#Mihailovic

[a2zsportsnews]

Mihailovic, Robinson, Paredes headline USMNT Olympic roster

Marko Mitrovic’s 18-player roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics is set. Djordje Mihailovic, Miles Robinson, and Kevin Paredes headline the U.S. men’s Olympic team roster for the trip to Paris, France later this July. Both Mihailovic and Robinson are joined by Nashville SC defender Walker Zimmerman as the three players over the ages of 23-years-old. Reigning MLS Cup winner Patrick Schulte and…

[year24groupedits]

Julius Leonhard von Ahrensmeyer and Klaus Friedrich Sommerschmitt/ Alekseij Mihailov from the manga "Orpheus no Mado" or "The Window of Orpheus" (1975-1981) by Riyoko Ikeda

[bomz2805]

— How to overcome depression

— How to overcome loneliness

— HOW TO DEFEAT SANS KNYAZ YUSUPOV?!?!

[bixletmen]

there is this page from orumado i think it’s funniest shit riyoko ikeda ever made, it was something like this:

julius: david… i like you

david: it doesn’t matter. i know well your heart belongs to another. hearing you say that, i almost wish it is true. but it doesn’t matter, julius

meanwhile

isaak: i cannot compete. she has eyes only for you.. that's why i find it irritating! you make me angry! why do you refuse to accept her feelings? if it wasn’t for you i would have confessed my feelings to Julius long ago! i… i…

klaus: 🗿

[oldsardens]

Miodrag Bata Mihailovic - Untitled

[lizzieshyani]

[worldnews7]

[MLS] Colorado Defeats Montreal 4-1

Colorado Rapids, Djordje Mihailovic / photo credit to GooddaySports.com   (Commerce City, CO = Wongeol Jeong) On the 22nd local time, the Colorado Rapids hosted CF Montreal for an MLS regular season match. Colorado started with a 4-2-3-1 formation, while Montreal opted for a 3-4-3 formation. Colorado positioned Rafael Navarro as the central forward, and Montreal placed Sunusi Ibrahim, who leads…

[year24groupedits]

Klaus Friedrich Sommerschmitt/ Alekseij Mihailov from "Orpheus no Mado" or "The Window of Orpheus" by Riyoko Ikeda

Orpheus no Mado - Ikeda Riyoko

[dzelonis]

Colin Wilson - The Mind Parasites UN Vladimir Mikhailov - Trešā Pakāpe

Links uz grāmatas Goodreads lapu Izdevniecība: Sprīdītis Manas pārdomas Kad Gilberts Ostins padzird par sava 30 gadus ilgā kolēģa un drauga Karela Vilsmaņa pēkšņo nāvi, turklāt vēl pašnāvību, viņa dzīve sāk ceļu uz pārmaiņu takas, kas izmainīs ne tikai viņa, bet pat visu pārējo Zemes iedzīvotāju dzīves. Varbūt, ja vēl Gilberts pieņemto bēdīgo faktu pašu par sevi vai Karels nebūtu atstājis ziņu…

[sepicriting]

yandere twins introduction

―wherever you go, whatever you do, they'll always trail behind.

directory: part two here. contents: yandere male x gender-neutral reader. yandere female x gender-neutral reader. only reference to reader/darling is 'you' and 'firestorm' as a nickname. implied murders.

notes: refurbished this old little thing, hope you enjoy!

As a child from a family who owned one of the most prestigious universities in the country, your recent transfer to another left you feeling lost, especially since you didn't know anyone. While you could’ve easily coasted through life on the backs of your parents’ power, your father wanted you to prove that you had ‘capabilities’. Whatever that meant.

At the very least, you had enough allowance to afford a dormitory on campus. And maybe more than that. You spent some cash trying to make sure you could give positive first impressions, indulging in a few hobbies here and there, and before you knew it your first week went by smoothly.

