#EU and US

[thewordenreport]

It might surprise you that the GDP per capita in Germany is less than in Mississippi. The E.U. average is also less than the U.S. average. Why? https://thewordenreport-governmentandmarkets.blogspot.com/2025/01/gdp-per-capita-in-eu-and-us-changing.html

[thatdiabolicalfeminist]

just to be completely clear, the amount of military power and political influence Israel has has NOTHING to do with its settlers being Jewish. Israel is a force for American & European interests in the region and they're just doing what America does and allows/encourages its close allies to do.

war crimes aren't considered war crimes when someone America finds useful is doing them. european and american pushback against anyone criticizing Israeli apartheid & genocide is 100% because these crimes are useful to American & European hegemony.

Governments that are deeply antisemitic, like France, aren't suddenly caring about Jewish people. Jewish people, persecuted the world over, don't hold some kind of hegemonic power outside of Israel.

The state of Israel and its attendant brutal treatment of the locals are both incredibly useful to the US, and American hegemony means we're expected to celebrate both.

not bc they're Jewish. this isn't a break in the pattern of western antisemitism and it's not evidence that antisemitism doesn't exist.

it's just like how you could get fired for saying shit against the US war in Afghanistan when i was growing up. it is 100% about US military and political interests (ok slightly western europe too but lbr)

[mapsontheweb]

Are you certain that God exists?

[ayeforscotland]

Honestly quite insane that Germany and France have had to issue warnings over this.

[livsoulsecrets]

Flávia Saraiva “Flavinha” (BRZ) on her fall during warm-ups on today’s Olympic Final for Artistic Gymnastics Teams.

Interview for TV Globo.

P.S.: Guys, I should probably have used other expression than “come to” when I translated. Flavinha didn’t say she passed out, I meant to use “come to” in the sense of “when she realized what was happening”

I found her retelling of the fall so funny that I subtitled it to share here. Flavinha was a beast today and we’re all so proud!

[hope-for-the-planet]

This is the beginning on the EU's crackdown on single use plastics. Loose bottle caps are one of the most common forms of single-use plastic litter--the idea is that by keeping them attached to the bottle they are more likely to be properly thrown away or (ideally) recycled.

Other items that the EU aims to ban by 2030 include single use plastics for condiments, grocery bags, fresh fruits and vegetables, and fast food.

[felassan]

Acting cast for Rook in Dragon Age: The Veilguard -

Erika Ishii - US/North American Rook Bryony Corrigan - United Kingdom/EU Rook Jeff Berg - US/North American Rook Alex Jordan - United Kingdom/EU Rook

[source, images from IMDB, companions post]

[hitracks]

Can we see a c! Wilbur design maybe? (If you're chill w/ it) Or Technoblade and Philza?

I’m planning on doing a whole separate ref for Wil at some point so I will do both Blade and Philza for you… im really really normal about Techno like really serious I promise you. ( <- lying through his fucking teeth. ) LOTTTTS OF DESIGN PARTICULARS WITH HIM. I deviate a lot from his skin ( for one I get way too engrossed with drawing animals so humanoid it is. ) but I make his outfit more errr. Flashy…? Also southern inspo all over this bitch. as a southern man myself I am forced to give him ( modest ) matador esque pants and a bolo …. I think putting him in that is hilarious cause the closest things piglins have to bulls are fucking hoglins LMFAO. Imagine him in a Nether rodeo … terrifying … Away from design in general I love his character sooo much. I think its important to keep his funny nerd qualities when designing him. Like techno is a beast with technical skills and combat but if you ask him to sit in a room with more than about 3 people he starts sweating. Make him a little loser guys … hes got like one friend total and lives in the middle of nowhere in the snow as a Nether mob. Nothing normal about him. No bitches and no gains …

PHIL …. ghh … I have an unpopular take on him because i dont find him very fatherly. Hes more like an estranged uncle who dgaf about his kids. Shanks from one piece if you will. As much as I like his dynamics, for his character I feel like people are constantly glossing over the fact he isolates himself on purpose away from everything and everyone so he doesn’t have to deal with it … Him and Techno are so close because 1) They’re both crazy fucking good at everything and 2) Neither of them WANT to interact with others outside of themselves usually. Techno most often times only talks to people for his own personal gain or when he has no choice … Philza just get dragged into everything cause Wilbur is like a damn blight on the world. IDK! I wish people made him more aloof or terrifying because the concept of him is so genuinely freaky like hes got spies everywhere all the time and could or could not be immortal or some sort of biblical creature like THATS SCARY!!! I tried to mess around with him being green and the Minecraft equivalent of souls ( exp drop when you die ) being the same shade-ish …. Hes just some eldritch horror to me. Not explainable by mere words…

[lavonq]

That man.

