so you must tell me if I make matters worse.”

“No, you’re… you’re doing fine.” Another weak, teary smile. “I am glad to be home. I feel much better here.”

“Excellent.” Should he ask any questions? Ordinarily, when Watson was distressed, Holmes merely attempted to distract him with interesting conversation once the initial danger had passed. But this was a particularly severe reaction, and perhaps more direct action was called for. “Is it necessary for you to talk about what happened?”

Watson let out a soft chuckle, which was such a relief that it brought tears to Holmes’ eyes. “No, I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“Ah.” Holmes considered both his own question, and Watson’s reply. “Forgive me, perhaps I ought to have asked if you would like to talk about it.”

“No, that’s all right. I knew what you meant, old man.” Until now, Watson’s breaths had been uneven, restricted. Now, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’d rather not think about it. It just seemed so very real. I don’t think I truly believed I was in London until we were back here in our rooms.”

Holmes nodded sympathetically, continuing to wash away the grime from Watson’s hands. “It is very soothing to be in familiar surroundings.”

“Yes. Yes, it is.” After another long breath, Watson adjusted. He glanced at his shoulder with a wince. “Well, I don’t think I’ll be going out for a day or two. Will you be leaving to pursue the arsonists?”

Holmes wished to find them and personally hang them for having harmed his Watson. But such an act would be less than helpful. “No, no. Not yet. I shall stay here until I am certain you have recovered.”

A soft smile tugged at Watson’s face, and a few more tears slipped down his cheeks. “You don’t have to do that, Holmes. I know where I am now.”

“Nevertheless.” Pausing in his ministrations, Holmes took Watson’s hand and simply held it. “I shall be glad to stay by your side, Watson, and to help you find your way back home if need be.”

His statement seemed to have been the right response. Watson smiled, closed his eyes, and squeezed Holmes’ hand. There were still tears on his cheeks, but he looked far more peaceful than he had since the explosions.

Gently, Holmes wiped the tears away, then proceeded to bathe Watson’s face. He was still not entirely certain what he was doing, but at least he had achieved positive results so far. Watson was home, both in body and mind, and Holmes had every intention of keeping it that way.

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

I've seen a lot of folks talk about how in-universe things would be different in a modern AU, but I'm curious if you have any thoughts about how Animorphs and its world building would be if it were being written now in a (post?-) war on terror world rather than a post-Vietnam War world.

So this'd be speculation, but. But a lot has changed since 1996. We'd probably get YA Animorphs if published today (sigh), and we'd definitely get 6 or 12 oversized tomes rather than 54 slim paperbacks. On the plus side, we'd get canon queer rep, especially Tobias and Marco, and we'd get updated animal facts.

And then there's the War on Terror. Controversial opinion: I think it wouldn't change that much about Animorphs, because it's obvious in hindsight that Applegate saw the foreverwar coming.

Like, look at Marco's speech in MM2 about how the U.S. is "always on the lookout for new enemies... Enemies 'R Us, EnemyMart, J.C. Enemy. Don't worry, we'll find one." Or his point in #46 about how "global warfare is a thing of the past. That’s what people think, anyway" and the inherent danger in war becoming this glorious abstraction to too many Americans. Look at Visser's point about how humans "tear down a living man but revere a dead one" and use tragic deaths to forward the political agenda, whatever that might be. Look at Jake's job in #54, developed because "terrorism had grown... religious extremists... antigovernment paranoids... latter-day racists."

And then look at the andalites. "Police force of the galaxy" (#8), "Meddlers of the galaxy" (HBC), who often do more harm than good to the planets they try to save. They try to use their tech and military advantages responsibly... but not so responsibly that they're willing to give up even an iota of power to save lives. We first meet the andalites as the absolute good guys, and then over the course of the series that foundation crumbles (#8), and crumbles (#18), and crumbles (#19), and crumbles (#38), until Jake and Eva are "making deals with taxxons and yeerks to gain a victory fast enough to keep the andalites from deciding... to blast the entire planet out of existence and take out the bulk of the yeerk race along with the human race" (#53). Sound like any countries you know?

Anyway, Animorphs shows the Afghanistan War wasn't caused by the Sept. 11 murders any more than World War I was caused by Franz Ferdinand's murder. Applegate was writing in a U.S. itching for any moral-looking excuse to go to war, and clearly she knew it.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Brendan O'Neill

Every now and then you see an event and you think to yourself: ‘This will go down in history.’ Last night’s revolt of the Jews of London against a ‘pro-Palestine’ mob is one such event.

