#davos 2019

[theculturedmarxist]

In photos of 2023’s World Economic Forum- or Davos as it is commonly called, after the Swiss resort town where it annually occurs- you might not notice the HEPA filters. They’re in the background, unobtrusive and unremarked upon, quietly cleansing the air of viruses and bacteria. You wouldn’t know- not unless you asked- that every attendee was PCR tested before entering the forum, or that in the case of a positive test, access was automatically, electronically, revoked. And if you happened to get a glimpse of the strange blue lights overhead, you could reasonably assume that their glow was simply a modern aesthetic choice, not the calming buzz of cutting edge Far UVC technology- demonstrated to kill microbes in the air.

It’s hard to square this information with the public narrative about COVID, isn’t it? President Biden has called the pandemic “over”. The New York Times recently claimed that “the risk of Covid is similar to that of the flu” in an article about “hold outs” that are annoyingly refusing to accept continual reinfection as their “new normal”. Yet, this week the richest people in the world are taking common sense, easy- but strict- precautions to ensure they don’t catch Covid-19 at Davos.

These common sense, easy precautions include high-quality ventiliation, use of Far UVC-lighting technology, and PCR testing. You’ll also see some masks at Davos, but generally, the testing + air filtration protocol seems to be effective at preventing the kind of super-spreader events most of us are now accustomed to attending.

It seems unlikely to me that a New York Times reporter will follow the super-rich around like David Attenborough on safari, the way one of their employees did when they profiled middle-class maskers last month. I doubt they will write “family members and friends can get a little exasperated by the hyper-concern” about the assembled Prime Ministers, Presidents and CEOs in Switzerland. After all, these are important people. The kind of people who merit high-quality ventilation. The kind of people who deserve accurate tests.

Why is the media so hellbent on portraying simple, scientifically proven measures like high-quality ventilation as ridiculous and unnecessary as hundreds of people continue to die daily here in the US?

Why is the public accepting a “new normal” where we are expected to get infected over and over and over again, at work events with zero precautions, on airplanes with no masks, and at social dinners trying to approximate our 2019 normal?

We deserve better. We deserve to be #DavosSafe as the hashtag going around on twitter puts it. Your children deserve to be treated with the care that world leaders are treating each other. Your family deserves to be protected from the disease which is still- unlike the flu- the third leading cause of death in the US. We don’t deserve to be shoved back into poorly ventilated workplaces while our politicians and press assure us that only crazy people would demand to breathe clean air.

Clean water and clean food are rights we fought for; we have regulatory bodies that ensure we aren’t exposed to pathogens via our water supply nor our food. In 1854, John Snow famously conducted his Broad Street Pump study in London and demonstrated that cholera was water-bourne; however, it took decades for our public policy to catch up with our scientific knowledge.

A public health case study published by the NBCI describes the years that followed:

The first use of chlorine as a disinfectant for water facilities was in 1897 in England. The first use of this method for municipal water facilities in the United States was in Jersey City, New Jersey, and Chicago, Illinois, in 1915. Other cities followed and the use of chlorination as standard treatment for water disinfection rapidly grew. During the 20th century, death rates from waterborne diseases decreased significantly, and although other additional factors contributed to the general improvements in health (such as sanitation, improved quality of life, and nutrition), the improvement of water quality was, without doubt, a major reason.

Forty-three years passed from the initial demonstration that pathogens were being spread via water, and public action and regulation to halt disease.

Can you imagine, in the 1890s, being somebody who argued against cleaning the water?

Can you imagine, in those years of plentiful cholera, calling the people who demanded shit-free water “hold outs”?

One thing COVID realists are accused of is being “doomsayers” and “fearmongers,” so let me share a dose of optimism about the future with you. When we choose- whenever we choose- to get COVID under control, there’s an exciting new world awaiting us. One, not only without constant COVID reinfection, but where our kids can grow up free of colds, flus, RSV, and many other common bugs. And no, contrary to what you may have heard, staying healthy (shockingly enough) is not bad for children!

Once we choose to institute ventilation standards and introduce new technologies like Far UVC lighting- and embrace masking as an easy, kind, and useful tool to control outbreaks- we can bring every nasty airborne pathogen under control the way we did cholera. We didn’t have the science before; now we do. (I mean that quite literally; I can’t recommend enough the linked Wired article cataloguing the long journey to establishing that Covid is, indeed, airborne).

We face a stark choice; down one road, the one with zero infrastructure upgrades, no air quality regulations, and Covid safety only for those who can afford it, you and your family will get Covid this year. You will get Covid next year. You will continue to get Covid over and over and over again, as the health problems - like cardiac damage, viral persistance, and immune system dysfunction- continue to build up. (The billionaires, of course, will not).

