#Western Alliance

[fidelitospix]

GAZA - Chris Hedges "The Genocide in Gaza"

Inaction is indeed Action. Israeli president stated “War against Hamas intended ‘to save the values of Western civilisation”. Concerned as he is about western civilisation let me suggest a slight tweak to the statement to make it a bit more realistic; “The genocide against Palestinians demonstrates the hollowness of values of Western civilisation and a dark chapter in its history”. I don’t know…

[mossadegh]

• Mossadegh media: newspaper & magazine articles, editorials

[poorlittleyaoyao]

Jin Zixun confirmed for the villain in a D.A.R.E. exercise.

[offsidenewsco]

Have you ever wondered about NCAA Hockey? What's the Frozen Four? How do the rankings work? What players have played through the system?

We've got you covered in our primer here

[zvaigzdelasas]

T minus one week until the BRICS summit

[beehunni62]

Advisors Alliance Mini Encyclopedia Translation Post 19: Dogwood

The Advisors Alliance 大军师司马懿之军师联盟 is a 2017 two-part Chinese TV series depicting the life of Sima Yi, a government official and military strategist who lived during the late Eastern Han Dynasty 东汉 (25 CE - 220 CE) and the Three Kingdoms Period 三国時代 (220 CE - 280 CE). [Wikipedia of the show’s first season]

The second part is titled Growling Tiger Roaring Dragon 虎啸龙吟 and keeps following Sima Yi’s life as he matures and becomes wiser [Link to the show’s second season’s MyDramaList page].

The Weibo account [Link] of the show made a series of posts in the style of small encyclopedias explaining different historical and cultural facts that where included in the series. The user @moononmyfloor compiled the 50 posts and asked me to translate them. This will be an ongoing series where I will do just that. Although I tried to stay as close as possible to the original text, I had to take some liberties in some posts to get the meaning across better. On the side, I have included extra information from personal research that explains certain things better.

The posts are not in order of the episodes but I will provide the episode and season number to avoid confusion. If there are any mistakes in translation, do let me know in the comments or privately message me and I will do my best to fix them.

If it is difficult to read the letters, tap or click on the image to expand it. Without more preamble, here you go.

There’s a typo. I meant “Ming Dynasty” not “Mind Dynasty”.

Extra information:

Double Ninth Festival, also known as Double Yang Festival and Chongyang Festival, is a Chinese holiday celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth month in the traditional Chinese calendar. It’s called the Double Yang Festival 重阳节 [Trad. 重陽節] because nine, in Chinese culture, was regarded to be a Yang number (6 was Yin). As such, the ninth day of the nine month was considered to have very strong Yang energy and, thus, was auspicious. People celebrated it by climbing high places such as mountains (from there the festival also came to be known as the Height Ascending Festival 登高节), drinking chrysanthemum wine, eating chrysanthemum cakes, appreciating chrysanthemum flowers, wearing dogwood branches on the hair, and visiting the graves of ancestors to leave food, drinks, and gifts. The tradition of climbing mountains likely came from the worship of mountains as ancient Chinese people climbed them to pray and receive blessings from the gods and/or ancestors. The Double Ninth Festival predates the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Like all other traditional Chinese holidays, poets wrote poems dedicated to celebrating the auspicious days. The fragment of the poem that is mentioned at the beginning of the post is one taught to children in China in elementary school. It’s by the Tang poet Wang Wei 王维 and it’s titled 《九月九日忆山东兄弟》 [Trad. 《九月九日憶山東兄弟》]. Below is the poem in both simplified and traditional Chinese. I will leave a translation made by American Poet Witter Bynner below.

Traditional:

獨在異鄉為異客，

每逢佳節倍思親。

遙知兄弟登高處，

遍插茱萸少一人。

Simplified:

独在异乡为异客，

每逢佳节倍思亲。

遥知兄弟登高处，

遍插茱萸少一人。

Translation (On the Mountain Holiday Thinking of my Brothers in Shandong)

All alone in a foreign land,

I am twice as homesick on this day.

When brothers carry dogwood up the mountain,

Each of them a branch -- and my branch missing.

The three sacrificial animals 三牲 changed depending on the dynasty. For instance, nowadays, people associate the three sacrificial animals with chicken, pork, and fish. However, in the time of the Western Zhou Dynasty, people referred to the three sacrificial animals as cow, sheep, and pig. Variations also include chicken, duck (or geese), and fish. Another variation involves five animals instead of three: chicken, duck, pork, fish, and squid. The purpose of animal sacrifice was to ask the gods and ancestors for protection and/or blessings.

Picture showcasing the five animal sacrifices 五牲 of chicken, pork, fish, duck, and squid [image source].

Catalogue (find the rest of the posts):

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Missouri House advances bill allowing guns on buses, inside churches and synagogues

By Kacen Bayless and Maia Bond

Missourians would be allowed to carry guns on public buses and inside churches and other places of worship under a bill advanced by the Missouri House Thursday.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Adam Schnelting, a St. Charles Republican, would allow people with concealed carry permits to carry guns on public transit in the state.