You were able to befriend numerous groups and floated between cliques. And it wasn't long before your name was passed around and people were vaguely familiar with you. By the end of the first month, everyone knew you. You were being greeted in the hallways, given free things for your acquaintanceship, invited to every event... People were so comfortable with you that even gossip presented itself freely.

And while you may not consider yourself someone who actively looks for gossip, hearing about all the dirt on others helps you know who to avoid…or who to approach when you need something.

Of the gossip, one caught your curiosity: A pair of twins had just begun attending a month into the semester. But you didn't have faces to tie to the names people gave you — The Mihailovs twins.

The circumstances around them seemed to spark intrigue amongst your classmates. You heard offhand comments here and there. Something about their origins, their sense of style…and the hyperbolic rumors of a murder caused by one. You think the last one was blown out of proportion, but then again there was a certain level of truth to some rumors. You really don’t want to entertain the thought of a cold-blooded killer attending the same institute, you don’t want to grow paranoid before you even get to second semester.

You decided you could try to at least figure them out. Maybe they weren’t so bad? The opportunity to meet other classmates was also something you kept at the forefront of your mind with academics, though it wasn't very difficult to keep track of as long as you kept your priorities straight.

You first meet the older twin of the two, Vitalina, after participating in a debate in one of your classes. While you were trying your best to give your contributions, Vitalina was on the opposing end with her head hung low all-throughout. It was kind of weird, but that wasn't the only odd thing she did during class. She spent half of the lecture always alone playing cards. Sometimes, she was joined by other people who wanted to connect, but she seemed reluctant to spend time with anyone so they always backed away.

It wasn't until later that day in the library that you found her doing homework all by herself. She didn't seem to realize that you'd approached her at first, as it took her a minute to finally look at you. She stilled upon noting your presence, worried that you had caught her having difficulty understanding the material. And you did.

Her eyes narrowed as you offered to help, slowly nodding before she looked back down. "...Yeah." Her tone was soft. Sliding her paper towards you, her gaze remained distant. With her consent, you took a seat beside her.

You didn't realize it then, but you sealed your fate.

With your help, Vitalina was steadily able to keep up with her classes, and in the process, you were able to learn a lot more about her. You discovered that she had the tendency to be bored and detached from the things she became interested in, thus explaining a lot of her weird behaviors during lectures. However, the funny thing is that... She started to take an interest in you, and it didn’t seem like she was going to be bored of you anytime soon.

The changes were subtle at first, increasing inch by inch, enough for you to be unable to register them until someone else pointed it out.

Over weeks, Vitalina had begun to act strangely — or, normally, which was unusual. Her hair, previously always unruly, was combed and taken care of. She dressed differently, in styles that you had thought to be attractive. It wasn't the same as before, but she seemed to be in a better state now compared to when you first met her. She talked more. She was smiling a lot, making small talk, and laughing along with you whenever you shared jokes with her during your only shared class and your time together in the library. She insisted that only you call her Lina, all while leaning impossibly close the more you physically backed away.

You thought she was clingy. No, not thought— she is clingy, you’re sure of it.

Her interest in you was the only consistent thing you’ve seen since you knew her. At some point, it made you wonder what it was about you that kept her coming back. Sure, it was obvious that you and others began seeing her as a popular girl after the changes, but she never seemed to care. She was completely indifferent to it, only keen on keeping you close for as much as she could help it. And while it could’ve easily been suffocating for you, Lina knew when to snatch you up and when to let you go. You were able to spend time with your other friends with what little slivers of time you could scrape.

You wouldn't have any idea of the disdain she felt towards them. She started thinking that you wouldn't come back to her once you realized how much fun you would be having if you kept away from her. She couldn't have that— No, she really can't stand the idea of that!

It was why she started to chat people up. It seemed like an overnight change. But to her, it was a necessary step in the long run to take the social reputation of others in her control. That way, if anyone were to do anything unsavory and threaten her budding relationship with you, she would be able to simply pull a string to ensure they'd never think of approaching you again.

