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[gbsdmcc]

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[finspecial]

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[fairuzfan]

I was looking at gdp per capita of countries cuz I saw an author say "if your country has a gdp per capita less than $10000 then go ahead and pirate my book" so I was interested to see what common gdps are-- of course I looked at the middle east and compared israel and surrounding countries and this is ridiculous.

Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon have somewhat similar gdppcs, with Jordan being the highest at $4455.

Syria has the lowest ( but it's also an estimate from 2022) at $1,051:

Israel gdp in 2023 according to the world bank public data is $52,542!!!!!! That's so much!!! Not to mention, all this is gathered towards the Israeli jews rather than any Palestinians!

For context that's more than half of the gdp of the US and even bigger gdp than the uae and united kingdom!

[mammonscheeks]

demon brothers + dateables as destinations in the human world

✎ a/n: these are my opinions! i'm south and west asian, so i am most knowlegeable about those countries, please correct me if i've said anything incorrect!

LUCIFER

new york city, usa. he likes the cold, industrial corporate feel of nyc. it helps him avoid his feelings.

anywhere in germany. he likes their no-nonsense culture and unspoken social rules.

MAMMON

las vegas, nevada, usa. he always begs mc to take him there. the flashy lights and casinos are right up his alley.

dubai, uae. he loves the luxurious feel of it, and how its the center of celebrity gatherings, vacations, and parties.

LEVIATHAN

tokyo, japan (especially the akihabara/electronic district). he's always updated on pop culture and the newest technology/games.

seychelles island, africa. he likes swimming, but not socializing on the beach. that's why he likes isolated islands.

SATAN

london, england. he's interested in their medival history and seeing the places that inspired novels like harry potter and the sherlock holmes franchise.

cat island in japan, or any mediterranean country where cats freely roam.

ASMODEUS

paris, france. he'd love paris fashion week. he also just seems french to me, idk.

seoul, south korea. he'd adore seoul's culture, everything from the modern sappy kdramas to traditional dresses, like hanbok. he would bring an empty suitcase to stuff it with beauty products.

BEELZEBUB

mumbai, india. this metropolitan city in india offers so many different kinds of food. he would love to eat his way through the city, if not the entire country.

every city in mexico. he'd try the regional cuisine, but also hang out at the beach with his brothers and mc (so cute).

BELPHEGOR

cairo, egypt. he was once fascinated with humans, and often watched them build civilizations from heaven when he was an angel. he would enjoy the historical wonders of egypt.

reykjavic, iceland. idk why he just gives me iceland vibes. life there can be slow and cold, and it often gets less light than other countries.

DIAVOLO

transylvania, romania. he loves its breathtaking castles and culture, and is intrigued with all the pop culture references of vampires.

petra, jordan. this is a significant place in abrahamic religions, known for being haunted by demons, or jinn. diavolo would be fascinated by this history, whether its actually haunted or not. i know he'd eat up those scary ghost tours (insert fic about that here) and even probably try and scare a few tourist groups, despite barbatos advising him against it.

BARBATOS

istanbul, turkiye. istanbul has well-maintained structures from the byzantine empire, the ottoman empire, and even "newer and hip" neighborhoods. barbatos, being able to see the past and future, would appreciate the blend of it all here, like he's walking through time.

kathmandu, nepal. he'd enjoy the peace of monasteries and mountains, which are as old as the earth itself.

SIMEON

tuscany, italy. he'd enjoy the vast fields, heavenly sunsets, small towns and historic churches. he would find tuscany a peaceful place to write, but appreciates the community feel of small italian towns. would definitely be so friendly he'd get invited to eat dinner at a random family's house.

thessaloniki, greece. he would absolutely love seeing all the greek orthodox churches there, with their blue and white colors and dome roofs. he is just amused to see the religious structures humans have created. he'd also probably be interested in greek mythology, even though he's an angel.

LUKE

cape town, south africa. he would be so excited to see penguins at the beach and would enjoy the burst of color south africa offers. he'd also enjoy the modern bakeries and desserts in south africa.

lyon, france. the country is known for desserts. luke would probably take a baking class there to learn how to bake more things.

SOLOMON

salem, or just any small town in massachusetts. as a sorcerer, he's intrigued with their history of "witch hunting" and the paranormal.

lalibela, ethiopia. being old, he's intrigued with how ancient cities like lalibela have changed since biblical times. he also probably enjoys learning about different cultural practices and what they have in common with his sorcery. he also wants to learn how to cook more dishes from different countries, but fails miserably

[oneminutefiftysixseconds]

many esteemed cycling mutuals are understandably looking at the... Everything about the recent gpogbling tweet, but as an incorrigible Noticer and part-time bike nerd i'd like to take a moment to talk about feet.

by which i mean cleats!

for those that don't know, they're components that screw to the bottom of cycling shoes, providing the interface between pedal and foot. many kinds exist but there are four brands used in the WT peloton (as far as i know)

both UAE & Jayco use Shimano's SPD-SL system, but with some gratuitous zooming in on feet we can see that bling's cleats are red whilst tadej's are yellow

this is down to the different float options offered by Shimano, “float” being how much you can adjust your foot position without unclipping (which is done by twisting the heel out away from the bike). yellow has the most freedom, red has none, and blue is intermediate. there's different axes of motion too but let's not get into that

which colour to use is basically a matter of personal preference but you're a good deal less likely to spot reds at a local club than you are in the pro peloton because their lack of movement means the bike fit has to be 100% dialed-in to prevent joint pain -- the kind of precision you'd expect from teams at the top of the sport.

