#Somehow this is still

[someone-you-do-not-know]

Talk Italian agriculture to me.

Yessssss! :D

First of all, Italy is super big on agriculture, and why are we not talking more about that in general in the fandom? Like, sure, other nations wanted the Italian land for the heritage and Rome, but like, it also has so amazing fertile soil. Italian peninsula is basically a pantry, and especially countries with difficulties feeding their people wanted that *cough* Spain, Austria, France *cough*. And because of the Roman heritage, they had really good cultivation systems. :o

Putting the more historical things aside, Italian agriculture is split in two, more or less, following the split between North and South Italy, so even with agriculture, both our Italys have their own preferences (and as usual, The South is getting the short end of the stick). North is corn, beans, meat, dairy, and a lot of various items, the South is citrus fruits and wheat – especially citrus fruits. A lot of the initiatives to support agriculture throught the last 100 or so years have favoured the Northern parts of Italy, with bigger, wealthier farms, instead of the smaller Southern farms. All of Italy is big on olives and olive oil (as Spain can attest to), and wine. They're the biggest producers of wine in the world.

Speaking of which, I have no mouth, and I must (arti-)choke. I'm not sorry for that horrible pun. Italy is the biggest producer of artichokes in the world, the only other nation getting close is Egypt. Spain is at a third place, but only has an output a little over half of Italy. As far as I know, it's also used in a lot of Italian food (artichokes are delicious).

Apparently, most agriculture in Italy is actually very local and not owned by a few companies at the top (that's one of the most wrong representations in A Job Interview). They're family operated, owned and small. A single company with a majority hold on the food industry in Italy is probably insane and unrealistic. However, it is true that most of the Italian agricultural market is domestic, and doesn't have much export, apart from choice items (like popular cheeses and wines). One of the major forms of tourism in South Italy is agroturismo, as in, visiting and sleeping at a farm in Italy as a tourist. I want to try that.

One of the really big things I probably can't fit into my story is the specialisations of food in Italy, like regional cheeses, meats, wines, and so on. These regional items are one of the biggest Italian exports too, and another reason why a large amount of Italian farms are family operated. Adjacent to agricultural production, there's also heavy equipment manufacturing, commonly known as tractors and that sort of thing. Ferrari, Fiat, and Lamborghini all started out making tractors and other agricultural machinery.

Now, there's actually a bit more history I want to mention, but this is recent history. After WW2, Italy had a flourishing renewal in its agriculture, which lasted until the 1980's, due to some changes from the EEC. It's kind of difficult to really explain the entirety of everything happening between the 1960's to the 1990's, because there's so many different things influencing Italy at this time, and different areas (again with the North-South divide) were affected in different ways at different times. All of this doesn't really have to do with the agriculture sector directly, but it would affect it. The horrible highlights are a recession, The Years of Lead, and corruption. The happy highlights are the general economic boom (North and Central Italy in the 50's and 60's, South in the 70's and 80's), including il Sorpasso in 1987, and the beginning of a modernisation of the South.

One final thing, more about the actual fanfic I did this research for. It takes place in 2007, and this actually matters a lot to the plot. :'D

[spaceistheplaceart]

more ford and mabel bonding because i said so :)

bonus ford under the cut:

[eydilily]

promises

[blueskittlesart]

back on my bullshit

[iwieldthesword]

I need to talk about this because it's making me feel insane.

Last week, my white leftist goyisch friends sat me, a wholeass antizionist Jew, down for a "talk" because they "needed to check in about Palestine" and make sure "our values aligned before we hung out again". They apparently needed to "suss out" where I stood on Palestinian rights, despite having had several conversations about Palestine and them being some of my closest friends. They needed to check, to search for and uncover my true values, because I had said some "disturbing things" that had made them "suspicious".

Disturbing things included:

Supporting IfNotNow which is a "liberal zionist organization" because it normalizes Jewish heritage in the Levant

Not bringing Palestine up enough, despite them also not bringing it up (this was apparently a test)

Mentioning that the Houthi's flag talks about cursing all Jews

Saying Stalin was antisemitic because of the "all the paw-grihms"

...and apparently other things they wouldn't specify, but had been tracking for months.

To clarify, I am an antizionist Jew from three generations of antizionist Jews. I have been vocal in my support of Palestinian liberation and in my condemnation both of Israel's actions and its violent founding as a state, and of zionism in many of its forms. I am a regular donor to Palestinian and Jewish NGOs and advocate for Jewish antizionism in person, at temple, and online. I have been talking about Palestinian liberation before they could point to Gaza on a map. But they needed to make sure, they needed to "suss out", they needed to check. And it's notable that the majority of moments that made them suspicious of me were times where I talked about antisemitism: not about Palestinian liberation, not about Israeli decolonization, not about anything actually relevant to Palestine. It was talking about antisemitism that made them check to see if I was a cryptozionist.

One of the most pervasive and insidious forms of antisemitism is the idea that Jews are inherently untrustworthy and suspicious. You have to constantly be on guard, track what they say and do, "suss out" the real truth. You have to keep them in line and and watch them carefully because they're liars and sneaks, and if you're not looking closely they'll return to their real values (and drag you down with them). This is where the idea of "cryptozionist" comes from and what it's directly building off of: the inherent untrustworthiness of Jews and the need to check. Because no matter how close you become you can't actually trust them, and any upstanding gentile should make sure to avoid associating with Jews before "sussing out" their real allegiances and intentions. You have to make them turn out their pockets, just in case.