She never stopped going to the library with you, making up excuses as to why she still needed you around even when you were sure she didn’t need any more help. She kept making excuses to keep your quality time together. She even brings you to go shopping from time to time, with her money always spent on spoiling you with whatever.

Even just looking at an item was enough for her to think you wanted it. If you expressed guilt at accepting all of the expensive gifts she’s given you every time you went out, it was quickly quelled with Lina telling you that she’s only trying to return how happy you’ve made her by spending time with her. You couldn’t bring yourself to reject it all, not when she puts it that way.

Always unable to say no to her, and if you tried Lina was always ready to find excuses, reasons, ways to get you to stay. And it was peaceful that way, her neediness appeased knowing that you had time for her and you stuck to it when you said you would.

Then her brother ruined it.

Try as Lina might to hide it from him, he wasn't blind to the hours she spent prettying herself up for you. At night, he could always see light from underneath her door. If she forgot to close it, he would see her practicing makeup.

She wouldn't do this for herself, no. Varis knew better than that. If it were the case she'd have done it ages ago, so there had to have been a reason. It wasn't long for him to figure out the cause was you. And from what he observed during his time sifting through the photos Lina took with you, you didn't seem to be aware of it. Though that was obvious to him, he felt he hadn't discovered all he needed to know about you before deciding if you were a good or bad influence.

He wanted to observe you from up close.

It was a bold move on his part to sit directly beside you in the library while his sister was on the other side, he was sure he could feel Lina glaring his way when she realized it. You, however, were struck by the physical similarities between the two.

Lina was pretty, yes, but Varis was jaw-dropping. He could’ve easily been the most handsome man you’ve ever seen in your life.

And as much as Lina wanted nothing more than to strangle someone of her blood, she didn't want you to think negatively of her. All she could do was sit tensely as Varis proceeded to make small talk with introductions out of the way. Much to her chagrin, he never left, opting to study in the library for a change with the excuse that the apartment was starting to feel stuffy. He didn't expect himself to like spending that study time with you though, considering he was never interested in socializing with anyone.

When the time came for you to bow out, the two had offered to walk with you to your dorm before they left for their apartment. The walk was silent, tension lingering in the air. For once, the attention you received from Lina was cut in half. When you asked what was wrong, all she did was flash a smile and say that all is well. And while you could’ve easily called her out, you had a feeling that this was a can of worms you didn’t want to open.

Reaching your dormitory, Lina bid you goodbye, wrapping her arms around you. “Bye darling, I’ll see you again another time, okay? Just the two of us.” Pulling away, you gave her a hum before walking inside your dorm to retire. You faintly wondered if whatever she had against her brother would be okay, but you decided it wasn’t your business. Maybe you can pry another time.

The minute you were out of sight, Lina turned to her brother. “Let’s. Go?” The bright tone she used around you was gone, replaced by clipped annoyance. Varis knew he had set her off, thinking that she was for sure going to kill him.

And he wasn’t wrong, the minute they entered their home Lina's first instinct was to grab the nearest object and throw. Varis caught her hand before she could let go of the flower vase. With her strength unmatched, her verbal yells came next.

“Kuces dēls Varis, what the fuck are you trying to do? Are you trying to kill them now? Is that it?!” How did he know about you? Was he trying to take you away?

"Lina," Her shoulders tensed. "'m not takin’ anyone." She didn't realize his other hand had gone to take something from behind him until the object taken had glinted in the dim light of their living space, a knife finding itself being pushed into her grasp. The implications were present, she could kill him right now. She can just bury the blade into the crook of his neck, drag it down his chest and watch him bleed. It’s so easy, he made it so easy—

—And yet, it's so hard for her to outright kill someone, unlike him.

Sucking in her breath, Lina pushed Varis and pointed the edge his way. "Try anything funny and I won't forgive you." His eyes narrowed, holding up his arms in a lackluster manner, expression blank. She was trying so desperately to keep you away from him. Why? What was it about you that had her so wrapped around your finger?

