#and it's an interesting move from azerbaijan

[arabela25]

Eurovision Song Contest 2023 countdown: 23 days left!

Tell Me More - TuralTuranX, Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 [x]

[mywritersmind]

MESSY - LN4

pt.2

summary : Lando will not quit in attempts to keep seeing y/n piastri. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix ends triumphantly for the piastri family, followed by a flirty dinner, and paper being thrown at her in the early morning.

OG SUMMARY (After a steamy night together, neither Y/n or Lando expected to see eachother soon. Well, when they find eachother in the paddock and come to the realization that Y/n is a Piastri and Lando is Oscar’s teammate… things get interesting.)

listen up : piastri!reader. nothing major!! mentions of sex.

word count : 1453

⋆｡‧˚⋆

I’m fucking extatic.

My mom and I came to Baku on a whim and now I'm hugging my champagne soaked brother after a pole position with my sisters on facetime.

The race was genuinely insane and my mom cried the whole time. Turns out all the F1 I watched at home is a million times better in person.

Especially when this time I can see everybody’s faces.

An hour later I'm waiting for Oscar to change while my mom is on a call. I look up when someone enters the room, he’s dark haired with huge brown eyes. “Oh- Hi.” His accent hits me and I'm star struck at my third favorite driver, Carlos Sainz.

“Hi.” I smile and look back at my phone, sort of freaking out on the inside.

He doesn’t move though, “Uh… I'm looking for Lando, have you seen him?” At the mention of the McLaren driver's name I feel my stomach twist.

“No sorry.” He nods and looks around the orange room.

“You’re not here with him?”

Here with him?

“No… I’m Oscar’s sister, Y/n.” His face makes an ‘o’ expression before shaking off and smiling.

“Shit! Your brother did well today. I’m Carlos.” I laugh a bit and am about to respond before Lando enters the room in black jeans, a mclaren shirt, and socks only. He looks at Carlos and I back and forth before raising a brow. Carlos turns to see him and says something in a hushed tone.

“Right…” Lando glances at me but rips his eyes away quickly.

“I didn’t know Piastri had a sister.” Carlos crosses his arms as I stand.

“Four, actually.” I laugh a bit, “Norris have you seen Oscar? We’ve got reservations.” I want to talk about his race but it feels wrong. P15 to P4 is pretty wild though. And sort of hot.

He basically laughs in my face, “He’s gonna be a while… No chance you’re making those reservations.”

I give him an annoyed look, “Great.”

“Don’t hate the messenger, love.” He doesn’t even flinch, but Carlos does.

He looks at Carlos horrified like he did something scandalous. As if he feels bad, he looks at me, “Look- your family can join us if you want.” Lando is the one to give him a look this time.

“So your guys’ reservations will work, but mine won’t?” I cross my arms at the men.

“You used your own name to make them?” Lando asks, I nod and as he tries to hide his smile he says, “Yeah you can come with us.”

⋆｡‧˚⋆

Oscar is confused at the invite but goes along with it. My mom decides to stay at the hotel for some work calls which makes me more nervous. I’m now alone with my brother, my hookup, Carlos’ clueless ass, Alex Albon, and Max Verstappen.

I almost cry when Alex’s girlfriend joins us. Lily and I follow eachother and have DM’d a few times but meeting in person is like me being saved.

“So, Y/n! Enjoy the race today?” Alex asks me cheerily, pouring more water into his glass with an arm around Lily.

“No race talk!” Lando and Max say in unison. I don’t really know how they do it. They race each other for two hours, are always pissy after, then just switch to being friendly so quick.

I look at Carlos who’s talking merrily with Alex, surprising considering he was a lap away from a podium before his dreams were crushed by a RedBull and a prayer.

The table we’re at is large and oddly enough, round. The restaurant is beautiful and mostly deserted except for our table. I’m next to Lily and Oscar, Lando across from me.

I’m acutely aware that he’s across from me because he hasn’t taken his eyes off me. I watch his hands move his Monza pole ring around his finger. God his hands. His hands that were all over me-

“Y/n, What are you ordering?” Lily asks which shakes me from my imagination.

After ordering we fall into comfortable conversation which eventually ends in me making fun of Oscar with photos from our childhood. “Right then! That’s enough.” Oscar eyes me when my phone swipes to a photo of Osc dressed up as a car.

“We know Oscar’s kink now.” Max jokes and I cringe, “What? They always stem from childhood!”

“So who you calling daddy then, Verstappen?” Lando doesn’t miss a beat, Max side eyes him. “No need to be ashamed, Osc.”

“Not in front of my baby sister, please.” He looks around the group who are all laughing.

“Come on, you're a year older than me!” I sigh, “You don’t know what I get up to.”

He makes a disgusted face.

“Or who.” I add simply, sipping my drink as Lando chokes on his. His face is red after Max slaps him on the back.

Oscar ends up changing the conversation around to old karting days and how I was dragged along. I eventually excuse myself to the bathroom, checking my hair and washing my hands, as I leave I run into Lando.

“Hi pretty.” He smirks as I roll my eyes.

“Would you stop staring at me? Oscar isn’t blind.”

He shrugs, “No.”

“No?”

“No. It’s kinda difficult when you look like that.” I’m going to pretend that didn't do something to me and move on.

“Nice race today. Sort of impressive.” I match his cool demeanor which he loses after my words.

“A compliment?” He grins, god his smile is ridiculous and when it’s directed at me I want to faint, “Thanks love. Wanna celebrate with me later?”

“Careful with the nickname, Norris. I’ll be celebrating with the man who actually won.”

Speaking of, Oscar joins us in the hall, his face dropping when he sees us, “Please tell me you aren’t friends already.” I stand up straighter, “I can’t have you two combine forces against me.”

This makes me laugh, “Don’t worry, Osci.” I squeeze his shoulder before stepping away.

Lando follows, “Yeah I don’t think we’re the friends type.” I eye him behind me, he just winks.

⋆｡‧˚⋆

I’m pretty sure the world is working against me. Or maybe for me?

We’ve got an extra day in Baku to spend with Oscar. I woke up early, getting hot chocolate and settling on my balcony with my book and pajamas.

I’m happy in the early light, breathing in the fresh air when I hear a whistle. My eyes are drawn down to the man running shirtless, shading his eyes from the sun while looking up at me.

“Good morning!” Lando sings, that smile already planted onto his face. He looks way too tan, sweaty, and fit for five in the morning.

“Morning.” I say back.

“Watcha reading?” I raise a brow, confused because no guy ever cares about that.

“Um. Little women.” I close the book and flash him the cover. He nods.

“I have something for you!” He reaches into his pocket and I wouldn’t be surprised if he pulled out a boom box.

He pulls out a crumpled piece of paper, “Are you sending me a nude by hand?”

He laughs out loud, “No! It’s my number!” He throws it up but the wind pushes it right back down, landing at his feet.

He frowns and tries again, “You’re quite bold for a one night stand.” The paper falls again and I try not to laugh. He grabs it, looking up at me once again. I can see the blueness of his eyes even from stories up.

“Who said it was just a one night stand?” He squeezes the paper tighter. When he throws it once more, it finally lands on my balcony but Lando’s eyes jet to the balcony next to mine.

“The hell are you doing?” My brother's voice makes my eyes go wide. I had forgotten he’s right next door.

“Coming to see you, of course!” Lando opens his arms wide.

I can practically hear Oscar shaking his head, “Go away.” Lando nods and starts to jog backwards, his eyes meet mine once last time, making my breath stop short.

He smiles wider, turning around and following his route.

I shake my head, smiling to myself and opening the crinkled ball of paper. It reads his number and a small note.

Give me a chance, Y/n. You won’t regret it.

[runwayrunway]

No. 33 - Vietnam Airlines

@twtd11 has asked me to cover Vietnam Airlines! And also two other airlines, but those don't need mentioning in this post, because this post is about Vietnam Airlines.

Vietnam Airlines is part of a very interesting trend. Inexplicably, it is very popular for airlines to make the top of their planes blue and the bottom white. Specifically blue. But unlike the more comprehensive sort of trend like...cheatlines, or Eurowhite...this phenomenon, which I'm sure I'll come up with a catchy name for in a timely manner, never manifests the same twice.