Jews and their allies gathered at the Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley to defend its showing of a film about Hamas’s fascistic massacre at the Nova music festival on 7 October. Unbelievably – or not, perhaps – the ‘Palestine solidarity’ set wanted the screening to be cancelled. No way, said the Jewish rebels, loudly and proudly, many of them draped in the Israeli flag. It was truly stirring stuff, a bold act of people’s defiance against cancel culture and the slow, lethal creep of a new anti-Semitism.

Let’s call it The Battle of Phoenix Cinema. On one side there was a motley crew of Palestine flag-wavers, curiously irate that a cinema was showing a film about the evils of Hamas. And on the other side a boisterous gathering of Jews and their supporters. Two thousand of them. ‘I’m still standing’ by Elton John blasted from a loudspeaker. Many young Jews were there, some clearly angry, pushed to their limit by the ceaseless demonisation of the Jewish State and the left’s shameful lack of solidarity with the Jewish community as it has come under attack these past seven months. These people really have had enough.

Some of the younger Jews chanted ‘Terrorists supporters off our streets’. It felt like a brilliant modern twist on the slogan of The Battle of Cable Street in 1936 – ‘They shall not pass’. Back then, Jews and their working-class allies gathered in East London to see off Oswald Mosley’s fascists. Yesterday they gathered to see off that mob that obsessively hates Israel and which seems hell-bent on hiding the truth about Hamas’s fascist-like crimes. You shall not pass, the protesters were essentially saying, as they protected a cinema from the McCarthyite rage of the Israelophobes.

The Phoenix Cinema’s ‘crime’ is that it agreed to host the Seret film festival, a festival of Israeli cinema that is supported by Israel’s culture ministry. This is a mortal sin in the eyes of anti-Israel activists who boycott everything that emanates from Israel; who seem to believe that moral cleanliness entails exorcising every Israeli film, foodstuff, product and even person from your life and your community.

Ken Loach and Mike Leigh resigned in a huff as patrons of the Phoenix in response to its hosting of Seret. Loach, of course, gets funding for his films from the British Film Institute, which itself is government-funded and distributes lottery cash. So he’s happy to get cash from an organisation backed by a government that waged catastrophic wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya but he’ll run a mile from a cinema showing films backed by the Israeli government? Make it make sense, Ken.

[simply-ivanka]

The rest of the story......

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

The U.S.-commanded military alliance called NATO includes the armed forces of the U.S. and all other countries in the alliance, including Britain, Germany, and France.  

NATO has undertaken eight military actions, all since 1990. The alliance did not undertake any military operations during the Cold War. Since 1990, NATO has engaged in two actions related to the first Gulf War, two in the former Yugoslavia, and military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, and Libya.

Stoltenberg then said that NATO’s primary focus now is targeting China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. He called them threats to NATO’s dominance. He didn’t talk about the war threats that have come from NATO and the “Asian version of NATO.”

The specter of war will loom large over the NATO summit in Washington.

[darkmaga-returns]

As his term draws to a close, President Joe Biden was blasted on CNN over his failings in office and frequent vacationing.

CNN contributor Scott Jennings delivered sharp criticism of Biden’s leadership.

He focused on Biden’s handling of key issues, including the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the commutation of death row sentences, and his overall accountability.

Jennings’ remarks stirred a heated debate among the panel, exposing deep divides over Biden’s presidency and triggering defensive responses from liberal commentators.

He began by condemning Biden’s lack of regret for the deaths of 13 American service members during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

“When he got asked about regrets, the fact that he didn’t say, ‘I regret that 13 American service members lost their lives in Afghanistan,’ to me, that he can’t muster the courage to say that now is a disgrace,” Jennings said.

He pointed to Biden’s behavior during the dignified transfer ceremony for the fallen soldiers.

Jennings recalled that Biden checked his watch multiple times and spoke about his late son, Beau Biden, instead of addressing the grieving families’ loss.

He blasted Biden for failing to answer families’ questions or hold anyone accountable for the disastrous withdrawal.

[simonxriley]

WIP Wednesday/Last Line

I was tagged by the wonderful @cassietrn @imogenkol @josephseedismyfather and @voidika, thank you! 💜

I've only been working on the next chapter (very slowly) to 'when the world falls' and i have a decent amount to show you.

‘Unless you want me to be again?’ ran through her head multiple times. In a twisted way she wants him to be, she wants to relapse. She wants to feel that way again, the calm, not scared Liz. But times have changed and she’s no longer with her former squad. She doesn’t need those drugs anymore. 

“I’m gonna have to pass. I’m with a new squad now, I’m happier; I don’t need those drugs anymore.” 

“You know what?” He took a deep breath and smiled. “I’m happy for you, Liz.” 