as far as i can tell blue seems to be pretty widespread among the Shimano-using teams. for but a few examples: adam yates, luke plapp, and MVDP's banged-up cleats following his crash in Glasgow (it's amazing he could still clip in with those)

i would assume this is to balance the increased efficiency of power transfer that comes with decreased float whilst retaining enough freedom to allow comfortable adjustment over the course of long races.

bling uses the reds -- as expected for sprinters -- for maximal power transfer at high speeds, making every fraction of a watt count in a bunch sprint and keeping his legs/feet in the most efficient position without having to think about it

so initially i thought “perhaps tadej trains with yellow because they're more comfortable?”

but no -- he races in them too: these are before and during Giro stages (couldn't quickly find any from TDF/Montréal/other races so if there's photos of him using different colours please do tell me!), so the relatively increased movement must suit his riding style and specific anatomy better than the other options

or maybe he just likes them 🤷 it's not something any of us can ever know but for a rumoured €8million/year i'd expect the team to investigate most possible avenues of ~marginal gains~.

and of course riders’ preferences change over time; adam used to use yellows‚ remco used to use blues (now reds), all this is just something i thought was interesting!!

[481mclarg]

Scared to love you | AL65

★ I've never been good at telling people how I feel, but you make me want to try

STLY       •       FANFIC + SMAU.

          • Arthur Leclerc x Male!Oc driver

Warnings. Sexual - suggestive content. Suggestive jokes.

★          introduction. | one. | two. | three. | four. | five. | six. | seven. | eight. | nine. | ten.

          —What are you going to do when we get back? —Arthur asked him on Sunday morning, after waking up half-naked in his bed again, but this time with the Italian man still by his side.

          In the night, Matteo had turned off his alarm, but the habit of a routine simply didn't allow him to sleep past 8 AM. He decided to stay in bed until Arthur woke up.

          —Go back to Italy, I guess. —answered. He didn't have any big plan before the UAE Grand Prix. —Study, practice in the simulator... I also have a few meetings. We are waiting to see what will happen next year. —

          —Aren't you going to continue in Formula 2? —

          He hesitated before answering: —...If I lose another sponsor, I won't be able to continue. —

          It was strange to talk about his problems with someone other than Giancarlo, and the man already knew everything; there was no need to mention the lack of money and all the sponsor problems Matteo had.

          —Is there any hope in Formula 1? Charles said something about the rumors of new drivers... It seems that some names sound very loud in the paddock. —

          —There is less and less time, and fewer seats. —he shrugged his shoulders. Ferrari hadn't called him up for anything other than the typical Academy meetings.

          —All your effort will be recognized, and you will have the seat you deserve. Don't worry about that now. —he stroked the dark hair of the boy next to him.

          Matteo felt like he could burst into tears at that moment. Was there really someone other than himself believing that he deserved something better? Had someone seen his effort and considered that he deserved more?

          Not just a friend who trusted him, a driver he respected too. Another young man with a lot of potential, important in the academy, with good results, a great teammate believing in him.

          —I hope to get to the top... I hope we get to the top. —Arthur smiled.

          While the brunette caressed his dark curls, he held the younger man's face with almost exaggerated delicacy. Outlining Leclerc's cheekbones with his thumbs.

          —Can I kiss you again? —he asked.

          —Lo, my dick was in your mouth last night, and yours in mine. You don't need to keep asking for kisses. —

          —Idiota. —he laughed, bringing him closer to kiss him. —Do you think the others are awake? —he asked when what was an innocent and soft kiss began to turn into something more needy.

          More touch, more closeness, more passion.

          —After last night? I highly doubt it. Why? —he smiled, forcing himself to be patient, waiting for more from Matteo.

          —Hm... Because there is another seat that I also like. —he said, almost uncharacteristic of him.

          With Arthur, he felt different. Less shy, less reserved; more relaxed, more himself. There were no alcohol or repressed feelings to blame. Only him and his lowest instincts that begged him for a little of whatever.

          —I'm glad I'm the one who can try to give you what you deserve... —he answered in the same playful tone, letting Matteo climb onto his lap to join their lips again.

          Arthur looked closely at the man at his side. After breakfast, they had decided to start with real tourism -to see the city and not only clubs-. They are still walking through a street that they had already seen before, but everything seemed wonderful in Matteo's eyes.

          His gaze sparkled, wandering around all the shops, facades of old buildings, small pets; he would swear he even saw him smile at a pigeon that walked near him.

          He felt endearment for him. Almost innocent, full of pure admiration for every little detail of the Spanish streets. A little deer that was just beginning to live, and he had to be there to protect him from any evil that could bother him.

          Now that he could see it, he felt it was his duty to take care of that boy who had been forced to grow up. He needed to do it. He needs to make sure that nothing and no one else can hurt him.

          She stopped behind him, seeing that he had stopped at a gift shop.

          —Do you like motorcycles? —he asked, after noticing that what he was seeing was some kind of iron sheet. There were different ones, some themed around the country or city, historic buildings, and the one that had captured Matteo's attention: one simulating a promotional poster for the MotoGP Jerez Grand Prix.

      ��   —As an Italian, if I wasn't watching Ferrari races, I was watching Rossi's races. —he commented. —Giancarlo is a big fan. We always watched them together. Apart from work, it is the only thing we do together. —

          —That's nice. —There was a nostalgia in the air hard to ignore. Arthur preferred not to ask too much, afraid that the conversation would make the Italian sad. —Do you want to go in? We'll reach the others later or send them a message. —he suggested instead noticing the immediate change in the dark-haired man's smile.

481MCLARG | 19 . 01 . 2025 | CORREGIDO

[phandomwatch]

Our charity stream to celebrate @amazingphil birthday starts in less than 24 hrs! 🌟 9AM UTC January 27!