There are a lot of examples of it, and I plan to cover all of them if I can. I've already talked about Korean Air, but other examples on the docket include KLM, TUI, Azal Azerbaijan Airlines, Aerolíneas Argentinas, Air Tahiti Nui, and of course Vietnam Airlines.

I'm not surprised that they got requested fairly early on in this blog's lifespan for the simple reason that they're very striking planes. When I first saw a Vietnam Airlines plane I'll admit it - I was pretty wowed.

I mean, just look at these planes. There is something so absurdly captivating about the blue they've chosen for their livery's primary shade, and I just can't wrap my head around it fully. Even more than other planes, it looks entirely different in different lightings, going from a sort of metallic teal to a sharp cerulean.

Of course, blue alone couldn't accomplish that. The choice to pair it with gold was really what made this livery coalesce, but once they have this gorgeous color combination, this vast untouched blue bordered by gold, the colors speak for themselves.

The emblem on the tail is very simple in terms of its shape, easy to recognize from a distance, It requires no detail save what can be expressed with negative space and thus doesn't need much to tie it into the rest of the fuselage - the gold stripe more than succeeds in making the integration smooth. It provides a large image that can be seen from far away, and I think it's both distinctive and elegant. I would say it could be improved by replacing the white with a lighter gold, but I actually did think that it was a lighter gold until I looked closer because of the crazy things this livery does with color.

Allowing the blue to take up most of the fuselage was absolutely the right move. It looks like a completely different color in every picture of it I've shown so far but it's always absolutely gorgeous. The interplay of blue, gold, and light hitting it is just spectacular to the point I've gotten this far in without even mentioning, say, the wordmark, which is fine but absolutely doesn't matter. Because this plane is a sea of whichever blue is your favorite, if you catch it at the right angle.

Nothing on this plane is detailed. Everything is large-scale, big sweeping lines and massive blocks of color, like it's all painted on with a massive brush. The logo isn't limited to the tail but it also isn't integrated into most of the fuselage. It just takes up the amount of space it takes up, not recognizing any sort of arbitrary boundary between tailfin and fuselage. There is a near absence of straight lines. Everything is curved and flowing and perfectly placed.

I hadn't been able to tell for sure if the underside of the plane was cream or white, but I have been informed that it is, in fact, a light cream. It's perfectly chosen. It lets the gold seem like the trim it is instead of a discrete block of color. It accentuates, similar to KAL's grey dividing line, but instead of facilitating a transition from blue to white it facilitates the blue's constant metamorphosis into something that's so much more than an essentially monocolor plane has any right to be.

Also, it makes the plane look a lot more fishlike, which is always good.

I think too much more detail would overwhelm this color combination, just because of how much of a statement it is upfront. It is an incredibly confident move to release a plane that clearly is trying to get away from the pack but has barely any features, and have those features it does have collide so elegantly into something so much larger than the sum of its parts.

There is a part of me that keeps fighting my conclusion, insisting to myself that it's mostly blue space, and ultimately it's inevitable. The fact that I'm having so much trouble limiting my selection of pictures because each one feels like it's a discrete different shade of blue kind of proves that to me. It's so simple, yet every single angle shows it off in a new way. If I ever saw one of these planes in person I wouldn't be able to look at anything else while it was within eyesight, and that just ultimately has to speak for itself, doesn't it?

And of course they had to put this livery on Dreamliners, too.

Grade: A

[tired-reader-writer]

So in chapter 2 of my fic Winds of Wolfsong I was originally going to go much more in-depth with Nowruz, the new-year celebration, what with food and all, I even collected notes.

However, I did not actually end up including a lot of the stuff in the chapter itself, most of it didn't even end up being written into the first draft. I was gonna figure out the incorporation of symbolism as I wrote, which didn't end up happening, whoops.

But I gathered notes, they'll probably come into use in the future and hey, y'all might be interested and find some use out of those too.

Sizdah Bedar (Persian: سیزده‌بدر – sīzdah bedar), (lit. 'Thirteen outdoor') also known as Nature's Day (روز طبیعت – rūz-e tabī'at), is an Iranian festival held annually on the thirteenth day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian calendar (and the first month of spring, during which people spend time picnicking outdoors. It marks the end of the Nowruz holidays in Iran.

This actually made it into the fic, what with the little family going out for a picnic in the morning, though they did the actually get to have the picnic due to... stuff happening. Isfan says:

Today is the thirteenth of the new year, the last of Nowruz, the second one without Lady Jahanara.

So... yeah!

A custom performed at the end of the picnic is to throw the sprouted greens (سبزه – Sabze) that were part of the traditional Haft-Seen Nowruz display into moving water.

In the chapter Isfan says:

They would cast the Sabzeh sprouts in this stream afterwards, all of them, together.

It is actually customs for young people to knot the sprouts together if they're wishing for marriage partners, it didn't get mentioned in the chapter because nobody was looking for a marriage at the moment. Shapur is resolute to not wed, the kids are too young, Sanira and Behnam are married to each other.

Sekanjabin (Persian: سکنجبین), one of the oldest Iranian drinks, is made of honey and vinegar. Sekanjabin is usually served in summer. It is sometimes seasoned with mint. It is very popular in summer, but it is also an inseparable part of Sizdah Bedar. Iranians eat lettuce with Sekanjabin. This act is symbolically a promise to stay healthy during the New Year. Sekanjabin is a compound of سرکه serke "vinegar" and انگبین angabin "honey".

I at the very least wanted to include Sekanjabin buuuuuut I couldn't find the space. Oh well, it'll have to be put in cryosleep for future use.

Ash-e doogh, (Persian: آش دوغ), also known as "yoghurt soup", originates from the Azeri region of northwest Iran and is one of the traditional soups of Ardabil. It is a common dish found in many regions and cultures within West Asia, including Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. Ash-e doogh is a soup usually made with yogurt or doogh, as well as different kind of herbs (such as coriander, leek, tarragon, mint, and parsley), vegetables (such as spinach, purslane, chickpeas, peas, onion and garlic), lamb meatballs, eggs, rice, salt and several types of spices. Fried mint with oil (and sometimes garlic) is used as a topping for the soup. This soup can be made vegetarian.

Doesn't have much of a symbolic thing going on, just collected in case I may need it.

One of the most common foods cooked on the occasion of Nowruz is Samanu (Samanak, Somank, Somalek). This food is prepared using wheat germ. In most countries that celebrate Nowruz, this food is cooked. In some countries, cooking this food is associated with certain rituals. Women and girls in different parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan cook Samanu in groups and sometimes during the night, and when cooking it, they sing memorable songs.

Samanu did actually make it... into a discarded draft. I ended up erasing the sentence and I can't find it again but it was just a passing mention of the brothers having it with bread for breakfast. Samanu does have a symbolic meaning, especially associated with Nowruz, as it is one of the seven items placed on the Haft-sīn table during the celebration.

The Haft-Seen table is composed of “haft” (or seven) essential symbols that represent nature, and “sin” which may have been shortened from “sini” (or trays), which held these essential symbols. The symbols break down into three from the material world (or “donyaheh mahdoodiat”), three from the immaterial world (or “donayeh maanah”) — this is the world of meaning and ideas — and one symbol that sits between and ties these two worlds together.

×

By tradition, Iranian families take great pains to create the most beautiful Haft-Seen table that they can, for not only does it embody values both traditional and spiritual, it is also appreciated by the visitors during Nowruz visiting exchanges as a reflection of the families' aesthetic sense and good taste.