“We all have the potential of running into situations where we have to utilize self defense to protect ourselves and those we love,” Schnelting said on the floor Thursday. “This legislation will discourage criminal activity on our public transportation systems, but most importantly, it will ensure that we maintain our constitutional right to self defense.”

An amendment successfully added by state Rep. Ben Baker, a Neosho Republican, would also strike down the current rule banning concealed guns in places of worship without the permission of the religious leader of the congregation.

The Missouri House gave the bill initial approval on a voice vote Thursday. It will need one more vote before it heads to the Missouri Senate, which could come next week.

Democrats on Thursday criticized the legislation, saying it would broaden Missouri’s already loose gun laws as the state sees high rates of gun violence in the state’s urban areas.

“What kind of world are we creating with these kinds of laws? It’s absolute insanity, and it’s morally corrupt,” state Rep. Barbara Phifer, a St. Louis Democrat, said on the floor Thursday, referring to the amendment that allowed guns in churches.

The legislation comes amid instances of gun violence on Kansas City buses in recent years. In 2021, three people, including a police officer and a bus driver, were wounded in a shooting on a RideKC bus by a suspect in an alleged robbery. In 2017, another man was shot on a RideKC bus in downtown Kansas City after an altercation.

Kansas City saw its second-deadliest year in history in 2022 with 171 killings, marking the third year in a row with high reports of violence.

More than 150 people submitted testimony in favor of the bill when it was in the House Emerging Issues Committee earlier this month. Most supporters cited the need to protect themselves from potential criminals on buses.

Representatives and lobbyists from organizations and transit associations in the major cities in Missouri – Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield and Jefferson City – all testified against the bill.

Jennifer Harris Dault, a St. Louis Mennonite pastor, told The Star Thursday she was disappointed that Republicans were trying to allow guns in churches while ignoring calls to enact gun regulations. Mennonites are historically peaceful and her congregation would not believe in bringing guns for personal protection.

“The idea that someone could legally bring a gun into our worship space, I don’t even want to think about it,” she said. “That’s so foreign to who we are. It would be basically an attack on our religious liberty.”

The bill does include a provision that would still allow places of worship to prohibit firearms if they post signage that they’re not allowed on the property.

William Bland, a member of the Western Missouri Shooters Alliance, previously wrote to Missouri lawmakers in favor of the bill, saying that current law prevents Missourians from exercising their constitutional right to carry.

“This is especially dangerous late at night. CCW permit holders are not the problem. They have been photographed, fingerprinted, investigated, and vetted. They have to demonstrate competency with a firearm,” he wrote. Bland did not return a call for comment Thursday.

Kimberly Cella, the executive director of the Missouri Public Transit Association, told The Star that allowing guns on public transit would seriously jeopardize federal funding.

Cella said transit providers like OATS Transit and SMTS, Inc., which are both non-profit transit providers for most rural areas of the state, would likely face issues with gathering funding.

Those providers, Cella said, have private contracts and receive federal funding, and there are requirements in those contracts that prohibit guns on transit. The bill would jeopardize those contracts and the matched federal funding, Cella said.

Both St. Louis and Kansas City’s transit systems are bi-state operations governed by a federal compact that prohibits guns on public transit, and Cella said it is her understanding that that compact would supersede the bill and not apply to transit in those cities.

Cella said there is no proof that more guns make transit safer, and she said it puts staff members like bus drivers in more danger.

“What we’re saying is if we impair the ability of transit providers to deliver service by passage of CCW in transit, we’re really going to impact the state’s bottom line as well,” Cella said.

[cosmicrhetoric]

ive said this before but if you are a white austen fan and you bring up bride and prejudice in your adaptation recommendation lists i don't believe you. im sorry i know it's unfair but i just don't believe you. maybe you saw it on wikipedia's adaptation list. maybe you watched a clip of that english song they do in the beginning. look if i barely watched it there is no way anyone who doesn't have cultural allegiance to ash rai made it through

[trendynewsnow]

Abiy Ahmed's Endorsement of Putin: A Shift in Global Alliances

A Turning Point in Global Politics: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Praise for Putin Last week, at a grand global summit held in the Russian city of Kazan, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia—once celebrated as a beacon of hope in the West, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and a reliable ally of the United States—delivered a striking endorsement of his host, Vladimir Putin, a figure often regarded as…

[wild-at-mind]

Sometimes just from someone's username you know they would reblog a post that's like omg Trump will do genocide and Harris will do genocide but with emojis and memes!!

And then you see that they did in fact reblog the post and you're like ohhh can we stop pretending this is any kind of leftism.