And that means:

1AM -Pacific US

2AM -Mountain US

3AM -Central US

4AM -Eastern US

6AM -Brazil

9AM -UK

10AM -Germany

12PM -Moscow

1PM -UAE

2.30PM -India

4PM -Thailand

5PM -Singapore

6PM -Japan

8PM -Sydney

10PM -New Zealand

Link to the livestream will be shared just before it starts. In the meantime, check out @phandomgives and donate to akt charity here: justgiving.com/page/philis37

And don’t forget to fill out your raffle form if you have donated; it closes later tonight!

pls share & see u there!

[ayeohtee]

Erwin x Reader

(in all my one shots i will write hange as a woman. i know they’re technically nonbinary but i see her as a woman)

[been a bit, enjoy!]

♘ ♛ ♘

The company dance was something you looked forward to every year. The company you worked for was no doubt prestigious and extremely formal, you wouldn’t expect anything less from one of the best law firms in the nation.

But you’d never had a date to the dance in the four years you had worked for Zackary Enterprises. In fact, you began to feel lonely every time you walked through the doors to the lobby of the main office the night of the dance, everyone’s arms occupied by their partner. Every single person except for you. Well, except for you and your coworkers Erwin and Levi.

Levi, whom you had become well acquainted with and had also won a couple of cases with, had never had any interest in romantic affairs. You would say it was surprising, but with his stoicism and his lack of care for anything beyond work, it really didn’t.

Erwin, on the other hand, was someone who was known throughout the law industry for singlehandedly winning plenty of trials. A walking legend when it came to the courthouse and a brilliant asset to Zackary Enterprises. So brilliant that his services cost well over $1,500 per hour worked on his assigned cases. Of course, that meant his work was usually bought by people who earned more money than half of the company combined, but you were surprised at the distances people would travel just to work with him, the furthest you were aware of being the niece of the UAE president.

It started as an admiration for him. You looked up to him, figuratively and literally. And then after months, you shocked yourself when you realised you were slowly gaining a type of fondness for him. You deemed it ridiculous, your crush on the blonde. You had only spoken with him a handful of times, all of those times accompanied by Levi or a mutual friend Hange. Perhaps it was his eyes or the confidence he carried himself with. Or the softness in his expression when he was at ease during the conversation. His aura, maybe? The atmosphere that hung around him even?

You weren’t sure what it was, but something about him always drew your attention to him. Like a moth to a light. Your friends always talked to you about how Erwin would bring you up in random conversations they held. It often grasped your attention, the way you became the topic in conversation. It was rather intriguing, if you were to be honest.

The talks with your friends often had you convincing yourself that maybe, just maybe, he admired you similarly to the way you admired him. Then the thought occurred to you, perhaps you’d go to the dance with Erwin as your partner. But you were far too cowardly to ask him yourself, his presence alone made you want to shrink back into the shadows and stay there forever. You had to mentally thank Levi and Hange for being by your side each time you managed to hold a conversation with him, without them you were sure you would’ve collapsed.

So you waited. You waited for days, weeks even, just hoping he would come to you and ask you to the dance. Walking through the office during the week you’d find him looking at you, and when he noticed you looking at him he’d simply smile and wave. You were never one to refuse the return of a distant greeting, reciprocating the action more often than not. But it wasn’t a conversation, one that revolved around the dance.

You were beginning to lose hope at this point. There were no signs of him asking you to the dance and you were readying yourself for another dance you’d arrive alone to. Tapping your pen against your desk, your cheek resting against your fist as your elbow was propped up on the desktop, you’re startled as one of your coworkers walks into your office and greets you, the pen you held in your hand falling and clattering onto the table. Looking up, you see Miche looking at you with an apologetic expression.

“Oh, hey.” You return as you lean back in your chair. “What’s up?” He looked around your space, observing the few certificates that lined the wall behind you.

“Nothing, nothing. Just wanted to see if you needed a hand, I’ve just handed in my last report for the day and the boss said I could go home if I wanted to,” the blonde states. You raise an eyebrow, gazing around him and at the door that was left slightly ajar. At that same moment, you find Hange walking past and then casting a glance into the room, making eye contact with her.

Her eyes widened, and then you blink and she was gone. You blink again in confusion, wondering if you had imagined the woman or not. You forgot Miche was talking to you until he started laughing nervously, which was a bit out of character because he wasn’t one to talk much. This whole conversation seemed completely out of character for him, so you tuned back in after his small nervous laughter.

“Hey, um, I was wondering if you had anyone to go to the dance with.” He asked, eyes only meeting yours for the briefest of moments every few seconds. You hum quietly, staring at him unblinkingly.

“I don’t.” You answer shortly, thinking if this was heading where you thought it was heading.

“Would you maybe wanna go with me?” His question would’ve surprised you if it weren’t so predictable. You will admit, you wanted to decline. You didn’t know him very well, and with how fidgety he was you could nearly guarantee he had some sort of crush on you. Though, refusing meant you were going to show up to the dance alone yet again.

The dance was the coming Friday, which was two days from now, and the chances of Erwin asking your cowardly self to the dance were slim to none. Showing up alone was one of the last things you wanted, so with a sigh, you agreed.

“Sure. I’ll go with you.” Your voice was neutral and you felt bad for your lack of enthusiasm. He was clearly excited as you agreed to his invitation, but you couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that it was Miche in the position you wanted Erwin in. Your heart sunk a bit, but you muster up your best smile as he sheepishly bid you a farewell and exited your office, leaving you perplexed and speechless. Why? You weren’t sure, but imagine your surprise as Erwin glared at the man as he entered as Miche left.

You watched him enter your office, expression hard; not a common expression that would usually make his face home. His long strides leaked confidence, his jaw set tight as his usually warm eyes were now stone cold.