×

Typically, before the arrival of Nowruz, family members gather around the Haft-sin table and await the exact moment of the March equinox to celebrate the New Year. The number 7 and the letter S are related to the seven Ameshasepantas as mentioned in the Zend-Avesta. They relate to the four elements of Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and the three life forms of Humans, Animals and Plants. In modern times, the explanation was simplified to mean that the Haft-sin (Persian: هفت‌سین, seven things beginning with the letter sin (س)) are: • Sabze/Sabzeh (Persian: سبزه), Sprouting/Grass – wheat, barley, mung bean, or lentil sprouts grown in a dish, the symbol of rebirth and growth. • Samanu (Persian: سمنو) – sweet pudding made from wheat germ, the symbol of power and strength. • Senjed (Persian: سنجد) – Persian olive, the symbol of love. • Serke/Serkeh (Persian: سرکه) – vinegar, the symbol of patience. • Sib/Seeb (Persian: سیب) – apple, the symbol of beauty. • Sīr/Seer (Persian: سیر) – garlic, the symbol of health and medicine. • Somāq/Somagh (Persian: سماق) – sumac, the symbol of sunrise.

Man, reading the notes again, I wish I could've found a way to incorporate this but oh well, no use lamenting over it now. I'm sure I'll find some use of it in the future.

But they're not the only items on the Haft-sīn table.

Items that don't start with "س" but, nonetheless, are invariably included: • Tokhm-e Morg Rangi (تخم‌مرغ رنگی): Eggs, the symbol of fertility. • Ayina (آینه): Mirror, the symbol of self-reflection. • Shem'a (شمع): Candle, the symbol of enlightenment. • Maahi-ye Qırmız (ماهی قرمز): Goldfish, the symbol of progress. • Ketaab (کتاب): Book, the symbol of wisdom.

I'm less bummed about those because I wasn't determined to include them anyways but here they are nonetheless!

I don't know when they'd take down the Haft-sīn table, if they would've taken it down yet, so I may be able to squeeze some use out of it yet. We'll see.

@innerchorus You said you were interested so here ya go!

[wutheringheightsfilm]

i'm going to translate this post into english because i think a lot of my mutuals and followers need to read what it says:

the anonymous ask:

the truth is i find it ignorant that most people pretend the opposition is not a puppet of the [us]american far right, but at the same time it is true that we're a puppet of russia in the same way.

denying the historical reality of our country and pretending that right-wing dictatorships were "soft" dictatorships is not learning from the mistakes of the past and will only lead us to be in the same position we are now. subjugated by a regime on the other side.

the reblog:

is the dictator of venezuela [maduro] in power because it suits political powers beyond civilians? yes

is the opposition in venezuela [gonzalez] a puppet of the [us]american far right? yes

are neither of the options good? yes

nothing guarantees that a different government won't be manipulated from outside forces. venezuela is a huge port and everyone knows about the drug trafficking that moves millions and millions of dollars. clearly, they aren't going to let that go easily.

does that mean we have to leave the dictatorship as it is? no. does that mean there is a favorable alternative that DOES think about the well being of my people? no!

venezuelan politics are extremely complex, and that's why we are where we are now, but damn, at this point i think the majority agrees that all we want is to recover the basic needs and have a chance at prospering. how does that look with the current politics? i wish i knew.

~

i want to say that i'm fully aware of US sanctions on venezuela, and how that contributes to the crisis they are having with lack of basic necessities including medical supplies. i'm fully aware of the fact the US has tried to intervene--and has intervened--multiple times in venezuelan politics, and is once again interested in doing so, and is pumping out as much propaganda as they can to push their backed candidate (gonzalez).

however i need yall to realize maduro is not your fucking friend. i don't care that he said "free palestine"--he's paying lip service to what is socially acceptable. maduro is besties with turkey's far right president erdogan, who has denied the armenian genocide and has praised azerbaijan for their ethnic cleansing of artsakh. maduro has gone so far as to say this man is "like an older brother to him." how is that a man that's "for the people" if he's buddy buddy with a genocide denier? and it's also not as though maduro didn't make poor financial decisions that, in the midst of an already poor economy, and made it worse. that's an article linked from al-jazeera, by the way, in case you think i'm supporting US imperialism here or something. and of course, US sanctions made an already terrible problem leagues worse, and i would never deny that.

to be clear, obviously, i do not support US interventionism in venezuela in any shape or form, and the push for gonzalez as a candidate is obviously just another ploy by the US to get their own backed candidate in office to make venezuela into another neocolony. but the way that everyone has been putting maduro on a pedestal and essentially saying he's beyond reproach is driving me insane.

[dougielombax]

Just leaving this here.

Feel free to reblog.

I’m sure all the flag burning far right idiots in Israel and Azerbaijan will find a way to twist this to make it about them and make Armenia look bad.

Like they always do.

The Armenian foreign ministry also issued a statement regarding this matter which reads as follows:

“The Republic of Armenia has joined the resolutions of the UN General Assembly, which call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Moreover, the Republic of Armenia is sincerely interested in the establishment of peace and stability in the Middle East, the establishment of lasting reconciliation between the Jewish and Palestinian peoples. At various international platforms, we have always advocated for a peaceful and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue and support the two-state principle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict solution. We are convinced that this is the only way to ensure that Palestinians and Israelis can realize their legitimate aspirations,”

Just in case anyone has any doubts.

Feel free to reblog.

[workersolidarity]

💥Explosions Rock Stepanakert as Azerbaijan Launches an Offensive Against Armenia into the Disputed Nagorno-Karabakh Region 💥

Residents of Stepanakert in the heavily disputed Nagorno-Karabakh Region of what is internationally recognized as Azeri territory, awoke to sounds of explosions and gunfire ripping through the city Tuesday morning as Azeri Forces launched what it calls an Anti-Terrorist Operation into the region.

The Nagorno-Karabakh territory has been in dispute ever since the collapse of the Russian Empire after the October Revolution in 1917. The disputed territory was mostly de-escalated during the Soviet era, with Nagorno-Karabakh given the status of Autonomous Oblast within the Azerbaijan SSR, giving it a measure of self-governance.

However, since the collapse of the USSR, the ethnic dispute has flared back up with two major wars fought over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory since 1988.

The first Nagorno-Karabakh War lasted from February 1988 until May 1994. While the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020 lasted for 44 days.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been positioning himself to join the Western Bloc, taking an interest in joining the EU and NATO with US encouragement.

However, it is understood that NATO will not allow Armenia to join the Military Bloc as long as the risk of war breaking out in Nagorno-Karabakh remains high.

With this in mind, some analysts believe Armenia has been quietly instigating an Azeri incursion into the area with the idea of letting Nagorno-Karabakh fall completely under Azerbaijani control, relinquishing the territory and easing the associated tensions that might give NATO pause before admitting Armenia into the alliance.

Interestingly, Pashinyan accepted Azerbaijani sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh back in May, undermining its own negotiating position and upsetting the balance of power in the region. However, the population of the Nagorno-Karabakh territory is majority Armenian, and local authorities do not recognize Azeri sovereignty over the area.

Azerbaijan has warned Armenia against involving itself with NATO, suggesting it will lead to conflict in the region, and few of Armenia's neighbors are happy with the moves. However, Armenia has ignored the warnings, going so far as to host US Forces in the country for Military exercises which began on September 11th, 2023.

Many Russian analysts, media personalities and politicians see this as a major provocation and an attempt to open a new front in the Ukraine War as Russian peacekeepers had been tasked with maintaining the Status-Quo as per agreement between the two warring sides at the end of the second Nagorno-Karabakh War. Western analysts dispute this claim.

We will keep you updated as information comes in.

UPDATE: sources say there have been 5 deaths and at least 80 casualties reported so far in the ongoing Azerbaijan Operation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

[sevaghves]

To clear things up for our Ukrainian friends.

Ukraine didn't condemn Azerbaijan's aggression against Armenia in 2020. Armenia didn't condemn Russia's aggression against Ukraine in 2022.

Why?

For some reason Ukrainian political elite considers Artsakh similar to the Donetsk and Luhansk "republics". That's not the case. Artsakh was annexed from Armenia in 1920s by the bolsheviks along with Nakhijevan. The 1st Karabakh war happened because when Artsakh as autonomous republic voted independence during the collapse of USSR, Azeri and Russian forces started military operations against Armenians. For comparison, imagine these 2 regions be recognized as Russian territory to "stop the conflict", Ukrainians in Donetsk and Luhanks organize self-defense units and uprising for reunification with Ukraine and be called separatists.