I'm the first and only Jew they actually were friends with; I know because they've told me (strangely proud of it in the way white Americans are proud of that kind of thing). They've asked me questions about Judaism and fawned over how beautiful and unique it was for me to be connected to my community and culture. Pre-October 7th, one of them had even mentioned being interested in coming to services at my temple. She still has my copy of our siddur. But now she needed to "check" before she could be seen with me in public. Which is what it was: it wasn't a "you're my friend and I need to give you some feedback because you're fucking up" kind of intervention (which is normal and important to have), it was a trial. It was a last chance for me to prove to them that I'm clean-enough that they could afford to risk being seen with me in public, just in case someone noticed them fraternizing with a hypothetical Enemy and their leftism was compromised. It was a test to make sure that I behave properly when required to, that I'd play along and do what I'm told and turn out my pockets if asked (because any refusal would validate the notion of having something to hide). And above all it was an opportunity for them to reaffirm their own cleanliness by putting my imagined immorality in its place.

I did what I needed to do: I smiled. I apologized. I "didn't know that". I "appreciated the feedback". I turned out my pockets because what else could I do? They'd decided who I was and what I believed, regardless of what I said or did, so there was no point in explaining that they were wrong about me. If I had told them they were being antisemitic, it would just have been proof that they were right. Caring about antisemitism is a dogwhistle in the spaces they've chosen: it's not a real form of oppression, it's a tactic for sneaky, lying Jews to weasel out of admitting their true alliances. There was nothing I could say.

Nothing's really changed for me. I'm going to continue my activism for Palestinian liberation rooted in my culture and my faith. Antizionism is still not antisemitism. But I got a reminder that many white goyisch leftists fundamentally just don't trust Jews, and that the activist spaces they're in not only exacerbate their antisemitism in an increasingly insular echo chamber, but also allow them to finally vent their internalized bigotry in a socially-acceptable way. In my former friends' eyes, what they did was activism—disavowing a Jew (and making me feel humiliated, scared, and unclean in the process) as a cathartic stand-in for doing fucking anything for actual Palestinian liberation—but for me it was a grief that I'll be feeling for a long time: not only over losing friends I loved and trusted, but also over my sense of belonging and security in leftist spaces.

[kimdokjas]

though the movie might be cancelled, yuri on ice will live forever in our hearts. thank you yoi fandom, it's been real ♡

[theballadofmars]

I love how mqf's oficial description is something like: a good heart who wants to help others but then you read the novel and his reaction to lqg trapping ten infected men who are crying in panic is "great now I can start to work in my experiments with decomposed people to find a cure" and gets out a lot of needles, which makes the man cry even harder.

Even if we only get bits of the other Cang Qiong sect leader's we can reach the conclusion that no one there is normal, sqq is just biased.

[sunlit-mess]

collab with an art friend 🖤🤍

[doomdoomofdoom]

Kamala Harris does want "transgender surgery on illegal aliens that are in prison", btw.

So since Trumpists are getting mad enough about the jokes to actually cite their sources, I thought I'd put the source out into my left extremist commie faggot echo chamber, too.

The claim originates from an ACLU questionnaire she filled out for her 2020 presidential candidacy, specifically this section:

She wasn't given a new questionnaire for 2024, and has stated that while her policy on some things may have changed, her values had not. (This most likely means she moved more to the center to appease larger demographics and cut corners to reach compromises. The basic politician stuff.)

It boils down to this: If you're in prison, whether for "illegal" immigration or other crimes, you rely on the state to provide you with necessary amenities, like food and health care. Her argument isn't "hell yeah everyone in prison should get sex changes for free". It's "gender affirming surgery is a necessary medical procedure. If you are in the states care while this becomes necessary, the state should provide it." If you're outraged by your tax money being used on this, consider the massive amount of people being incarcerated in for-profit prisons, on your dime. Then ask yourself if maybe a prison reform might be in order.

Worth noting: In 2015, while Attorney General, Kamala Harris actually argued against providing gender-affirming surgery to an incarcerated trans woman, claiming that HRT and psychotherapy were sufficiently covering her medical needs. She has since obviously changed her stance and assumed responsibility. (I would like to take this moment to remind my fellow left extremist commie faggots that "willingness to learn and rethink your views" is infinitely more valuable than "perfect from the start and unwilling to listen to anyone")

Also found in the source: This image of Kamala Harris participating in the 2019 San Francisco Pride Parade, wearing what I believe to be a sequin rainbow embroidered denim jacket.

I encourage you to read the provided CNN article and the answers to the ACLU questionnaire, as they give great insight into her values.

TLDR: Based.

[batfamilycannons]

A daily occurrence

Jason, English nerd, Todd: USE OXFORD COMMAS, CUNT!

Tim, I dropped out of high school I’ll do whatever the fuck I want, Drake: No.

Dick, I speak like 17 languages fluently and still refuse to follow or learn the grammar rules in this one, Grayson: a what?

[rystiel]

i keep seeing people say the doctor shouldn’t have feelings for rogue because he’s married to river…? river song… who has also married multiple people… one of the most polyamorous characters in the show…?

[egophiliac]

tsum events continue to be just the best

[5577v]

still pouring it on, acht?

[tiresomespaceplant]

pretty jon for lighting practice

magnus art dump under the cut!

martin doodle

roughs for this piece of dialogue that i still think about

sketchbook stuff

aaannnnddd nikola i did for my 3d finals!

[zzoupz]

I'm not super in the fandom but I think a humanoid version of AM would wear that one fish hat but with the hate pillar speech on it instead

like this