“Mr Smith, to what do I owe the pleasure?” You ask calmly, only to be surprised but his rather cold response.

“Darius had me look over your report on the murder case you solved a fortnight ago. Do it again, you’re lacking many details.” His tone was cold and you shrink back in your chair slightly, reaching for your pen again so you had something to fidget with.

“I- uh, yes of course. Many apologies.” You manage to get out, taken aback by Erwin’s sudden cold tone. It hurt, you shamefully recoiled in your seat as he cast you a glare, a glare that you didn’t know you earned. He left, closing the door a little louder than you expected and you flinched a little in response.

What did you do wrong?

But little did you know, Hange and Levi heard all of it right from the moment Miche asked you to the dance, and Erwin heard you agree to the invite. He didn’t realise it, or rather he refused to acknowledge it mentally, but it ignited some type of distaste in him. The thought of you with Miche irked him and he didn’t know why. So why he took a sudden emotional turn on you was beyond him, and as he exited your office he had to fight the urge to slap himself in the face.

The look on your face as he demanded you redo your report; a report that was flawless, it nearly made him apologise. But why was his change in behaviour your fault? Why was it influenced by you and your decisions?

As he walked through the office, he felt eyes on him. Maybe his voice was louder than he thought and the office heard how he spoke to you. He stopped in the middle of the office and turned to look, but no one seemed to pay any mind to him. All until his arms were seized in the hands of Hange and Levi as they dragged him back to his office.

“As the smart one,” Hange begins. “I don’t think your brain could’ve been any more smooth than in that exact moment right there.” She was pissed, Erwin could sense it rolling off her in waves. Levi moved to the far wall, leaning against it with his arms folded, head shaking in disappointment. He never needed to word his thoughts for Erwin to understand. The three have known each other since the very beginning of law school, so reading each other was never an issue.

Until it was an issue.

That’s when hiding anything from the two became impossible, and Erwin could barely escape them when it came to his emotions. Which is exactly why they were absolutely pissed at him for acting that way towards you after you responded to Miche the way you did.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the blonde tried anyway. Both Hange and Levi rolled their eyes simultaneously, clearly not buying it.

“Are you actually demented?!” Hange exclaimed.

“Lower your tone, idiot,” Levi hissed, demanding the hysterical glass eyed woman reduced her volume. She ignored him, Erwin stared at her blankly.

“Are you done? I’d like to get started on a new case I’ve been assigned to.” Erwin’s voice was monotonous as he walked across the room and settled in his chair behind his desk. Hange huffed in fury.

“Levi, you deal with him. He’s so damn infuriating to even look at right now,” Hange says with grit teeth as she pulls at her hair, facing the wall. The raven clicked his tongue, turning from the brunette to the blonde.

“I don’t know if you’re blind or just an oblivious idiot thats needs to be kicked but she’s been waiting for you to ask her to the dance.” Levi informed, annoyance lacing his voice. Erwin looked up from his desk at the raven, and then to the brunette whose back was still to him.

“She was waiting for me to ask her to the dance.” He repeated dumbfounded. He was going to. He just didn’t know how to, and if the timing was going to be right and if you’d even agree-

“Yes, you stupid bastard!” Hange fumes, turning back to Erwin with fury in her eyes. “She was waiting for you. You! And now Miche’s got her!” Her arms flailed about as she emphasised her feelings with movements. The blonde remained silent.

“Hange, get out.” Levi snapped and she turned to glare at him. “Now.” It took her a moment, but she scoffed as she stormed across the office and through the door, slamming it behind her.

“Levi,” Erwin says neutrally. The raven only returned with a glare as a response, pushing himself off the wall and pacing to the door.

“Sort your shit out. Fucking talk to her, apologise. Just don’t make such stupid moves again.” And then Erwin was left alone in his office with a head of questions and a heart of guilt.

You were waiting for him, but he caught on too late.

[palestinegenocide]

Hamas won’t accept anything less than ‘complete’ cessation of hostilities

After three days of ceasefire negotiations, Hamas has announced that it will not accept anything less than a “complete” cessation of the aggression, the “withdrawal of the occupation army from Gaza, and the lifting of an unjust siege.” 

Senior Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said that Israel must also free any Palestinian prisoners serving long prison sentences, and blamed Israel for the lack of progress in achieving a ceasefire agreement.

Meanwhile in Rafah, the 1.5 million Palestinians who are sheltering there are so desperate for food and humanitarian aid that they are stopping any truck that they see in hopes of being able to eat something.

“With the departure of police escorts it has been virtually impossible for the UN or anyone else – Jordan, the UAE, any other implementer – to safely move assistance to Gaza,” said David Satterfield, pointing out that, without police escorts, humanitarian aid trucks are also subject to criminal activity along with the already-difficult conditions of the siege. According to OCHA, less than 43 trucks entered Gaza on average between 9-15 February, a significant drop in the average.

While Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has claimed that Israel has “no intention” of evacuation Palestinian civilians into Egypt, the border wall being constructed between Egypt and Gaza suggests that Palestinian civilians might be forced to cross the border, and shelter in the Sinai Desert. However, Head of Egyptian State Information Service (SIS) Diaa Rashwan has rejected reports that the country is creating a buffer zone. 

Without a plan in place, Palestinians who have been sheltering in Rafah are now evacuating to other parts of the Gaza Strip—many of which have been destroyed or are still under aerial bombardment. Just last night, Israeli war planes bombed multiple homes around Gaza City, killing at least ten people and injuring at least twenty others. Fighter jets attacked a refugee camp in Rafah, killing six others, and the Israeli military raided a home in Deir el-Balah, where many of those who are starting to leave Rafah are looking to seek shelter.