Down the other road, we quite simply treat ourselves the way Davos would. We engage with what the science is telling us and we build a safer, better world for our kids. We embrace the lessons this pandemic is teaching us, and let go of things we now know are harming people. We stop clinging desperately to the idea that 2019 will come back if we just get the virus one more time, and we come together to achieve what we’ve been told is impossible: elimination.

The economic elite thrive on our divisiveness and blame casting. They don’t mind that we’re calling each other names, engaging in racial stereotyping, or leaving disabled people to die, so long as we keep their machine running. But we can choose to stop throwing blame at each other, and direct it where it belongs: at the powerful people who’ve left us to suffer, at the politicians who are whipping people into a frenzy over masks instead of over our millions of dead, at the talking heads on TV that work so hard to convince us: you want to get sick. It’s better than being a *weirdo* or a *hold out*.

We needn’t wait 43 years to redirect our energies. France and Belgium have already introduced new air quality standards, and DIY projects to build Corsi-Rosenthal boxes for schools and healthcare settings have popped up around the country. We have the science, we have the technology. All we need now is the political will and the solidarity to truly end the pandemic- the kind of solidarity the super rich always show with one another.

The billionaires at Davos don’t accept continual Covid reinfection. They demand better. It’s time we demand better too.

[medievalandfantasymelee]

Our 296 Noble and Worthy Contenders

Adhemar, Count of Anjou [Rufus Sewell], A Knight's Tale (2001)

Prince Aemond Targaryen [Ewan Mitchell], House of the Dragon (2022-)

Aguilar de Nerha [Michael Fassbender], Assassin's Creed (2016)

Ahchoo [Dave Chapelle], Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Ahmad [Mahesh Jadu], Marco Polo (2014)

Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan [Antonio Banderas], The 13th Warrior (1999)

Alessandro Farnese [Diarmuid Noyes], Borgia (2011-2014)

King Alfred the Great [David Dawson], The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

Shah Ala ad Daula [Olivier Martinez], The Physician (2013)

Allan-A-Dale [Joe Armstrong], BBC’s Robin Hood (2006-2009)

Sultan Alauddin [Ranver Singh], Padmavaat (2018)

Amarendra Baahubali [Prabhas], Baahubali Series (2015-2017)

Amleth [Alexander Skarsgård], The Northman (2022)

Ancelyn ap Gwalchmai [Marcus Gilbert], Doctor Who: “Battlefield” (1989)

Antonius Block [Max von Sydow], The Seventh Seal (1957)

Aragorn, Son of Arathorn [Viggo Mortensen], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Arman [Matevy Lykov], I Am Dragon (2015)

Arn Magnusson [Joakim Nätterqvist], Arn: The Knight Templar (2007)

Arondir [Ismael Cruz Córdova], The Rings of Power (2022-)

Arthur Pendragon [Oliver Tobias], Arthur of the Britons (1972, 1973)

King Arthur [Richard Harris], Camelot (1967)

King Arthur [Graham Chapman], Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

King Arthur [Nigel Terry], Excalibur (1981)

King Arthur [Sean Connery], First Knight (1995)

King Arthur [Alexandre Astier], Kaamelott (2004-2009)

King Arthur [Bradley James], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

King Arthur [Charlie Hunnam], King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Asbjörn [Tom Hopper], Northmen: A Viking Saga (2014)

Ash Williams [Bruce Campbell], Army of Darkness (1992)

Asneez [Isaac Hayes], Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Athelstan [George Blagden], Vikings (2013-2020)

Azeem [Morgan Freeman], Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

Azog the Defiler [Manu Bennett], The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)

Balian de Ibelin [Orlando Bloom], Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

Bard the Bowman [Luke Evans], The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)

Ser Barristan Selmy [Ian McIlhinney], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Father Beocca [Ian Hart], The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

Beowulf [Gerard Butler], Beowulf & Grendel (2005)

Bilbo Baggins [Martin Freeman], The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)

Bjørn Ironside [Alexander Ludwig], Vikings (2013-2020)

Bofur [James Nesbitt],The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)

Boromir, Son of Denethor [Sean Bean], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Sir Bowen [Dennis Quaid], Dragonheart (1996)

Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert [Sam Neill], Ivanhoe (1982)

Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert [Ciaran Hinds], Ivanhoe (1997)

Bronn [Jerome Flynn], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Brother Cadfael [Derek Jacobi], Cadfael (1994-1998)

Carlos I [Álvaro Cervantes], Carlos Rey Emperador (2015-2016)

Caspian X [Ben Barnes], The Chronicles of Narnia (2010)

King Caspian X [Samuel West], Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1989)

Cesare Borgia [Mark Ryder], Borgia (2011-2014)

Cesare Borgia [Francois Arnaud], The Borgias (2011-2013)

Charles Brandon [Henry Cavill], The Tudors (2007-2010)

Prince Charmont [Hugh Dancy], Ella Enchanted (2004)

Prince Chauncley [Daniel Radcliffe], Miracle Workers: The Dark Ages (2020)