After the betrayal and war of 2020, when Russia deployed "peacekeepers" to Artsakh, 120000 people in Artsakh became Putin's hostages. That predetermined Armenia's foreign policy for the next 3 years. Every independent move resulted in Azeri attacks on Artsakh and Armenia proper, sanctioned by Putin. Over 140 sq km of Armenian territory became occupied by Azerbaijan. The West refused to help as they didn't want to interfere in the areas of Russian influence.

The war in Ukraine opened the Western eyes to Putin's real objectives. Or rather they could no longer afford to stay blind. Putin's Imperialist agenda arrived at their doorstep.

What can we do as former colonies of Russia to stop this direct and indirect aggression?

First of all recognize each other as sovereign states that are out of Soviet framework of "brotherly" nations. It's okay to have different interests and alliances. But in this fight we have to be united and show understanding for the ways Putin manipulated our countries. We need to be honest and pragmatic with each other.

I wish victory to Armenia in her fight for survival and I wish the same to Ukraine. And just as my Ukrainian friends are focused on their war, I am focused on mine. This doesn't mean we don't care about the other. My family has friends in Ukraine who spend almost every night sheltering from Russian bombing. Some of our Armenian friends are refugees of the 2014 aggression.

And I wish my Russian friends that one day in the future they see their country free from the thugs and fascists that have usurped the power for so long. We all deserve better than this vile chaos.

[pernillemagda]

From the danish podcast "bag om trøjen" with Pernille Harder an Katrine Veje

I have finally listed to the whole podcast, and have tried to translate most of the podcast, not word by word, but just overall what they said, I know it's a bit long 😅

It was recorded back in February

The things in this color is the best parts (at least what I think)

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A post shared by Bag om Trøjen (@bagomtrojen)

Talking about club

03:52 - It's only in Denmark I'm called Harder, everywhere else I'm called P

04:20 - How much do the shirts mean for you Veje?

explains that she only wants to switch her NT jersey with "bigger" teams and not teams like Azerbaijan and Malta. They mean a lot to her. But she never says no.

10:30 - Pernille picks up Veje's Arsenal shirt "ew, I don't think I can do this"

05:20 How much do the shirts mean for you Pernille?

- "My shirts, or the one I swap to"

- They all bring up some good memories.

- It's often in the final rounds that I switch as there are some of the "better" teams

- The one I'm probably the happiest about is Marta da Silva, I think it was in 2012, she also wears number 10. She is one of my biggest idols as a kid.

17:45 - Talking about the FA Cup on 5 December 2021 winning over Veje

13:30 - How was your start in Chelsea

- There was a big pressure as I was the most expensive player and just was named UEFA player of the year, but I think it was pretty well

Talking about worst/toughest player

19:20 - Pernille is asked first, the host and Veje think she's thinking about Troelsgaard as she says it's a teammate, but then she says it's Millie Bright.

- She's just going 100 percent in the tackles no matter if she gets the ball or not. She trains like she plays games. So sometimes you get to feel what she’s capable of

Katrines time in Montpellier

20:10 - Veje is next

- Troelsgaard must be the thought, she also trains as the play's games but has become better over the years

Listeners questions

21:30 - Before we went to the euro's 2017 i signed with Montpellier. I had a good start, played well and came on the world's top 100 list. Then there is a meeting just after the summer where she is told that some English clubs are interested in her and then the club starts not to treat her well.

- At a time, she trained with the U19 team, which was low, she felt it was kind of a punishment.

- Today when she's thinking bad, she still has good memories and good friends. It's not only bad things, but of course they still are there.

- She remembers a friendly against Barcelona where she starts out, then come on the field to play 12 minutes and was taken out again

- She learned a lot in that time and how to handle it. It was a tough time mentally and she considered stopping her career as it wasn't fun at all.

- At the U19 team, she was in the matchday squad, bet then they just take her shirt in front of her and put it back in the bag.

- (Harder interrupts) I don't know how they can treat people like that, it's inhuman, just because they heard she might be interested in moving on in her career to a new club

28:00 - Which shirt would be the biggest to swap to

- Pernille: It's hard to say, in the club we don't have shirts to swap them away, we mostly only have one. But I have the one I want the most.

- 28:55 - I swapped once with Megan Rapinoe and that is the one, I'm the happiest about

Talking early days/debuts with the NT

29:40 - What is it like to experience the development women's football is undergoing

- Pernille, there has happened so much in the last five years, people have started to be more interested and especially the TV streams have become a lot better, in the past, the matches were only filmed with a hand-held camera from one angle and then it is clear that people found it boring to watch women's football. It is something that has irritated me a lot. So, I'm happy that, that part is becoming better.

32:35 - Do you remember your debuts

- Pernille, I think it was a good game to have a debut against, I scored a hat trick and there also was another debutant who did that as well

33:50 - Talking about shirt numbers at NT

33:20 - Pernille

- I played Right back in a pretty important Worldcup playoff match against Switzerland (host: how did what go) well I was put as an attacking midfielder in the second half, I think that says it all about my performance 😂 and i have never played back since

Euros 2017

36:20 Veje had a chance where she was totally alone in front of the goal, without the goalkeeper. She then shot over the goal, and one of the teammates just yells "what the h*ll are you doing"

24:30 - The semifinal was postponed

- Veje, when we were warming up the ball didn't move at all, we have to chip the ball to each other.

- We went down to the changing room and our clothes got tumble-dried, at this time the game wasn't postponed to the day after yet, just a later kickoff.

- Pernille, when we were waiting for the game to start, I remember talking to a club teammate and the game was still not postponed

- Then we go out and warm up for a second time and after that warmup, we were told that the game had been moved to the day after, and I just thought "okay, then let's just go home and sleep" 😂

38:00 - Because of the later kickoff Denmark had packed their bags beforehand, and Germany hadn't

40:30 - After the tournament, my girlfriend and I went on vacation, I was mentally and physically exhausted and she told me I was the most boring to be on vacation with, we didn't do anything, and I just walked around in my own thoughts

38:30 - The final

- Pernille, the final was a special feeling. We were all exhausted, but still proud of what we had achieved

42:22 - Snoring

- Sofie Junge snores and we were roomies under the euro's 2017

- Pernille also sleeps with earplugs at home because Magda snores and takes very deep breaths, and it annoys her too much to not have them in. I think I have become addicted to them when I sleep alone today, I still sleep with earplugs

[verbforverb]

Welcome one and all to my Eurovision ranking, something that as many as one person has been waiting for (@docholligay here you go) As ever, feel free to comment, tag, share with people I know, but please don't reblog.

This is a less exhaustive but probably higher precision ranking than last year, due to my decision to say screw it and accept that I have four basic categories of Eurovision entry:

Positive - I enjoy this song, and would go out of my way to listen to it!

Negative (respectful) - I don't necessarily like this song, but I do appreciate what it's doing! Songs in this category are ones which bounced between "do I like this? maybe?" and "I am just straight up not enjoying this" This is a lot closer to positive for me than...

This Sure Is A Eurovision Entry, Huh - ... a broadly forgettable song which, while I don't mind it, I would probably never choose to listen to.

No - I would actively avoid listening to this song

You're not getting rankings within each category except for positive, because all the others bounced around so much there seemed very little point.

Today, the bottom two categories, "no" and "I guess"! With slightly under half the entries.

Cat4: No.

Denmark: Almost impressively twee. I find the synth effects in the chorus of this song physically difficult to listen to.

Armenia: Kind of unsettling to listen to, lyrically sort of like someone shuffled a bunch of dark academia hashtag aesthetic posts. Oooooh drink smoothies in new cafes.

Malta: When we first listened to this my wife went "they brought a saxophone!!" like that made it automatically good, proving that I am right in all things. Unfortunately funk throwback is very win or lose for me and, combined with the line "I feel better in my sweater", here just makes me wish to do violence.

Cat3: Yep, a song.

Netherlands: It's fine? Kind of forgettable? Nice to have a duet that isn't romance-only. I am a little grouchy about the lyrics, which alternate between really quite striking and The Blandest.