“Rafah is not safe,” Rida Sobh told Al Jazeera after her sister’s children, husband, aunt, and cousin were all killed in the attacks. “Everywhere in the Gaza Strip is a target. Don’t say that Rafah is safe. From Beit Hanoun to Rafah it is all dangerous.”

Over the past week, the Israeli army has arrested more than 100 people during its raid on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, and the situation is dire as Israel continues its siege, claiming that Hamas militants are using it as an operations base and hiding Israeli hostages underground. While there is no proof of either of these claims, video evidence shows civilians who had been sheltering in the hospital leaving the premises holding white flags, amongst other terrifying scenes. 

Now, there are only five medical personnel left to care for the 120 patients still in the hospital, and both oxygen tanks and feeding tubes have stopped operating due to the ongoing power cuts.

[eaglesnick]

“A democracy exists whenever those who are free and are not well-off, being in the majority, are in sovereign control of government, an oligarchy when control lies with the rich and better-born, these being few.” - Aristotle.

Trump is finally President and Farage is on the rise in the UK. Whatever else you may think of Joe Biden, he was absolutely on the money when he said:

“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that really threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedom.”

We have all witnessed the march of the rich and super-rich to Mar-a-Lago to pay homage to Donald Trump and to petition him for financial favours.

“From Tesla's Elon Musk to a lesser known UAE real estate power broker, the wealthiest are flocking to Florida." (Salon: 07/01/25)

Petitioning the monarch for financial gain has been a tried and tested method of wielding influence throughout history. In late medieval England, petitions were a common way for the nobility and wealthy individuals to seek financial privileges from the reigning monarch. In France, King Louis XIV was frequently petitioned by his nobles for financial support to keep them in their lavish lifestyle while the peasants continued to suffer great hardship.

In England it was no different and petitioning was still being practiced as late as 1950 when many of England’s landed aristocracy petitioned the King for financial support to maintain their estates and properties while the rest of Britain was suffering wartime rationing and a chronic housing shortage.

Nothing has changed apart from the word petition being replaced by the word lobby. What also remains the same is the gullibility of the poor and less well-off in society who persist in voting for right-wing leaders and political parties in the belief their super-rich backers will actually make life better for them.

Right-wing Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil promised the people economic growth and prosperity through deregulation and privatisation. However, his tenure saw economic stagnation, rising unemployment, and increased poverty.

Silvio Berlusconi in Italy promised tax cuts and economic reforms to boost Italy's economy. However, his government was plagued by corruption scandals and economic mismanagement, leading to a lack of significant economic improvement for ordinary citizens.

Donald Trump made the same promises during his first period as President. Trump promised to bring back manufacturing jobs and revitalize the American economy. While some sectors saw temporary gains, many of his policies, such as the trade war with China, led to economic instability and job losses rather than new job opportunities. .

Despite this evidence , both in America and in Britain, ordinary working people mistakenly believe right-wing populist leaders and their multi-millionaire and billionaire’s buddies actually care about them.

Over the next few years we will see working class people in America becoming increasingly worse off while the likes of Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezoz. Gates and Brin become even richer than they are now. At some point in the future people will wake up and realise that Emperor Trump has no clothes but it may be too late by then.

I wish this misguided faith in the super-rich to improve the lives of ordinary working families was a purely American phenomenon but here in England we are suffering from the same delusion.

“Nigel Farage’s big poll leap leaves Reform breathing down neck of Labour and Tories”. (Independent: 18/01/25)

The super-rich leaders of Reform UK may be in a lower league than the fabulously rich supporters of Trump but they all share the same goal: to increase their own personal wealth no matter what the cost or consequences for ordinary people.

We really should be careful what they wish for.

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[galacticfire]

‼️and 🔁 hehe

ok fine you get an awesome i_blog_to_lose_followers hot take

‼️ Hot take/unpopular opinion?

Here's another one. I absolutely despise, loathe and hate team lotto jumbo visma lease a bike (men) with every fiber of my being. I have teams I hate for moral reasons (UAE, IPT at the front) and then I have visma. That I've hated for years and years for a variety of reasons even when they had chronic loser-itis back in the 2010s. like if you asked me which team i hate the most my first thought would actually be them :'/

Disclaimer: You might want to stop reading here if you think i'm a cool mootie and you like vlab <3 i love u i just disagree <3

First off, I started watching cycling as a classic sky hater and I just can't go against my ways - I haaaaate the way they race. The sky method but worse. It's their fucking fault we can't even have normal fun breakaways in GTs. Like sorry the 2020 TDF was deeply traumatizing to me because I thought we were finally done with the sky era race lockdowns and here comes yumbo with the most conservative racing you've seen in a lifetime, chasing down every break, every GC guy down 10 minutes and expanding energy for no purpose while not even going on the attack themselves and just playing the Roglic bonus seconds meme game. AND FOR WHAT? Like if they raced properly and not like absolute buffoons Roglic would've won this TDF EASILY because pogi would've had no chance of catching up. Instead they gave us the most boring TDF I've ever seen and still had the audacity to flop - which was absolutely cathartic but didn't help my haterisms around them.

I also hate the way they operate since they're one of those evil teams with excessively deep pockets buying out all the talent the young riders etc etc. Them and UAE share the exact same levels of evilness in my mind for that and I have no clue why UAE seems to get more criticisms for it around here lmao - like sorry what in the fresh hell was the Cian situation. I also hate their staff! Not just Plugge! Many things to say about how many of the Rabobank guys are still there! which leads me to mention i think they're one of the worst teams out here about transforming donkeys into race horses and chihuahuas into mountain goats (i still love u babygirl but you were on thin ice for a while bc wtf was that) but lalalalala im not saying anything else God Bless <3

Obviously I like variety in my race results and I have not exactly been kind to pogi lately because of it and. Same thing here. Seeing them win all three grand tours last year made me want to seriously give up on the sport for the first time ever (and I've been watching since 2012), same with all the other stage race wins and whatever they're picking up along the way.