Out of everything that has happened today, this has shocked her the most. He was happy for her? That didn’t seem true to her. “Really?” 

“What? I’m not dumb, I knew you were miserable before.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And I can tell something has changed in you, you’re a lot happier.” 

Liz could feel the heat on her cheeks rise, she looked down at her feet making sure he couldn’t see her blushing face. Which was embarrassing, she never liked blushing around people. 

“Well, I am.” She looked up with a small smile and sighed. “It’s nice being a part of a new team, it’s like a brand new start or a second chance.” 

“Like I said before, I’m happy for you!” 

“Thanks Asher, I appreciate it!” 

He gave her another warm smile and placed his hand on her head. “No problem. I won’t keep you any longer.” 

Her eyes moved to his hand that was on her head. “You know I’m not a kid right?” 

Asher’s smile slowly faded from his face as he took his hand off her head. “Right, sorry.”

“And to think I used to buy drugs from you,” She shook her head, chuckling. “I should probably get to Logan before he has a fit.” 

“Alright, I’ll see you later.” 

She waved goodbye and they went their separate ways. As she was walking towards the pit she thought to herself that he wouldn’t be seeing her later, she won’t be here after tomorrow, she probably should’ve told him that. Oh well, he should’ve already known that after she told him she was a part of the 141 now. 

Opening the door to the outside she got blasted by some warm wind. The only thing she was thankful for right now was not being in full gear. Afghanistan is already hot enough, now add about fifty pounds of gear and it’s hell. It makes her very happy that she’s stationed in the UK now. Where it’s cooler. 

As she made her way down the stairs to the pit she saw Logan sitting on one of the weapon cases fiddling with a knife. “Be careful or you might hurt yourself.”

“So, you decided to come after all.” He slid the knife back into its sheath and crossed his arms. “I thought you’d stay inside with Simon.” 

“Well.” she shrugged her shoulders. “He said it would be good for me to spend the last day or so with you. Since we don’t know when we’ll see each other again.”

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[gunsandspaceships]

Blast injury

A blast injury is a complex type of physical trauma resulting from direct or indirect exposure to an explosion.

Most writers and filmmakers forget it's even a thing and allow their characters to simply dust themselves off and move on after an explosion as if nothing happened. In reality it doesn't work like that.

Tony suffered from a blast injury (2, in fact) at the very beginning of Iron Man 1, when The Ten Rings attacked the convoy in Afghanistan to kill him. The first blast occurred while he was still in the Humvee, killing Jimmy and leaving Tony with a concussion and acoustic trauma.

We can see and hear the symptoms: confusion, ringing in the ears and partial hearing loss.

The second blast that showered Tony with shrapnel was even more damaging because it happened so close to him.

This explosion caused another acoustic trauma - he started bleeding from his ears, meaning his eardrums were perforated.

Burns: the explosion created a lot of heat and heated the air directly in front of Tony. This means he could get burns and breathed in hot air.

Chest: we hear Tony wheezing as he lies on the ground before he passes out. This means that immediately after the explosion he had a bronchospasm. It doesn't necessarily mean that he got a severe injury of respiratory system though, as this can be caused by simple airway irritation from the blast or hot air inhalation.

We already know Tony suffered from arrhythmia. One of the causes of this condition could be a heart injury sustained as a result of the explosion. In this case, it could be either myocardial damage or nerve damage.

Abdomen: it is unknown whether he had any trauma in this area, as we had no opportunity to see symptoms (such as abdominal pain or bleeding). But most likely there was some concealed damage. It is reasonable to assume that during the few weeks that Tony spent unconscious, the damage in this area had time to heal.

And let's not forget that Tony was thrown back by the blast wave and landed hard a few meters from the starting position. He could have had broken bones, a traumatic brain injury (he hit his head when he landed) and for sure got bruises to his back and the back of his head.

Tony avoided eye injury (a type of injury that also often occurs in explosions) by covering his face with his forearms. Thus, he received shrapnel in his arms and hands, but retained his sight.

All damage, except for the arrhythmia (if it was caused by the blast), took anywhere from days to months to recover, and the worst healed in the two weeks he was unconscious.

It is unknown if any of the injuries resulted in permanent damage, mainly due to the fact that Tony suffered a LOT of injuries of various kinds from 2008 to 2023. It is possible that some damage remained with him for years or even for the rest of his life. For example, his hearing may have been slightly but irreversibly damaged.

And while this was most likely the first time Tony had suffered a blast injury, it was far from the last in his superhero career.

Can you find them all?