Lithuania: A great singer - though wow, a demanding song also, it gets away from her a bit a couple times. The song itself is kind of repetitive, the performance has a sort of haunted gospel cult feel to it that I don't hate, it's just not that compelling to me.

Italy: A little forgettable for me, but a great performance from a clearly really charismatic singer. He has the energy! Italy seem to exclusively enter songs that are lyrically quite interesting but in Italian, and we have that here yet again.

Switzerland: Obvious points first, this guy is a great singer. The song faintly reminds me of something by Sia, which is mostly distracting but not unpleasant. Do the country-specific associations put me off? A bit? I mostly find it kind of funny.

Azerbaijan: Another truly fine and generic song. I would have this on in the background! Sorry to anyone still reading, this is definitely the less fun half of the ranking.

Greece: My only note for this song is "almost impressively forgettable", which is still in evidence as I remember literally nothing about it, except, like, a guy in the rain?

San Marino: My love of fun, riffy rock is fighting very hard with my confusion over what the hell is going on here lyrically.

Albania: First: Wow, you can sing. What a voice! Second: What is going on with your family situation, anyway? This may be the first Eurovision entry to ever make me seriously ponder that, so congrats.

Iceland: The song is fine! Very 90s, which I don't hate. I love that she has a comfy outfit and seems to be having a good time. I do sort of want to give her a blanket or perhaps a friend, alone in the fog. The high notes are definitely getting away from her.

Ireland: Beyond my vague musings over whether Ireland singing "We are one" in a UK-hosted Eurovision is an extremely ballsy republican promo move, the song itself sure does take place. I don't mind it! It's fine! We see a pattern emerging here.

Estonia: A ballad with apparently no staying power in my brain.

Latvia: A pleasant enough indie rock type piece with a really unsettling music video. Does some fun proggy things with the time signature, but just a little too low-key to really stick with me.

Georgia: Before Doc made me look up the lyrics, I wasn't one hundred percent sure they were in English. Having looked up the lyrics, I am still not sure the lyrics are in English, although they are certainly English words. Somehow the song does still kind of work as sounds layered together, but it's not, how would you say, good.

[kamreadsandrecs]

Title: Mobility: A Novel

Author: Lydia Kiesling

Genre: literary fiction

Content/Trigger Warning/s: discussions and mentions of major historical events and natural disasters, including but not limited to 9/11, the BP Oil Spill, Hurricane Harvey, and the COVID-19 pandemic

Summary (from author's webpage): The year is 1998, the End of History. The Soviet Union is dissolved, the Cold War is over, and Bunny Glenn is an American teenager in Azerbaijan with her Foreign Service family. Through Bunny’s eyes we watch global interests flock to the former Soviet Union during the rush for Caspian oil and pipeline access, hear rumbles of the expansion of the American security state and the buildup to the War on Terror. We follow Bunny from adolescence to middle age—from Azerbaijan to America—as the entwined idols of capitalism and ambition lead her to a career in the oil industry, and eventually back to the scene of her youth, where familiar figures reappear in an era of political and climate breakdown.

Both geopolitical exploration and domestic coming-of-age novel, Mobility is a propulsive and challenging story about class, power, politics, and desire told through the life of one woman—her social milieu, her romances, her unarticulated wants. Mobility deftly explores American forms of complicity and inertia, moving between the local and the global, the personal and the political, and using fiction’s power to illuminate the way a life is shaped by its context.

Buy Here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/mobility-lydia-kiesling/18547461

Spoiler-Free Review: Godsdamn but this book makes me FUCKING ANGRY! I mean this in a good way, by the way, as this is frankly speaking a pretty good read.

Look, it’s not every day that a book pisses me off, but this one pissed me off in the best possible way, with its focus on the sheer hypocrisy of white people - specifically privileged white women - when it comes to the much larger suffering that everyone else around them experiences. From the moment she is introduced all the way to the very end of this novel, Bunny/Elizabeth thinks of no one but herself. Her disinterest as a teenager can be forgiven, I suppose, because I think a majority of teenagers are self-centered little shits to varying degrees - and I say that as a teenager who was pretty self-centered myself. The few who aren’t are rare and far between.

But later on, as she grows more and more comfortable in her place in the oil industry, you can practically SEE her convincing herself that what she’s doing, what her industry is doing, is right and just and not as problematic as everyone thinks it is. Worse, one can also read how she twists her WILLFUL IGNORANCE into a VIRTUE because IT BENEFITS HER TO DO SO. It’s just so INFURIATING to see that happen, since she has the privilege and the opportunity to do better, and yet: SHE DOESN’T!

The funny thing is, SHE GETS CALLED OUT ON IT! There are several moments throughout the novel wherein she is forced to confront how she doesn’t take a stand on anything, for just sitting on a fence, for thinking only of her own comfort, and while she sometimes pauses to think about what the other person’s saying and wonder if maybe they’re right, you can almost FEEL her flinch away from anything that makes her uncomfortable. THEN she goes RIGHT back to thinking any line of thought that makes her feel “safe” and one gets to watch as she chooses the path that makes her feel better, even if it comes at the cost of other people’s lives. They’re not HER people after all, how can she consider the plight of some nebulous entity who lives half the world away and whom she’s never met? This takes a chillingly exploitative turn towards the end of the novel.

I’ll admit, for a few moments while reading this I wonder if there’s anything she could have realistically done to actually take a stand and do something. The size and complexity of the oil industry is mentioned repeatedly throughout the novel; at various points Bunny/Elizabeth herself says that she can’t understand all of it, no matter how hard she tries. And when one is faced with something THAT big, that has the capacity to mutate into a new form to avoid accountability and instead re-emerge stronger than ever— How does one fight against something like that? Seen from that perspective maybe Bunny/Elizabeth’s reticence can be understood, even sympathized with, but after a certain point even this sympathy evaporates because it becomes clear that she’s CHOOSING to remain complacent.

But the interesting thing is, all this rage at Bunny/Elizabeth and the life she’s chosen can easily be turned on oneself. You read this book and wind up asking yourself: “Am I actually doing anything about the way the world works? Am I doing enough?” These are important questions, in my opinion, and applies to a lot more issues than just the theme of climate crisis that this book’s built around. None of these questions are comfortable or soothing, and the potential answers are likely to be less so, but they’re questions we need to ask regardless, if we don’t want to face the same kind of future Bunny/Elizabeth faces at the end of the novel.

Overall, this is an infuriating read, but excellent precisely BECAUSE it’s infuriating. It reveals some very uncomfortable truths and make the reader as some very difficult questions, leading to answers that are probably even MORE uncomfortable and difficult than the questions themselves. But the novel also emphasizes the need to ask those questions and find those answers, because seeking only to live in a bubble of comfort, unbothered and undisturbed by the wider world’s troubles, means living a life devoid of compassion and empathy, and only leads to a future where the entire world suffers.

Rating: five oil tankers

[horizon-verizon]

You're American and you've never heard about Eurovision yet you feel entitled to have an opinion about the participation of Israel in the contest and worse than that, twist it into some antisemitic rhetoric? Hard L O L

Eurovision is not restricted to just European countries, and it's definitely not restricted to just EU members, every single country that is an EBU member and therefore in the eurozone can participate if they wish to. That includes Algeria, Tunisia (attempted to debut), Lebanon (attempted to debut), Jordan, Libya, Sudan, even Egypt. It's why countries like Turkey (debuted 2 years after Israel) up until 2012, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and, yes, Israel have been participating regularly in the contest.

Why don't you do some rigurous "research" on yourself and your entitlement before you start to sound like a clown talking about things you clearly don't understand?

Anon refers to this ask. This post will have historical information and lots of details, so read at your own willingness to learn how I refute everything anon says here.

A) ...You refuse to read properly, or pretend something, so you can claim I said something I didn't.