But what if I cared about their riders? WELL I DON'T. I only like Wout. And that's in spite of him being on the team, and as you might have learned from previous rants it is an uphill battle to still love him through his shitty team decisions. Every single other rider on the team are somewhere between I don't care to I actively dislike (tho I will always like a rider that transfers there a little less so I'm not being fair). Actually I like Campy which. sucks for me i guess. But he's just gonna be their old man jester for one year so wtv. all of the other guys tho? the jonis the seppies the whatever even the roglas and the dumos before? I SERIOUSLY DON'T CARE. and worse for some of them.

Which brings me to my last point. MAYBE I COULD LIKE THEM A LITTLE MORE IF THIS WASN'T FOR THEIR MIND BOGGLINGLY ANNOYING CORPORATE ADVERTISING. I'm so baffled their #samenwinnen shit actually works on people's brains and don't even get me started on the rpf implications here (hate ALL of it). All their PR and advertising revolves into a corporate neocapitalism with a gold bow regurgitated discourse of "we're all a BIG family here ♥" and it's sooooooo yucky wtf? I can't take seriously any content they put out, any interviews riders give while talking about teamwork yaddayadda. And I truly believe in my heart of hearts that their managerial structure is toxic as hell (why would it be different than another company going all in on the WE'RE ALL FAMILY model?) and that one day the Wout van Aert autobiography will give us all their secrets because he's the only one who has been a bit vocal about not liking how things are run here Smile (and then signed a forever contract. you got stockholm syndrome or what my dude). Anyways this makes everyone seem fake as hell and doesn't make me want to like either of them individually.

I'd also like to mention they're (i think. i admit i could be biased on that one.) the biggest offenders of having riders post their fucking kids online for race photos AND I CAN'T STAND THAT. Can people please stop posting their fucking kids all over social media? Can anyone be responsible over there? I wanted to call this a pet peeve of mine but like. Just don't do that for the love of god. I'm putting it here because I think the visma pr loves that shit and encourages it :)

thank u if you made it to there. please dont unfollow me

🔄 What team kit would you like to completely redesign for next season?

alpecin and i'm in 100% agreement over @pinkpogiclub 's observations about how we need to bring their red and white kit back.

also just. bora... and go back to green. like a few years before green a lot of green. im begging you. maybe light green (cannondale 2014 lime green) since this wouldn't be declared unlawful by the uci's new dumb jersey color rule.

[ceasarslegion]

Its always quite obvious when someone is using their personal dislike of a musician to claim real nasty things about them when they start making horrible claims about imagine dragons. Like you dont have to like their music but the moment you start claiming that theyre homophobic and bigoted and shit you need to both shut up and do some serious introspection as to why you feel the need to character assassinate people on the basis that you dont like what they make. Because idk about you guys but we took my little sister who loves them to one of their concerts in the UAE, one of the most homophobic countries in the world, and their guitarist winked and smiled at the audience and flashed a pride flag sticker on the back of his guitar.

That may not seem like much of anything if youve never been outside of the blue state west, but people get jailed and deported and fined for less in that country, and being part of a touring band made him a very high profile individual. If the wrong person in that crowd of thousands reported him I shudder to think of what would have been the consequences. Out in public, in front of thousands of people, while he was the center of attention. Just to get a "love is love" message out that you may think is very basic and performative if you've never been in that region before.

So no, I'm not gonna sit here and hatemonger about anybody just because they aren't my cup of tea and I'm especially not gonna accept it when I see it leveled at imagine dragons. Do some work on why youre so miserable that you have to slander people to justify your dislike of something.

[rcrisdraws]

OC questions you say? Blasts you with 5 for your biker lesbians, all of them

5) How did you choose their name and why? Was it simply based on vibes or is there any specific meaning behind the name? Are the reasons behind their name different in- and out of universe?

Already answered 5 for Vern and Undead here so I'll do the rest of the main cast here.

Rene - I'm not sure, it just sounded right for her, it rolls off the tongue nicely in my head, out of other character's mouths when they're exasperated with her. In universe it's because her Vietnamese mother wanted her to have an easier time growing up in the US.

Kayle - Rene's daughter. I wanted the most US-American teen drama sounding name as possible. Both in universe and meta the reason is to try and separate Kayle from her background: have her be as American middle-class as possible given that she's anything but.

Caine - If there was a subtlety raspberry award for name it'd be for her: her name is meant to give dog and Cain vibes, especially since her family name is Corso, like Cane Corso. It's the in universe reason as well, she has MAD DOG as knuckle tats (it's an anagram of her actual first and middle name Chloe Maine that she had growing up since she was in the foster system).

Ethel - Wanted an old, posh sounding name, in no small part inspired by the fact that Ethel Cain's music is such a vibe.

Isra - This wasn't her initial name, it was changed following the suggestion of a sensitivity reader that said that a Turkish name wouldn't fit the type of character she's representing (functionally a Near Eastern sell-out to the US). We settled on an Arabic name as she'd have roots in the UAE, but one that could pass for a Western name. Another character with a less charged role was made Arab as well.

Nymphodora - It sounds powerful and playful, denotes youth and vigor and just a little over the top to roll off the tongue when being announced over speakers (she used to be a professional racing pilot until she lost a leg in an accident).

As for prominent male characters:

John - It's the whitest name possible. He chose it when he settled in the states, his actual name is Ilya. Also because Johns are special people.