You and your effects on Lina were the only things on his mind when he retired to bed that evening.

The day after, he sought you out. He wanted to know you without Lina's presence, see what about you made her want to stick to you like glue. Though she’s never outright said it, he’s sure that she wants you, more than she’s ever wanted anything else in the world. He cringed, feeling pity. It’s possible his sister must’ve seen you as an object rather than a person and that’s what’s happening. He never would’ve been able to deduce that what she felt for you was anything like love.

But what would happen if he involved himself further? He wanted to make sense of it, and he had a feeling this wasn't going to be the last time he found himself face-to-face with you.

So now here you were, sitting in the library with your laptop open, trying to ignore how much Varis was staring holes into you. You were just trying to keep track of the things you needed to do before the semester ended, streamlining everything and trying not to miss any deadlines, then he just sat beside you without saying a single word.

Weirdo, you thought, subtly turning your head to look at him when your eyes met. “...Varis, right? Can I help you?” You were hesitant to give him your time considering finals week was coming, but if you had to stand another second being stared at, you might just bail on your plans of staying responsible.

“Yeah, mind if I sat here…?”

You’re already sitting there! You bit back your tongue from saying it, instead nodding. “Yeah, I don’t mind.” Not really, as long as he stopped looking at you. It was getting a bit creepy, even if he is a handsome man.

Varis, on the other hand, was perfectly aware that you were uncomfortable. He wondered how you’d behave if you were, and judging by your reaction he understood how you were able to stand his sister’s clinginess. You were just too nice, or maybe too polite to decline. Maybe a feeling of guilt? Surely you knew his sister had no real friends, right?

Regardless, he wasn’t going to come to any conclusions by just observing. He figured he should come to get to know you as a person.

“Do you play?” His question puzzled you, turning to see his laptop out and open as well. The offline dinosaur chrome game on the screen, and the absurdity made you chuckle and shake your head.

“Do you?” Your reply got him quirking his brow, pleasantly taken back. A corner of his lips tugged upwards, feeling drawn to you at that moment.

In a flash, hours passed by. Your responsibilities forgotten as you talked amongst yourselves about your interests and games you played. The more time he spent with you, the more he began to be aware of a growing feeling— A selfish desire to keep you all to himself. He couldn't explain it, but he couldn’t bring himself to get his eyes off you.

He continued to pursue your time and attention after that day, trying to pinpoint a reason why.

And somewhere along the way, the need for knowledge slipped, and what replaced it was the rush of just being with you. And fuck— Now he knows. Now he knows why Lina had been acting strange, why she's changed, why she's so desperate to mold herself into someone you could desire. He understood, now all that was left was this feeling of yearning.

If Lina was doing her best to keep others away from you, he was making sure to erase those who he deemed a threat.

Slowly, people around you trickled less and less. Sudden decisions to relocate, disappearing into other cities, students turning up missing... It started to feel worrisome to you, but Lina was always there to chat you up and take the occurrences off your mind.

She knew who was behind it all. Had it been anyone else, she would've swept you along to a much safer place, taken you into her arms and told you what she knew.

She decided she needed to have a chat with the man behind it.

When Lina finally confronted her brother, ready to fight; Varis could only keep seated, relaxed. During the time she was unable to face him, he had been contemplating. He didn't want to kill his sister, but he will if she tries to trick you away from him, his parents would know and people might catch on. While he was able to outrank her in strength, she would still be able to leave evidence on him. And if she succeeded in killing him instead, she would have difficulty disposing of the body privately.

You would inevitably find out, either way. And you would come to hate them both. That's why he has another idea in mind.

"I know a way to get what we both want." His words struck Lina dumbfounded yet guarded, he took her inaction cue for him to continue.