[fidelitospix]

GAZA - Intelligence Assessment vs. Good Faith Assessment

I spoke about this specific issue – the importance of verifiable/transparent intelligence assessment when driving and/or reporting on policy particularly in conflict zones like what we see today in GAZA – links below. This particular exchange with U.S. State Department Spokesperson Mathiew Miller about the sexual  abuse of women still captive by Hamas and that being the reason for them not being…

[jobkash]

Summer 2025 Internship-Los Angeles or Costa Mesa, CA- C&I

Job Title: Summer 2025 Internship-Los Angeles or Costa Mesa, CA- C&ILocation: Costa MesaWhat you’ll do: Launch your career with Western Alliance Bank in our Summer Internship Program! You’ll gain real-life experience and explore what it’s like to work as part of an organization that exemplifies people, performance and possibilities.As an intern, you’ll work on challenging projects in your…

[tmarshconnors]

Addresses US Congress by PM Benjamin Netanyahu

While watching the addresses US Congress by PM Benjamin Netanyahu I had to write this blog up. In the complex world of international politics, few figures stand out as distinctly as Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel's Prime Minister, often referred to by his nickname "Bibi," has demonstrated a unique blend of resilience, strategic acumen, and charismatic leadership that more Western leaders could learn from. His tenure, marked by both controversy and commendation, offers a treasure trove of lessons for contemporary statesmen navigating the turbulent waters of global politics.

Master of Realpolitik:

Netanyahu's approach to governance is a masterclass in realpolitik. He has navigated Israel through some of its most challenging periods, including numerous conflicts, intense diplomatic pressures, and a volatile regional landscape. I strongly admire his raw bluntness. Speaks from the conviction in his heart a true Israelis patriot. His pragmatic approach, often prioritising national security and survival over idealistic pursuits, ensures that Israel remains a formidable presence in the Middle East.

Strategic Vision:

Netanyahu's strategic vision is perhaps best exemplified by his handling of Iran's nuclear ambitions. His relentless campaign to highlight the dangers posed by a nuclear-armed Iran has been instrumental in shaping global perceptions and policies. Netanyahu's ability to galvanise international support, despite facing considerable opposition, underscores his persuasive prowess and deep understanding of global dynamics. Western leaders could benefit from his ability to anticipate threats and mobilise international coalitions effectively.

Economic Stewardship:

Under Netanyahu's leadership, Israel has experienced significant economic growth. His tenure saw the nation transform into a technological powerhouse, often dubbed the "Start-Up Nation." Netanyahu's economic policies, focusing on innovation, deregulation, and fostering a business-friendly environment, have paid dividends. Western leaders grappling with economic stagnation and declining competitiveness can learn from Netanyahu's emphasis on technology and entrepreneurship as drivers of economic success.

Diplomatic Dexterity:

One of Netanyahu's remarkable achievements is his diplomatic dexterity. He has managed to forge unprecedented alliances with previously hostile nations and strengthened ties with major global powers. His role in the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states, is a testament to his diplomatic ingenuity. This ability to build bridges in a fractured world is a skill that Western leaders should aspire to emulate.

Communication Mastery:

Netanyahu is a master communicator. His articulate and persuasive speech-making, whether addressing the Knesset, the United Nations, or the international media, has been pivotal in advancing Israel's narrative on the global stage. He skilfully uses rhetoric to rally support, defend policies, and counter adversaries. Effective communication, as demonstrated by Netanyahu, is essential for leaders aiming to inspire and lead both domestically and internationally.

Resilience and Adaptability:

Netanyahu's political career, spanning several decades, is a testament to his resilience and adaptability. Despite facing numerous challenges, including intense political rivalries, legal battles, and public scrutiny, he has consistently demonstrated an ability to bounce back and retain leadership. This resilience, coupled with a willingness to adapt to changing circumstances, is a critical quality for any leader. Western politicians, often facing rapidly shifting political landscapes, can draw inspiration from Netanyahu's tenacity and adaptability.

Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership offers a compelling case study for Western leaders. His blend of realpolitik, strategic foresight, economic acumen, diplomatic skill, communication prowess, and resilience presents a multifaceted template for effective governance. While his methods and policies may not always align with every ideological perspective, the underlying principles of his leadership are universally applicable. As the world continues to confront complex challenges, more Western leaders could benefit from adopting some of Netanyahu's proven strategies, ensuring stability, security, and prosperity for their nations.

[zosialynchphotography]

Top to bottom: black-headed grosbeak, hairy woodpecker, mountain jay, black-capped chickadee, and Western tanager. Seen outside the Bird Alliance of Oregon Nature Store.

[zuxigo]

It's so sad to see ethno nationalist/ white supremacist Slavs hating on Asians..... Brother we have more in common with you than you do with those western Europeans.... Our trade with eachother was so lucrative for both of us and influenced eachother's culture so much... You are the only people in Europe that understand tea the way we do the only people on that cursed continent who make edible food... We were both wearing brightly coloured embroidered textiles with dozens of intricate pieces of jewelry while western Europeans were insisting that looking cool was gaudy and bad taste... And you wanna throw all that away for what? Fucking America? They're not worth it baby please come back we miss you

[kesarijournal]

Europe on the Brink: Geopolitical Tensions and Strategic Shifts

Orbán Warns of Impending War Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has issued a dire warning, comparing Europe’s current trajectory towards war to a “train with a mad driver.” He stressed the need to prevent the EU and NATO from expanding the conflict in Ukraine and urged voters to support peace-advocating parties in the upcoming European Parliament elections.China-Russia Alliance In a bold…