[weemietime]

the shit that's happening in Amsterdam to the Jews and israelis happened to Arab and African people in UK earlier this year and it lasted like 6 days and it was barely talk about outside of the country, the only difference is that people actually care about the thing in Amsterdam because the targets are white passing/from a western backed country

not saying this to somehow excuse the porgom but it's just something I've noticed, when these sort of situations happen in Europe or to white passing people or in a country that westerners can point out on a map it makes the news but if it happens in Africa, MENA, SEA or in Oceania then they can get just fucked with and no one ever cares

I recall what you're talking about. For everyone else this was because lead paint eating violent racist dipshits got riled up and wrongfully blamed "immigrants" for the death of a child and then went around bashing people and rioting and looting.

the kid was not killed by immigrants, IIRC. But even if she were, the people who got attacked were innocent (much like in Amsterdam). Tbh, I haven't heard anyone except Jews talk about the pogrom, other than to cheerfully congratulate the perpetrators lol.

Nevertheless you're right that for the most part, a lot of people only really pay attention to shit like this when the victims look like them and I would also argue that antisemitism plays a role in why people constantly blast shit like this like we say, "no Jews, no news" what we mean is, the Taliban literally made it illegal for women to speak in public in Afghanistan and nobody fucking cares because they can't scream "death to Israel" ykwim.

If people weren't as antisemitic you probably wouldn't hear as much about Jews on a regular basis because only Jews and their kin would follow Jewish current events. Some ppl make it their whole personality to follow every little thing so they can bash Jews and get that serotonin hit. It's a shitty pattern either way, I wish that more people gave a fuck about what's going on in the world. Sudan, China with the uyghers, the situation in Yemen, Iran, etc.

[infiniteeight8]

ironstrange prompt: enemies to lovers?

Obviously I can only do a tiny little piece of enemies to lovers, so you get my very favorite part of my very favorite version of the trope. 😀

-

Tony has been here before. Not literally, of course. He’s honestly not sure he’s even still on Earth. But held prisoner? Tortured? Yeah, he’s been here before. 

At first, Tony wasn’t even worried. He may be alone in his prison, but he has the Avengers now. They’ll come after him. And while Mordo’s faction of Sorcerers are powerful, the Avengers go toe-to-toe with Strange on a regular basis, and he’s far stronger. And if the Avengers have trouble with Mordo, it’s usually not very hard to split his forces by maneuvering Strange into a battle with him.

So Tony doesn’t worry at first. But days pass and no one comes. Then weeks.

He’s working on his own escape, of course, but magic isn’t his forte, and these captors haven’t been stupid enough to hand him any kind of tech. Much as Tony hates to admit it, he could use an assist. When the third week rolls into the fourth, he has to accept that the assist isn’t coming. The Avengers aren’t coming. 

Three days later, Tony’s cell jumps and shakes like an earthquake has struck. The whump and boom of explosions follow. There’s no door to his cell, but Tony closes his eyes and strains his ears. There’s no ringing of shield on metal or stone. No roar of the Hulk. No crackle of lightning. Instead, he hears the hiss of portals forming. The hair on his arms stands straight up the way it always does when the magic gets heavy in the air. 

The battle lasts for hours. When the noise dies down and the magic dissipates, he wonders if they even know he’s here. Is he going to starve to death, a forgotten casualty of sorcerous infighting?

But no, a portal flares to life just minutes later. Tony pushes himself to his feet, even if he is unsteady. When Strange steps through, Tony realizes he isn’t even surprised. 

“Tony,” Strange says, as warmly as he ever does, even when he’s blasting Tony off his feet. “You’re looking well, for a dead man.” Despite his words his mouth tightens as he looks Tony up and down, taking in the thinness of his frame and the magical burns.

“I always look good,” Tony shoots back. “It’s a gift.” He swallows hard. “So everyone gave up on me?”

Stephen sniffs. “You’d think they’d know better, after Afghanistan,” he says. “I could be standing over your corpse and I’d be wondering if I hadn’t missed something.”

Tony cracks a smile. “Time to go home, then?”

“Of course,” Strange agrees. The portal he opens doesn’t lead to the Avengers Compound, or to any more neutral location. It leads into Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum. A private bedroom. Perhaps Strange’s own. If Tony steps through that portal, will he be any less of a prisoner?

Strange steps close enough for Tony to feel the heat radiating off his body. “Tony,” he murmurs. “I will never give up on you. I promise.”

Tony closes his eyes. Tries to think of Rhodey, of Pepper, of all the people he left behind. (The people who left him behind.)

A warm, trembling hand presses against the small of his back, urging him towards the portal.

Strange’s shoulder bumps into Tony’s. Then their hips collide. He’s walking next to Tony. Not leading him, not pushing him from behind. He’s at his side.

Tony steps out of his prison cell.