The next time you saw either of them, they were together. It was a surprise, given that both often spent time with you separately. When they noticed you, they glued themselves to your side in a matter of seconds. Lina had wrapped her arms around one of yours with a sweet smile, and Varis blankly towered comfortably over you with a hand around your shoulders.

Lina started affectionately calling you firestorm, and when you asked why she chose to call you that, she only gave a vague answer.

“Because we’re drawn to you, silly!” …Whatever that meant.

Everything went by smoothly during the next few times you hung out with them, not a single ounce of hostility shared between either. You weren't incredibly dense enough to pick up on the fact that the twins had their disagreements, so you were simply glad they'd set aside whatever was driving a wedge between them.

In turn, they were spoiling you little by little. Lina's always inviting you to try new things together, while Varis always somehow keeps himself physically close and acts as a source of comfort. You'd receive gifts of things you needed or were running out of, and it essentially came to the point where the three of you were always together even on campus.

It was only a matter of time before they would decide it was time to whisk you away.

And they'd make sure you would have no reason to refuse.

After all, wouldn’t it all be easier that way?

[mariacallous]

Today, Sunday Oct. 20, Moldovans are heading to the polls to pick their next president and to decide whether they want to introduce the objective of European integration in the country’s Constitution. The stakes are high for the country’s future.

The Kremlin’s writing checks

Russia’s fear of Moldova, a nation of 3 million people, making a free decision is so pronounced that it does not spare any resources to undermine and influence both voting campaigns. According to the estimates of Moldovan authorities, more than 100 million EUR are spent to interfere in the process only this year. The European Parliament condemned Russia’s escalating malicious activities in Moldova, recently passing a resolution with overwhelming majority.

The EU is not alone in calling out Russian malign influence campaigns in Moldova. The United States, too, have stated on Oct. 15 that Russia is working actively to undermine Moldova’s election and its European integration. According to National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby “in the last several months, Moscow has dedicated millions of dollars to influencing Moldova’s presidential election. We assess that this money has gone toward financing its preferred parties and spreading disinformation on social media”.

Meanwhile, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s press secretary insists that Russia is not interfering in Moldova’s internal affairs and regrets that Russia’s supporters in Moldova are not allowed to have their parties and Russian outlets are not allowed to cover the electoral process.

A journalistic investigation revealed that the EU accession referendum is the main target for the pro-Kremlin forces in Moldova. Ziarul de Garda’s undercover reporter, infiltrated in a voters’ buying network, was told that if the referendum fails, the pro-European president would lose grounds.

Pro-Kremlin forces still manage to flood the information space with anti-EU narratives. Some of them target the EU itself, some focus on the referendum, and others question whether the Government is truly European. In an earlier article, we outlined how the Kremlin and its associates in Moldova were seeking to discredit the referendum.

Now, after months of their disinformation experiments, pro-Kremlin mouthpieces honed in on fewer topics in order to scare voters away from EU.

All hands on deck

A music video three Russian superstars, Filip Kirkorov, Nikolay Baskov and Stas Mihailov, singing in Romanian about Moldova was released just a week before elections and referendum. The video starts with images depicting war, LGBT marches and immigrants’ riots, suggesting that these are from the EU. It then continues with nice panoramic views of Moldovan landscapes and concludes that Moldova does not need “their” problems, therefore people should say “No” to EU and vote “No” in the referendum.

These narratives – Moldova would be dragged into war, EU means LGBT and Brussels wants to send illegal immigrants to candidate countries are among the most used as the referendum gets closer.

Migrants and wealthy Europeans are coming

For example, pro-Kremlin propagandists claimed that 100 men went out of a plane flying from Alger to Ukraine that landed on a small airport in North of Moldova. Fact-checkers proved that the plane landed for maintenance and brought no people to Moldova. Nevertheless, the initial video gained almost 30 000 reactions on TikTok.