Aaron - Aaron is one of those names I will keep giving to gentle guys with shoulder length brown hair and expressive eyes bc in my brain it's the closest to Aragorn. This character archetype is the sticky chewing gum of my works, it just doesn't go away, it's everywhere.

Nur - He's a really light-hearted guy, positive, still sees the light at the end of the tunnel, getting out of the cycle.

[beardedmrbean]

Pavel Durov, the founder and chief of Telegram, was to appear in a French court Wednesday to face possible charges of failing to curb extremist and illegal content on the popular messaging app after his arrest at the weekend.

Russian-born Durov, 39, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris late Saturday.

After almost four days of questioning in detention by French investigators he was handed over to judicial authorities who will decide further measures, a source close to the case told AFP.

A Paris investigating magistrate will decide whether to press charges against Durov, and the judiciary would then rule on whether he will be remanded in custody or allowed to go free, possibly under judicial control with restrictions on his movements.

As part of a probe that was confidentially opened on July 8, Durov is being investigated on suspicion of 12 offences related to failing to curb extremist and criminal content on Telegram, sources close to the investigation have said.

The tech mogul founded Telegram as he was in the process of quitting his native Russia a decade ago. Its growth has been exponential, with the app now reporting over 900 million users.

An enigmatic figure who rarely speaks in public, Durov is a citizen of Russia, France and the United Arab Emirates, where Telegram is based.

Forbes magazine estimates his current fortune at $15.5 billion, though he proudly promotes the virtues of an ascetic life that includes ice baths and not drinking alcohol or coffee.

Numerous questions have been raised about the timing and circumstances of Durov's detention, with supporters seeing him as a freedom of speech champion and detractors as a menace who wilfully allowed Telegram to get out of control.

Le Monde newspaper reported Wednesday that Durov had met French President Emmanuel Macron on several occasions prior to receiving French nationality in 2021, via a special procedure reserved for those deemed to have made a special contribution to France.

The Wall Street Journal added that at one lunch in 2018, Macron -- who along with his team was in the past an avid user of Telegram -- had suggested it should be headquartered in Paris, but Durov refused.

The Canard Enchaine weekly newspaper said that when he was arrested Durov had claimed he was in Paris to dine with Macron, which the Elysee denied.

'In no way political'

In a post on X to address what he called "false information" concerning the case, Macron said Durov's arrest was "in no way a political decision" and it was "up to the judges to rule".

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the charges were very serious and thus needed "no less serious evidence".

"Otherwise this would be a direct attempt to restrict freedom of communication, and, I might even say, directly intimidate the head of a large company," he said.

The UAE meanwhile said it was "closely following the case" and had requested consular access for him.

Among those voicing support for Durov is fellow tech tycoon and chief executive of X, Elon Musk, who has posted comments under the hashtag #FreePavel.

Durov left Russia a decade ago as he was setting up Telegram amid an ownership squabble concerning his first project, the Russian social network VKontakte.

But his departure from Russia was reportedly not an abrupt exile: according to the Vazhnye Istorii news site, citing leaked border data, he visited the country more than 50 times between 2015 and 2021.

'Nothing to hide'

Durov, who has been based in Dubai in recent years, arrived in Paris from the Azerbaijani capital Baku and was planning to have dinner in the French capital, a source close to the case said.

France's OFMIN, an office tasked with preventing violence against minors, issued an arrest warrant for Durov in a preliminary investigation into alleged offences including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime and promotion of terrorism.

Telegram said in response that "Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe".

Telegram has positioned itself as a "neutral" alternative to US-owned platforms, which have been criticised for their commercial exploitation of users' personal data.

It has also played a key role since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, used actively by politicians and commentators on both sides of the war.

But critics accuse it of hosting often illegal content ranging from extreme sexual imagery to disinformation and narcotics services.

[feetoffire]

olympic jumping qualifiers this time. less in-depth because of how quick the rounds are vs dressage tests, and i’m sure i missed some details, especially in terms of tack/tack names. if anyone is actually reading these and knows the names of things, please tell me!

(please assume everyone is in a running martingale, they're so common i quit mentioning them.)

Spain: Ismael Garcia Roque on Tirano. pretty gray. i know it’s hard to not have (some) mouth gape when you’re fighting about speed (i jump too) but i can’t help cringing. interesting running martingale set up - i don’t think i’ve ever seen one like that. 

Austria: Katharina Rhomberg on Colestus Cambridge. also a gray. three rails down, which is rough.

Mexico: Carlos Hank Guerreiro on Porthos Maestro WH Z. that is an…interesting set up. looks like a normal noseband and drop noseband on the same bridle? not sure i like it/why not just use a flash

Switzerland: Steve Guerdat on Dynamix de Belheme. a mare! her blaze is cool :) she’s gaping a lot coming out of the arena - again, i get it, you do really have to fight them on tempo sometimes, but i’m still cringing. knocked a rail or two; that triple combination has gotten everyone so far and i think it’ll continue to do so.

Sweden: Henrik von Eckermann on King Edward. i have no idea what’s going on with his bridle. i think that’s a net of some sort to keep the flies off his nose? idk. kinda cool that he has no browband. watching the jumpers’ big canters is awesome. the first pair to go clear and inside the time! i think he threw a shoe on that last jump - something shoe-shaped goes flying in the slo-mo replay.

Japan: Taizo Sugitani on Quincy 194. this boy wants to look at the crowd and go. not the cleanest round i’ve ever seen - my instructor would have made me go back and do some of those again (in a lesson). 

Poland: Adam Grzegorzewski on Issem. several rails down - this course is tricky. 

France: Simon Delestre on I Amelusina R 51. a stallion - look at that crest. so much gape. too much gape, even for a jump course. i want a closer look at his bridle - two sets of reins. 