I said this:

And between them, there have been many nonEU countries that participated from WAsia and Africa, like Armenia and Morroco. Israel, I think was the first non-European state (not racially, geographically, bc those who move and live in Israel or dominate that society is racially white and/or come from the U.S. and Europe) in Eurovision

You claim I didn't say what you are saying now about non-EU countries participating when I absolutely did. You talk about me twisting words, when you are twisting mine--not even twisting, outright denying. When I said the following:

so it's possible that its U.S./Britain/France-backed status as a "nation" or state gave it the privilege to join, and by being already in the EBU, perhaps working on its own propaganda with EU nations. I think that it is a political allegiance sort of thing for the U.S. and those two EU states to publicly solidify their oil-interests and instill their image of supporting "democracy" through Eurovision so people could also see Israel as its own country and brew that Israeli patriotism. Games of athletic sport, music, dance, etc. usually boosts that sort of thing (the Olympics and FIFA).

I was giving first impressions of why Israel's Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was even a part of the European Broadcasting Union (EBA) before other nonEU/Mid East countries' representing competitors & sovereign programs joined them...and with how the U.S. and Englans handled the Middle East after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the end of WWII, and the Cold War period (neither wanted to rehabilitate or house Holocaust survivors nor Jewish people bc of antisemitism). From my understanding of the post-WWII and Cold War events that led to Israel's creation, this is what I came up with. You could disagree, but history would prove you wrong. It's not a matter of "opinion".

You should look up Arab secular nationalism and its falls within the Middle East to see how Israel, the U.S., and England all created, developed, and promoted the idea of "terrorist = Islam" and "Islamist = Arab" therefore "Arab"/"Muslim" = "terrorist" starting when Israel waged war against the other Arab nations in the area in 1967. even before the Ottoman Empire's fall, the French and English enlisted Arab peoples to fight and revolt against the Ottomans in WWI--the Arab Revolt of June 10, 1916-1918--promising them political independence and sovereignty...only to renege through the May 19, 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement, dividing up the region under BR/FR's separate "spheres of influence" as they did to the African continent in the "African Partition"/"Scramble for Africa" AND later create Israel out of British-controlled Palestine. Mind you, this Sykes-Picot thing occurred BEFORE the Arab revolt, revealing how these countries never planned to allow Arab sovereignty. Again, this was all BEFORE Islamist vs secular groups even existed to fight against either each other or these powers.

Before Israel was created, the Arab people of the Middle East launched several independence movements and military groups to resist European occupation (Syria, Saudi Arabia, etc). The U.S., BR, and FR all encouraged refugee Jews to go to the BR-controlled Palestine. After the Israelis declared independence, the Nakba was approved and encouraged by those same nations. Funny how they supported Israeli independence, but not the Arabs...no, they couldn't have had vested interests in the Middle East being under their control.

So Arab people/new nations like Jordan, Syria, and Egypt managed to gain independence and looked (rightfully) at Israel as European ploys of occupation and imperialism in the Middle East. We have then the Arab Cold War and the fight between Arab secular nationalists (generally socialist) and Arab conservative, traditionalists (generally monarchies, like Saudi Arabia). The U.S. government, generally anti-socialist and conflating communism with socialism consciously and intentionally, did not want "Soviet communism" to gain a foothold in the Middle East and signed a mutual defense agreement with Saudi Arabia---the U.S. aligned with Islamists against secularists. The 1949-1951 agreements, culminating in the Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement and the United States Military Training Mission (USMTM)--allowed the United States of America (U.S.) to provide military protection for the Kingdom in SA for an oil supply from the Saudis, its pricing in U.S. dollars, and Saudi support for American foreign policy operations across the world (Colgan, Jeff D. (2021). Partial Hegemony: Oil Politics and International Order. Oxford University Press).

And Iraq was one of the few Arab nations to remain secularist until the U.S. supported groups like Saddam Hussein's Islamist one...Iraq war, anyone?

I also never ever said I "never heard" about Eurovision. I said I never watched a single episode and

Mind you, again I (an American civilian) know nothing about Eurovision, much less who is representing what country and at what year.

As in ignorance of specific details of specific Eurovision events in what year and who performed, not ignorance of Eurovision itself, as if I didn't know it existed before yesterday. Just as I know what the U.N. and Tesco are, I have known what Eurovision is for a long time (non-American things).

You are trying to imply that because I am American I am completely ignorant and unaware of current European and English things even out of policies, which is simply not just untrue and stupid but a dangerous generalization that makes American ignorance a product of willful, non-government allowed/aided ignorance and oppression. Ironically, you are a part of the noncritical-thinking, ahistorical, anti-intellectual group of people attacking Americans without knowing U.S. history and politics because you like to feel superior. And you don't even know if I am one of the (mainly white) Americans who claim America is the "best" or "most democratic" country in the world.

Not that, as a probable race-denying European you will care, but:

Do you understand that Black, and brown people, especially children and grandchildren of Africans and Asians, and Polynesian immigrants live in various parts of America? Have you ever heard of Native Americans and native Hawaiians? Have you heard of the crazy tourism of Hawaii stymying native Hawaiians' ability to rebuild after the most recent hurricanes and storms and the activities involved in pushing that back which comes with its knowledge of American colonialist and imperialist ideology/history? Do you understand the timeline of how guns in the states became more legal to have than reproductive rights? Can you name 10 American Black women who shaped and defined the parameters of civil activism in queer, feminist, and labor spaces & communities?

I bet you don't think it's "worth" knowing anything about American history or current American politics, yet you expect me to do the same for Europe as if European culture(s) or society(ies) is the "best" of what humans have had, have, & will continue to contribute to the complex of humanity...it's hypocritical, but more than that, it's white supremacy on your part...

You don't see the racial struggle and divides that give many Americans perspective that grants them the ability to criticize Israel's colonial actions? No? Then please, stfu.

B) To be against Israel is not to be antisemitic. And you showed your hand when you claimed so.

You: "yet you feel entitled to have an opinion about the participation of Israel in the contest and worse than that, twist it into some antisemitic rhetoric".

Israel brutalizes even Jewish people, as this video shows Israeli police slamming and punching pro-Palestinian Orthodox Jews as they take down Palestinian flags. Israel has bombed one of the oldest Christian churches in Gaza City, Saint Porphyrius Church, killing several Palestinians and Arab Christians and decimating old Christian bloodlines that (doesn't matter if they are Catholics or Orthodox Christians or whatever, they all believe in Christ being the Messiah, and yet we have Christian evangelicals supporting this, and supporting Israel's war crimes). These are articles, posts, etc. about the Church being hit and people sheltered there dying in that bomb: #1; #2; #3.

Several Jewish people, including Holocaust survivors, condemn both Israel and Zionism in the past and in the present. Here is another anti-Zionist holocaust survivor, Dr. Hajo Meyer. There was a whole Jewish protest shutting down Grand Central Station and many were arrested or escorted out en masse by police. To this day, there are Jewish people in pro-Palestinian protests. Here is a Jewish person who grew up in a Zionist home describing and explaining how Zionism works to justify itself and target Palestinians. Here is another article about a Jewish people separating themselves from Israel and being anti-Zionist listing and who and how Israel characterized Palestinians as nonhumans and admitted to targeting Palestinian civilians. There are videos of Israelis threatening to murder "Arabs" and claiming "all Muslims" should die. Israel and Zionists alike have gone on to say that Holocaust survivors are "weak":

In the early days of their country, many Israelis also had mixed feelings about Holocaust survivors. "We saw the Holocaust survivors as a very weak population," says Nava Ein-Mor, who was born in Tel Aviv in 1945, the year World War II ended. "We were very different from them. We were strong, and we were not going to allow ourselves to be in that position."

This particular article tells us that many Holocaust survivors in Israel are poor some rely on charities, and some are because in its inception the Israeli government made a cutoff of gov aid for Holocaust survivors migrating to Israel, which was 1953. Here's another article. I ask, how in the hell do you have 1/3 of Holocaust survivors be poor and rely on charities in the state supposedly meant to house Jews exclusively and protect them from another Holocaust?! If this was the point of Israel, how the hell do zionists claim that such survivors are inherently weak when their state's entire purpose is supposedly for Jewish protection?! So these people, most Israelis, and all zionists must have a very different definition of "strong" and "weak", something equal to the fascist definition of those things, where to be strong is to militarily expand borders and kill swathes of people to claim land and resources, NOT to fall victim to that. Textbook victim blaming as well.