An article published by The Sunday Times, about discussions in Brussels on so-called deportation camps for migrants, which mentioned Moldova, became another hot topic for disinformation channels. Malign actors used this to scare readers that the country would be flooded with illegal immigrants deported from the EU. Chisinau stated that it is not discussing anything like this and would not accept such an idea.

On the other hand, pro-Kremlin mouthpieces, including Russian MFA, used an interview by EU Ambassador to Moldova to create a wave of discontent related to selling of land to foreigners after EU accession. Moldovan President and Prime-Minister reacted by stating that this is subject to negotiations, as it was the case of all the countries which joined the EU in the recent years. Still, there were 700 publications on the topic with more than 1.5 million views across different platforms in just several days.

Pick your poison

Pro-Kremlin actors are trying to serve different audiences and accommodate the topics accordingly. For Russian speakers, an important part of the disinformation toolkit in Moldova focuses on exacerbating sensitivities about Transnistrian and Găgăuzian regions. One article claimed that the Sandu government might help Ukraine attack Transnistria region. A second asserted that Moldova might join the EU and Ukraine in attacking the region.

Other Kremlin-linked outlets have built on this fearmongering by noting Russia’s readiness to serve as a diplomatic facilitator (opens in a new tab) between the Moldovan government and Transnistrian de facto authorities.

Similarly, Găgăuzia has also been weaponized by pro-Kremlin disinformation actors seeking to further polarize Moldovan society, including by claims that Moldovan government is suppressing free speech by fining a pro-Kremlin, Găgăuzian television company for spreading disinformation.

Moreover, stories related to Moldova allegedly preparing to host F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine kept appearing for months. In September, Russian MFA repeated this “concern,” although Chisinau stated denied such possibility.

Romanian language speakers are relatively more exposed to stoking fears about EU liberal policies, detrimental Western influence and Western values which are being “imposed” on Moldovans. An example of this was a false claim about an alleged decision to ban the Russian Orthodox Church in Moldova, which was published and promoted by Russian state-affiliated outlets and pro-Kremlin actors on Telegram.

Maria Zakharova , the spokesperson of the Russian MFA scared Moldovans that someone “will come to change their boys to girls and girls to boys” in the first week of the electoral campaign. Zakharova was standing next to prominent representatives of Ilan Shor. The sanctioned pro-Russian oligarch and politician Shor himself criticized the organization of the “Coming Out day” by a local NGO in Chisinau, stating that “Moldovans were not born for LGBT prides” and called supporters to comment on the topic.

Priests, Money and Deception

Spreading disinformation represents only a small part of the wide range of hybrid arsenal targeting the EU candidate country. Some outlets wrote that in the past month, up to 500 priests from Moldova went on pilgrimages to Russia. In the same time, at least 20 priests are under investigation (opens in a new tab) for receiving money from Ilan Shor, through a Russian bank, sanctioned by the US and EU.

Independent media have reported about priests campaigning against the EU in the churches. One of the invoked reasons is that “because of the EU values, there are already toilettes for both boys and girls in some Chisinau schools.” Another priest explained that «democracy» comes from «demonic» and, that while Europe is lacking values, the Government imports only the bad things from the EU.

Moldovan police and Anticorruption Prosecutor’s office stated on 3 October that they discovered a large scheme of corrupting voters. It included around 130,000 people and 15 million dollars transferred from Russia to Moldova. Several thousand coordinators received up to 2500 dollars a month to set up a network of people who would receive money to vote against EU integration in the referendum and for a presidential candidate. The name of the candidate would have been communicated via Telegram on the eve of the elections. Ziarul de Garda’s investigation largely confirmed the scheme.

Moldovan public servants have received false letters bearing the signs of the European Commission and of the EU Partnership Mission to Moldova. They were “informed” of the need to learn English and display LGBT flags on their institutions. Employees of the Ministry of Agriculture learned that farmers were “refused” requested help and the forged letter from EUPM called Moldovans to fight in Ukraine.

These letters were not distributed by the pro-Kremlin media and only reached the state officials. The public learned about them mainly from the Government’s statements that pointed out that the letters are false.