[carbonalchemy]

Important for the US trans people

Important to know: under EU law, individuals who face persecution based on their gender identity or sexual orientation can be eligible for asylum.

The EU Qualification Directive (2011/95/EU) says that persecution due to sexual orientation and gender identity can be grounds for refugee status. We've already received LGBTQ+ refugees from Russia for years.

So, if policy proposals such as Project 2025 come to be in the USA as they're now presented, transgender individuals from the USA could seek asylum in the EU. And I underline, not by finding a job and getting a visa first but as an asylum seeker.

The asylum process requires applicants to demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country. Each case is assessed individually, considering the specific circumstances and evidence presented, so if anything starts happening, document everything. The more, the better.

The LGBTQ+ right recognition varies between the member states so it's the safest, if things come to this, to look for the countries that have higher established protection for LGBTQ+ people (ie. Malta, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Germany, France). The local LGBTQ+ organisations often have legal resources and can consult as to what is required.

I know this is a horrifying situation and no one wants to leave their country and home and start new in a country where they possibly don't speak the language or have any support network, but if things come to this, the EU should be mandated to offer asylum.

For people in the EU, remember that your vote can help people in the USA. If you vote against refugees, you're also voting against people in situations like this.

[cultofcreatures]

If you do not vote this coming election, you are part of the problem. Full stop. I know you don't feel represented, I don't either, but shit *WILL* continue to get worse if you young people do not exercise your right to vote. Not only in the US, but the entire world. I am BEGGING you. Vote and then write your representatives, PLEASE.

[thewordenreport]

Salaries in the E.U. and U.S.

Comparing salary averages in the E.U. and U.S. can be tricky with respect to the political comparisons that are involved. Ideologically-sourced category mistakes are an affront to logic! https://thewordenreport-governmentandmarkets.blogspot.com/2024/12/salary-averages-in-eu-and-us.html

[prideknights]

Australia, Sydney

My friend who fulfilled the playing cards for Australia and New Zealand is moving to the UK. Because of her the playing cards were also accessible for people in Oceania! So right now I am looking for someone who is interested in taking over her activities during Pride Month. Activity: putting playing cards in a cardboard envelope + put shipping label on envelope Location: Sydney or Melbourne region Estimated hours: 12 hours of work total Space needed: About 10 shoe boxes If you are queer and interested, shoot me a DM! Stay proud! ⚔️🌈  ~ Roderick

[mapsontheweb]

US incarceration rate compared to European rate. Despite making up only 5% of the world's population, the US is home to around 25% of all convicts worldwide.

by Professional-Air-368

[notgreengardens]

I really can't get into the minds of EU citizens who identify as anything resembling leftists or progressives or people who care about human rights and then treat US Americans with embarassing smugness or paternalism regarding our border policies. Really? In 2025? Do we even live in the same reality.

Yeah, Schengen is great. Freedom of movement within the EU is great. Not everyone has it, though. And it's impossible to consume any type of news without refugees and the European borders being a topic. Okay. I get it if someone doesn't really know about the history of the EU as a project to secure their colonialist relationship with Africa. But the current border situation is impossible to ignore.

Best I can think of is that these people are embarrassingly ignorant about the EU's border policy and the abuse, torture and killing of refugees that is happening while they maintain this stupid superiority complex towards US Americans.

Most likely explanation is that they have not internalized the notion that the life of an Arab refugee has the same value as theirs. And in the end, that's the core of white supremacy, isn't it? It's not all Heil Hitler salutes, it's also the belief that the dignity and suffering of other groups of people count less than one's own.

And don't get me wrong: I am not proposing a dissolution of the EU. Every realistic outcome of that will only be worse. I guess what I am saying instead is that EU patriots have got to be the most cringe and embarrassing type of nationalists in Europe.

[ryllen]