There are Mizrahi Jews--or North African and Middle East-originated/living Jews--yet when we go to Israel we mainly see white Jews in office, in those advocating for Zionism in its media. The Mixrahi Jews are comprised of two main groups: Mashriqi -> Jews from the Arab Mashriq region that covers parts of North Africa and Western Asia AND Maghrebi -> ethnic Jews who had traditionally lived in the Maghreb region of North Africa under Arab rule during the Middle Ages. Ethiopian Jewish women were sterilized the same way many Black women were sterilized without their knowledge or consent upon arrival to or to get into Israel, which is clearly a eugenist act.

It was never about religion, it was about race and white supremacy. And even if it were about religion, that would never be a good excuse for people to perform a genocide ("genocide" can also be used if one religious group fatally targeted another religious group regardless of race).

It is about using the Holocaust as an excuse to develop colonial, imperialist projects to give the U.S. and a few European countries like France an economic foothold in the Middle East concerning oil, gas, and a new canal. Countries that made lines almost as they did to Africa for their own imperialist, colonial interests to access certain resources. These same countries actively have and/or continue to enable and fund groups like the M23 to kill and rape mass numbers of Congolese men, women, and children while forcing them to work in life-threatening physical conditions and exposing them to lifelong health issues. It is modern-day slavery AND genocide and Israel is also directly involved through its production and sale of weapons the U.S. buys, distributes, etc to groups like these or for themselves, and for what? A mineral that keeps phones and laptops like the ones you and I are using to go into debates over how we've all failed these people.

the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE), a program where Georgia officers and Israeli soldiers exchange materials, training procedures, and technology to be used in police brutalization in the U.S. and for Israeli IOF/IDF to use against Palestinians and any group it would choose to dominate and suppress -> the U.S. police itself is a product of slavery in the U.S., "slave patrol"

Just for this last bullet point alone, yes I absolutely have the right to have an "opinion" of a fucking singing competition Israel participated in, much less Israeli fascism and Zionism.

Conclusion

Israel, by even being a part of a huge world event, will be part of the global community or indicates its desire to participate in such; I am a part of the global community that social media has tightly woven apart from other historical international relations and events ever since the two World Wars, esp with the U.S. being one of the countries having veto power in the U.N. (I must know what my government is doing in international relations when it has made itself the political and economic head and dependent for its own interests as China and France has); Israel, as it shows through its garbage attempts of propaganda, is thus subject to critique from any country on this Earth.

My being an American citizen with African parents actually behooves me to be concerned and--if I see it--criticize colonial, imperialist behaviors from a colonial state like my own. And unless you and anyone can prove Israel is not a colonial state (which a simple Google search will always debunk until a government shuts down the internet and promotes pro-Israel bullshit), this "opinion" of mine has ground (actually a factual statement -> you don't seem to understand that or much more likely, you are willing to accept that and are trying to discredit me through my nationality, as white Europeans, Canadians and British folk are wont to do nowadays without knowing U.S. history).

I do not have an "opinion" about what kind of state Israel is. I state facts about its history and applying facts, I suggested that Israel had the privilege and ability to use a singing competition to advertise itself as a true, legitimate nation people should "respect".

Israelis still base much of their identity on white supremacy. Israel has argued that it is an ME country with a people who have an ancestral claim to ME lands...yet it wants so badly to be part of a European program because it understood, from its BR-Arab controlled origins, that to stay the colonial power that it is, it could be more entrenched in Palestine by establishing themselves as a future partner in European imperialist ventures in the Middle East, buying their way into having their own fascist dominion in the ME through the sparkly tableau of Israeli talent. It's "soft" power for Americans & Europeans to be affected into believing that Israel is =both a great wonder and also a worthy project to be invested in.

That and Israeli people see themselves as European, not Middle Eastern, especially when a lot of them are first-second-generation Americans or Europeans who moved there & in the illegal settlements in the West Bank. Not speaking a hint of Hebrew, some of them.

[zvaigzdelasas]

The wrangling between Tehran and Baku has escalated since Iran held military exercises on its border with Azerbaijan last month, including drills on crossing the Aras River, which forms part of the frontier. Simultaneously, Iran opened a consulate in Syunik, the southernmost Armenian province that borders Iran and is at the center of the tensions. [...]

Apprehension is rife in Tehran that Azerbaijan, emboldened by its victory over Armenia in a 2020 territorial war, seeks to redraw borders by taking control of a strip of territory across Syunik, which separates Azerbaijan proper to the east and Nakhchivan to the west. As part of the cease-fire terms, Armenia pledged to allow transportation links between Azerbaijan proper and Nakhchivan — a route that Baku calls the Zangezur corridor and has threatened to secure by force if need be. Iran worries that Azerbaijani control of the strip could cut its border connection with Armenia. For Turkey, it would mean a direct land link with Azerbaijan via neighboring Nakhchivan and a route to Central Asia bypassing Iran. 

Turkey’s military support was crucial for Azerbaijan’s gains in the war with Armenia. The two nations share common ethnic roots and language and enjoy close political and economic bonds. Azerbaijanis are called also Azerbaijani Turks and the two countries describe their bond as “one nation, two states.” 

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Nov. 8 the army was ready to defend the country’s interests, referring to Iran. “Those who conduct military exercises in support of Armenia on our border should know this as well. Nobody can scare us,” he added.[...]

In further finger-shaking at Tehran, Aliyev stressed the need to protect the rights and security of millions of Azerbaijanis “who unfortunately live outside the borders of Azerbaijan” — a reference to the large Azerbaijani minority in Iran — as he addressed the Nov. 11 summit of the Organization of Turkic States.

The media war, meanwhile, crossed more lines. In what Tehran sees as a separatist plot, the Azerbaijani media have revived discourse about a “united Azerbaijan” and references to “Southern Azerbaijan” — a term with irredentist connotations for Iran’s predominantly Azerbaijani northern provinces. Such rhetoric had been shelved since the overthrow of nationalist leader Abulfaz Elchibey in 1993.

Mahmudali Chehregani, the exiled leader of the South Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement, who has long been a persona non grata in Baku, now speaks on state television, vowing that “Greater Azerbaijan will bring the end of the hateful and chauvinist mullah regime” in Iran. His movement advocates the secession of “South Azerbaijan” from Iran and espouses the motto “Russians, Persians and Armenians are the enemy of Turks.” 

In another example, Caliber.az, a website linked to the Baku government, reported, “The time has come: South Azerbaijan must secede from Iran,” while a TV presenter saluted “South Azerbaijan” as she removed her headscarf while presenting the weather for Tabriz, the main Azerbaijani-majority city in northern Iran.

During a visit to Baku shortly after Azerbaijan’s victory over Armenia in 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan infuriated Tehran by reciting a poem lamenting the 19th century partition of Azerbaijan. Last month, Azerbaijan’s state broadcaster aired videos of people of various ages reciting the same poem, while the presenter said that Erdogan “sparked resistance” as “more than 30 million people living in South Azerbaijan rose up after [his recital of] the poem.” [...]

Azerbaijan further angered Iran on Nov. 18 with its decision to open an embassy in Tel Aviv, a move that comes atop its growing defense cooperation with Israel. [...]

In their meeting in July, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei told Erdogan that any plan that could block Iran’s border with Armenia was unacceptable. And President Ibrahim Raisi cautioned Aliyev in October that Iran would not tolerate “any change in historical borders, regional geopolitics and Iran-Armenia transit routes.”

21 Nov 22

[dizzyduck44]

I have so many issues. So many here. Please read to the end as I promise you this is not an attack on any one country.

Firstly the first two are now Saturday night races to accommodate Ramadan. Arab nations bought into F1 fully knowing it was Sunday races. Knew what was expected of them.

However when the FIA and FOM moved hell and high water to accommodate a Vegas race no fans seem to want, that precedent was done with. Whilst they conveniently forgot that they would NEVER race in Italy over Easter weekend.

Swapping Azerbaijan and Japan is an interesting move. Do they hope it will be less wet in Japan and less windy in Baku?