Responding to FIMI

Meta announced in May, August and October that it deleted at least 50 accounts, 108 pages, one group and 20 Instagram accounts involved in “coordinated inauthentic behaviour.”  These were part of a network targeting Russian-speaking audiences in Moldova. They were promoting Russian-language news brands posing as independent entities with presence on several platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, Odnoklassniki (Russian social media platform), and TikTok. The last announcement was made on 11 October, just 9 days before elections and referendum in Moldova.

On 10 October, Telegram closed 15 channels and 95 chat-bots, including those of Ilan Shor and people from his close circle in an unprecedented move. When accessed from Moldova, the channels read that they violated local legislation. TikTok and Google stated publicly that they have dedicated teams to fight disinformation during Moldovan elections.

On 14 October, European Union adopted restrictive measures against five individuals and one entity responsible for actions destabilizing the Republic of Moldova. These are actors linked to Ilan Shor and “Evrazia,” a Russian based NGO proposing to promote the Eurasian Economic Union in Moldova.

Fog of information war

Disinformation bends the perception of reality as was illustrated by the recent Watchdog.md survey which asked about upcoming referendum votes. A clear majority of 63% declared to vote Yes against 32% who opposed the mentioning EU integration in the constitution. Yet only 53% of people believed that the YES vote has a majority support in population even though every single poll taken this year indicated a clear majority (up to 2:1) for the pro-EU decision. Only 75% of those who support EU accession believe that the majority of Moldovans support it. In contrast, 65% of those who are against the EU believe that they are the majority.

Indeed, the week before elections and EU accession referendum there is constant pressure and a kind of numbing disinformation noise in ones ears. One scandal follows another, tens of social media pages share scaring ”facts” about the EU and hundreds of trolls comment to any post with electoral promises of some politicians.

Civil society, media, government and social media platforms however became much more efficient in discovering and fighting hybrid threats, including FIMI. Law enforcement institutions are making progress in tracing illegal money transfers. Fact-checkers react to disinformation by publishing accurate data and social networks are slowly paying attention to inauthentic online behavior. The reaction, and most importantly, preventing mechanisms are still to be adjusted, but clearly the right way of fighting disinformation is by uniting the efforts.

Reprinted from EUvsDisinfo. See the original here.

EUvsDisinfo is the flagship project of the European External Action Service’s East StratCom Task Force. Its core objective is to increase public awareness and understanding of the Kremlin’s disinformation operations, and to help citizens in Europe and beyond develop resistance to digital information and media manipulation.

[cr4shdummy]

also weird that i want to see an answer to this cus it wasnt my question but the last anon said smth abt how all the really successful riders have similar ethics abt the sport but that sort of alien thing is less common now do u agree with the fewer aliens thing also do all champions have to b a certain way where does that come from

the previous anon cited jorge, casey and vale as "aliens", and dovi as a "non-alien". i'm not exactly sure what the distinction is, but they give examples of alien behavior. for jorge it was riding injured, for casey it was the almost immediate post-race emotional spiral, and for vale it was using his charm, media prowess and "shenanigans" to get in his competitors' heads. all of these behaviors demonstrate staunch conformity to the sports ethic.

what i'm not sure is what constitutes a "non-alien". in an article for thew national motorcycle alliance, boris mihailovic says,

"No amount of training or tutelage will make you great in this sport. Genetics and mutations are in play here. What could it feel like to sit on that hallowed grid, bike in gear, clutch engaged, shoulders hunched forward, eyes fixed on the lights, while your brain enters a place denied to almost everyone else on earth?"

i think all riders are aliens. those we perceive as non-alien are still absurdly strong, committed and frankly terrified. everyone is crushed under the pressure, it just presents differently between individuals.