Ireland: Shane Sweetnam on James Kann Cruz. okay that’s a decent pun. i wonder how old he is; he’s really grayed out. the bit set up looks ridiculous - there’s so many straps. 

UK: Ben Mahler on Dallas Vegas Butilly. this mare has some favorite cities, it would seem. she’s got a nose net thing too. low, tight frame in canter before the round started. they’re also clear and in time! she’s frothing tho 🙁

Germany: Christian Kukuk on Checker 47. nice, plain figure 8 bridle for once. he does a little extra kick with the back legs as he’s in the air over the jump. clear and in time. 

Israel: Ashlee Bond on Donatello 141. it’s always interesting to see how much sheepskin each horse likes; Donatello has it on all three straps of his breastplate. 

USA: Laura Kraut on Baloutinue. i like them. came in nice and quiet, gave Baloutinue some pets before they started. fantastic, chill feeling round/not frantic at all. clear and in time (5 seconds under!)

Netherlands: Maikel van der Vleuten on Beauville Z. for a horse who apparently likes wiggly lines, they looked very straight through the triple combination. also a nice round - boring, as my instructor would say. (that’s a good thing)

Brazil: Pedro Veniss on Nimrod de Muze. i couldn’t help it, i laughed at the horse’s name. there’s some head tossing, especially as Veniss tries to steady him before a fence. clear and in time. 

UAE: Omar Abdul Aziz al Marzooqi on Enjoy de la Mure. pretty dark bay. happy ears, even over the jumps. nice pair. 

Saudi Arabia: Abdulrahman Alrajhi on Ventago. red ribbon tail, watch yourselves y’all. his stirrups are green to match his coat and the saddle pad and ear bonnet. it’s cute. lots of sheepskin on the breastplate. not the ride Alrajhi was hoping for, methinks - he was shaking his head a little after the round. 

Australia: Hilary Scott on Milky Way. a gray mare, as her name suggests 🙂 sheepskin on her breastplate too. four rails down, but a nice ride in other respects. 

Canada: Mario Deslauriers on Emerson. head tossing in the turns and coming up to some of the jumps. two sets of reins - i don’t think it’s a double in the two bits sense, but there’s a definite elevated-control situation happening. looks like there’s a star under his fly bonnet! touch of froth. 

Belgium: Gilles Thomas on Ermitage Kalone. gorgeous chestnut and a big bold blaze. he’s got a nose-fly-net thing. lovely round (clear and under time) and lovely ride (no gape or froth). i like this pair.

[alpinelogy]

oohhh I'm cycling anon now!! thank you for the naame I feel very honoureddd

anyway I just watched stage 20 of 2020 tdf and like,,, yeeeash that must have been fucking brutal he literally lost at the laaaast minute

tadej is a literal monster my god,,like he's very cute looking but he'll literally curb stomp you ( I think I have a type in athletes I root for lol)

also, it looks like teams choose one rider to essentially be like their first driver? I think? Is it overall results or is there like an Olympic trial type situation,, is there contract drama ever👀 like do people sign to teams and try to bargain for priority,,

:3c you're a regular in my inbox, you get a name. Also sorry for the long answer again adsfgh, I am allergic to short ones 🫠

And yeah!! Tadej is a monster, he generally seems to be a very happy chilled out person but then you see him race and yeah. He is something else, probably a nightmare of several riders in the peloton (the peloton in cycling = the grid in F1. The group of competitors)

And its sort of complicated on who is the leader (ie the rider who they prioritize). Some riders are basically a shoe in for the leader, when you see Tadej on a lineup for a race its mostly him who UAE will prioritize. Same for Jonas Vingegaard and Visma Lease a Bike (VLAB) and Primož and VLAB last year/Red Bull - Bora - Hansgrohe this year unless its Vuelta 2023 in which case its Sepp but only barely

(* to explain the comment, both Jonas and Primož were on the lineup, the race was eventually won by Sepp Kuss, a third VLAB rider after uh... very many things happening that are beyond the scope of this asddfdg

Where it gets complicated is with teams with less of these shoe in guys or at races where they don't compete. Not to go back to Vuelta 2023, but both Jonas and Primož had competed in a Grand Tour already that year and both won their respective ones. I was not able to pay so much attention before the race but I do genuinely wonder if VLAB expected this result or if it was a random bullshit go situation.

Same for UAE this year at Vuelta. Tadej isn't doing it, obviously, so who will be the leader for them. Adam Yates is a possibility, my father said when we were watching Saturday's stage that if he was not teammates with Tadej fucking Pogačar he would be a leader and I am inclined to agree. Vuelta win this year bestie?

To return back to Tour, Soudal Quick-Step is trying to win Tour with Remco Evenpoel, godspeed to them (I suppose he is at least leading the youth classification? Only because Tadej finally aged out but small wins I suppose). But otherwise I'm not sure what they are trying to do over there outside of Tour, according to Czech comms they were very random bullshit go with Giro and supported different rider for each type of stage which is how we got Hirt 8th but that was an offhand mention do not quote me on that.

Some teams don't have exact plans set in stone, from quick research it looks like Intermarché - Wanty did not aim for the points classification but now that Biniam Girmay is leading it? You bet they do their best to keep him in the lead.

As for how the leaders are selected aside from the shoe ins or these plans ether preplanned or on the spot, that is a process only known to the teams and possibly god I am convinced. And the lawyer and contract department maybe. There quite possibly is very much contract drama about if you will be prioritized in a team, I do not keep up with it enough, like I said earlier, there are hundreds of riders and my guys are mostly stable, I am sure someone will be more aware of all the fun contract bits o7 (I also have enough contract drama with F1 lmao. Cries in Williams and Alpine fan)