China, Azerbaijan to Italy made a little bit of sense. Japan to Miami to Azerbaijan makes no sense though. “We can’t have a race there during NFL season”. Well maybe it’s time we accepted Miami is not a viable location for a Grand Prix then? Why not Japan, Malaysia, Azerbaijan. Better track, fans want to go back there, logical commute. China, Turkey, Imola. Also an option.

Canada in the middle of the European season. There were no words, none. In no way do I think we should drop Canada, but not considering the climate restrictions they have for a race, whilst pandering to the three US races who don’t want to be too close together because it will effect ticket sales. Madness.

Drop a US race and insert the European Grand Prix to open the European calander. This will alternate between Portimao, Paul Riccard and a German track of their choosing. Let’s thank them for getting us out the shit and racing during Covid.

We need to go to Africa. We don’t care where. Take us back to South Africa, build a new circuit in Morocco, we don’t care, just take us back to that continent. Take some of the money you are pocketing from the oil rich East and the US circuits and invest in getting a track in Africa. It can follow the Spanish race or be the last race before summer break.

Again don’t want to lose Singapore but it is now sitting in the calendar like billy no mates, can’t it go to the other side of the Americas block? Singapore back to the Middle East? Is that not easier than Europe, Aisa, Americas, Middle East? Also the more night races they add the unique selling point of Singapore dilutes more and more, which is not fair to them. They were the original night race.

In fairness they probably are the best selection of European tracks there is. Yes we could run a 24 race European season with all the tracks available. I hope that in years to come they will curate other regions the same way. Austin, Mexico, Brazil is pretty much a perfect set already.

Why are we still indulging the Qatar madness? I see no need for it other than to give Abu Dhabi a friend. Ditch it. Las Vegas to Abu Dhabi will give you the glamorous finale Liberty want.

I know they are trying but they need to ditch the races that can’t deliver. I do think China’s days are numbered for various reasons. Zandvoort’s popularity post Max will be an interesting watch as well. I can’t see Miami is sustainable long term. My hope is that the spaces will be given to permanent tracks that open up the market, maybe invest in getting the India track back.

There is a way this calendar can flow it’s just requires, ahem, not making as much money 😳

[f1]

Tsunoda really surprised by news of Tosts impending AlphaTauri departure as De Vries pays tribute to very passionate team boss

Yuki Tsunoda has admitted the news that Franz Tost will leave his role as AlphaTauri Team Principal at the end of the 2023 Formula 1 season took him by surprise – and he is now determined to help the Austrian veteran finish his reign “in a positive way”. Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, it was communicated that Tost is to step aside and take on a consultancy role for 2024, with current Ferrari Assistant Team Principal and Race Director Laurent Mekies moving over to take his place. READ MORE: Ferrari’s Mekies to replace Tost as AlphaTauri Team Principal as Peter Bayer named new CEO Further changes at the Faenza-based team – who have been led by Tost since the 2006 season – will see former FIA F1 Executive Director Peter Bayer become their new CEO. Asked about Tost’s exit, Tsunoda said: “It was really surprising news for me. I had lunch with him like five days before that news, or something like that, and actually he didn’t mention about those things. Tost has played a key role in Tsunoda’s development during his early seasons in F1 “I was surprised… At the same time, there were already kind of rumours from the beginning of the season, and it actually came kind of true that he is stepping down. Still, there are [20] races to go to make him happy! Hopefully we can end the season in a positive way for him. To do that, obviously we need lots of development, but we have an aggressive plan to do it. “I’m looking forward to it and at the same time feeling really kind of appreciative to him that he trusted my speed in the last three years and he was always supportive next to me. I’ll try to make it up for him in the next races.” ANALYSIS: The big moves at AlphaTauri explained as Mekies prepares to replace Tost Tsunoda’s team mate, rookie Nyck de Vries, also expressed his appreciation to Tost for helping him make his full-time F1 debut in 2023 off the back of an impressive stand-in performance with Williams at last year’s Italian Grand Prix. “I’m very grateful to Franz for his role in giving me the opportunity here in Formula 1,” said De Vries. “I think we have a really good relationship. We all really appreciate all the work he has done over the past 18 years. He really lives for the team, for his people and for the sport. He’s very passionate and we all value that very much in Franz. Tost’s place at AlphaTauri will be taken by current Ferrari man Mekies “Apart from that, obviously I haven’t been part of this, so I don’t know any of the details, but I guess after 18 years there is always a beginning and an end to everything. Each time is defined in an era and maybe a new era is about to start.” As for that new era, De Vries added that he would be excited to work with Mekies and work together to push the team back up the F1 standings after the fall to ninth out of 10 teams in the constructors’ standings last year. EXPLAINED: Everything you need to know about the 2023 F1 Sprint format “Laurent and I know each other a little bit from the FIA, he used to be at Toro Rosso as a race engineer, then worked at the FIA, and we have a bit of a relationship,” the Dutchman commented. “I welcome him very much and I would love to work together with him. “He will bring knowledge from his current employer, which is obviously interesting, and he has a very good, technical understanding of the sport. I think that will bring us very valuable assets for the team to hopefully become more competitive.” via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[anonymouslyel]

out of boredom, i started watching this series about formula 1 racing and of course i had to think about steddie.

it's because of nancy that steve grew interest about formula 1 racing to the point of wanting to invest in it.

robin said he should not quickly decide like that because they both know how nancy is when it comes to her new interests. steve kept that in mind but upon seeing a race or two, he was visibly hooked

he started buying tickets for the race weekends that he's free from his schedule. but then he owns his company so maybe abusing his authority once in a while can be off the hook from his secretary.

(maybe it's because he's starting to root on a certain long curly haired driver to win every race but that's between him and himself alone)

it's at the monaco grand prix that his favorite racer won first place at the podium. eddie munson is slowly establishing a place in the f1 racing world buy climbing the ranks step by step. from immediately placing fifth on his debut race to placing first in the same season, he's building his reputation quite quickly.

somehow, steve's gaze is fixated in the way eddie moves in the screens. immediately after he got his trophy and a mic, he said, "uncle wayne! this is for you!" with the biggest smile and steve is gone for him.

that's when steve decided to help eddie's team financially. not big, not much, just when and where they need help the most that their other investors' money can't get at.

steve doesn't know why he asked the chief executive operator of the team to not mention about his help

eddie didn't disappoint in any of his races. it's not purely first place but he never placed outside of p-4.

when eddie won first place in the azerbaijan grand prix, steve was mentioned by eddie.

"uncle wayne, another trophy for you! thanks to my team and to everyone who still believes in the results im giving them. especially to that one investor that haven't introduced themselves yet! hope to meet you someday to thank you!" eddie had said.

steve was surprised of course. it's not usual for an f1 driver to mention their investors and financers in their winning speeches. but who cares. steve's smile lasted the whole day that no mistake or back handed comment from a shareholder had managed to get rid of it.

their first meeting was purely coincidence.

steve crashed into eddie as he exited his office and the files in his hands flew. he's already late to the quarterly budget meeting and he's already irritated since a few days ago. the shareholders didn't like that he wants to raise percentage on his investment to eddie's f1 team.

"fuck, sorry man. i was about to knock but you opened the door," the man who crashed onto him said and steve is about to actually scream but it's eddie munson in front of him.

eddie munson with his hair tied in a messy bun, who is wearing his team's shirt and a ripped jeans. eddie who has steve's files on his hand. and said files are about his money being given to eddie's team. eddie who is reading said files after seeing his team's logo in the papers.

steve should really snatch the files but he's too busy containing his emotions from bursting out because his favorite racer and crush eddie munson is in front of him.

eddie flips through the papers and then looked at steve then to steve's office door that contains his name and position.

"so you're the anonymous investor, huh?" eddie said with a grin and steve's anger is wholly gone.

but steve cleared his throat. "how about we talk about this in the meeting, mr. munson?" bc he's a respected CEO in his company.

"of course, mr. harrington." eddie bowed with a hand raised asking for steve's hand. "please lead the way."

it's too late for steve to retract his action. his hand is already on eddie's hand.

they enter the meeting room like that. hand in hand and quite possibly, it earned more raised and furrowed brows than when he announced that he's investing in f1 racing.