consider raul fernandez, who is easily passed over in discussions about the most talented or driven riders likely due to his subpar performance in the top class. but fernandez won eight races in his 2021 moto2 rookie season, even while riding with a broken hand. his opponent, remy gardner, took the championship that year while recovering from a fractured rib! gardner isn't even in motogp anymore, he got cut by ktm after only one season, even as a reigning moto2 champion. that's how much this behavior is normalized.

i want to clarify something; you say "all the really successful riders have similar ethics abt the sport," but there's just one ethic. a sports ethic in the sociological sense is the collective values and messages of a sport, bolstered by stories, mythologies and norms. some riders buy into the ethic more than others, but they all believe it to some extent. when coakley discusses "positive deviance", he specifically means how the positive aspects of a given sports ethic -- diligence, bravery, self-reliance -- can all have negative impacts when taken too far.

[year24groupedits]

Julius Leonhard von Ahrensmeyer and Klaus Friedrich Sommerschmitt/ Alekseij Mihailov from the manga "Orpheus no Mado" or "The Window of Orpheus" (1975-1981) by Riyoko Ikeda

[tizianacerralovetrainer]

5 SEGNALI CHE RIVELANO CHE SEI UN’ANIMA ANTICA ✨

- Amore per la Solitudine: "Le anime antiche trovano pace e comprensione nella solitudine. Non è isolamento, ma un momento per connettersi con il proprio io interiore e con l'universo. La solitudine diventa un tempio di crescita e riflessione."

- Saggezza Innata: "Una profonda comprensione delle verità della vita sembra essere innata nelle anime antiche. Posseggono una saggezza che sembra andare oltre la loro età, offrendo consigli e percezioni che risuonano con verità universali."

- Passione per la Storia e le Culture Antiche: "Attratte da epoche passate, le anime antiche sentono una connessione viscerale con la storia e le culture antiche. Questo amore può manifestarsi nella passione per l'archeologia, la mitologia, o semplicemente nel desiderio di viaggiare per esplorare siti storici."

- Empatia Profonda: "Le anime antiche hanno un'empatia che va oltre la superficie, permettendo loro di sentire profondamente le emozioni altrui. Questa capacità di comprendere e condividere i sentimenti di altri crea una profonda connessione umana."

- Sensazione di Non Appartenenza: "Spesso, le anime antiche possono sentirsi fuori posto nel mondo moderno, come se appartenessero a un'altra epoca o dimensione. Questa sensazione di non appartenenza non deriva da un desiderio di fuga, ma da una ricerca di connessioni più profonde e significative

tizianacerra.com

(Foto Iulia Mihailov, unsplash)

[kosmos-fantastika]

Vladimir Mihailov - People and Ships (Latvian SSR, 1967)

artist: Viestur Grant

[beardedmrbean]

During a recent joint inspection conducted by the Food Agency and the association "For Affordable and Quality Food," it was discovered that cheese containing over 75% water is being sold in Bulgarian stores. However, current regulations prevent the disclosure of the manufacturer's identity, which has raised concerns among industry representatives, reports BNR.

The inspection revealed cheese priced at 6.90 leva (3,50 euros) per kilogram, despite the fact that the milk needed to produce it costs a minimum of 6 leva. According to Vladislav Mihailov from the Association of Milk Processors, the cheese was found to contain 75.5% water and 4.5% salt, leading to an alarming conclusion that up to 80% of the product is made up of water and salt.

Despite previous offenses, the company in question remains operational. For the national radio, Andrey Velchev from "For Affordable and Quality Food" noted that this particular enterprise had been shut down twice in the past, following active involvement from their association, yet it has continued to resume operations. This persistence is a source of significant concern within the industry.

The Food Agency has expressed frustration over its limitations. Dr. Nikolov from the agency stated, "We have closed them down, yet they keep operating. We send documents to the prosecutor's office, and after a month, we receive a response indicating that there is no evidence of a crime." As a result, industry leaders are calling for legal reforms to allow for greater transparency regarding repeat offenders in the food industry.