Chris Vexler [Karan Soni], Miracle Workers: The Dark Ages (2020)

Chu Hun [Peter Ho], Double World (2020)

“Cinderella’s Prince” [Chris Pine], Into the Woods (2014)

Connor MacLeod [Christopher Lambert], Highlander (1986)

Corlys Velaryon [Steve Toussaint], House of the Dragon (2022-)

Ser Criston Cole [Fabien Frankel], House of the Dragon (2022-)

Daario Naharis [Michiel Huisman], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Prince Daemon Targaryen [Matt Smith], House of the Dragon (2022)

Darkness [Tim Curry], Legend (1985)

Ser Davos Seaworth [Liam Cunningham], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Prince Dastan [Jake Gyllenhaal], Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

Dong Yilong [Henry Lau], Double World (2020)

Khal Drogo [Jason Momoa], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Durotan [Toby Kebbell], Warcraft (2016)

Eamon Valda [Abdul Salis], The Wheel of Time (2022-)

King Ecbert Ealhmunding [Linus Roache], Vikings (2013-2020)

Lord Eddard Stark [Sean Bean], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Edgin Darvis [Chris Pine], Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023)

King Edmund the Just [Skandar Keynes, Mark Wells], The Chronicles of Narnia (2005-2010)

King Edward I Plantagenet [Stephen Dillane], Outlaw King (2018)

King Edward III Plantagenet [Blake Ritson], A World Without End (2012)

King Edward IV Platagenet [Max Irons], The White Queen (2013)

Edward, the Black Prince [James Purefoy], A Knight’s Tale (2001) 

Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford [Claude Rains], The Prince and the Pauper (1937)

Elendil [Lloyd Owen], The Rings of Power (2022-)

Elrond Half-elven [Hugo Weaving], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Elrond Half-elven [Robert Aramayo], The Rings of Power (2022-)

Sir Elyan [Adetomiwa Edun], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

Éomer, Son of Éomund [Karl Urban], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Erik Thurgilson [Christian Hillborg], The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

Étienne de Navarre [Rutger Hauer], Ladyhawke (1985)

Faramir, Son of Denethor [David Wenham], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Fezzik [André the Giant], The Princess Bride (1987)

Fili [Dean O’Gorman], The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)

Finan [Mark Rowley], The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

Fjölnir [Claes Bang], The Northman (2022)

Forge Fitzwilliam [Hugh Grant], Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Francesco de Pazzi [Matteo Martari], Medici (2016-2019)

Francois Villon [Ronald Colman], If I Were King (1938)

Frodo Baggins [Elijah Wood], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Sir Galahad [Michael Palin], Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Galavant [Joshua Sasse], Galavant (2015-2016)

Galessin, Duke of Orkney [Alexis Hénon], Kaamelott (2004-2009)

Gandalf [Ian McKellan], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Gawain [Dev Patel], The Green Knight (2021)

Gendry Waters [Joe Dempsie], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Geoffrey Chaucer [Pier Paolo Pasolini], The Canterbury Tales (1972)

Geoffrey Chaucer [Paul Bettany], A Knight’s Tale (2001)

George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence [David Oakes], The White Queen (2013)

Geralt z Rivii [Michał Żebrowski], Wiedźmin {The Witcher} (2002)

Geralt of Rivia [Henry Cavill], The Witcher (2019-)

Gest [Jakob Þór Einarsson], Hrafninn flýgur {When the Raven Flies}(1984)

Gimli, Son of Gloin [John Rhys-Davies], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Giuliano de Medici [Bradley James], Medici (2016-2019)

Glenstorm [Cornell John], The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Prince Graydon Hastur [Tony Revolori], Willow (2022)

Gríma Wormtongue [Brad Dourif], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Gu Tingye [Feng Shaofeng], The Story of Minglan (2018)

Guildenstern [Tim Roth], Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)

Gündoğdu Bey [Kaan Taşaner], Diriliş: Ertuğrul {Resurrection: Ertuğrul} (2014-2019)

Sir Guy of Gisbourne [Basil Rathbone], The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Sir Guy of Gisburne [Robert Addie], Robin of Sherwood (1984-1986)

Sir Guy of Gisborne [Michael Wincott], Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

Sir Guy of Gisborne [Richard Armitage], BBC’s Robin Hood (2006-2009)

Sir Gwaine [Eoin Macken], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

Haldir of Lothόrien [Craig Parker], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Prince Hamlet [Laurence Olivier], Hamlet (1948)

Prince Hamlet [Christopher Plummer], Hamlet at Elsinore (1964)

Hamlet [Iain Glen], Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)

Lord Harekr [Bradley James], Vikings: Valhalla (2022-)

King Henry II Plantagenet [Peter O’Toole], Becket (1964)

King Henry II Plantagenet [Peter O’Toole], The Lion in Winter (1968)

King Henry V Plantagenet [Laurence Olivier], Henry V (1944)

King Henry V Plantagenet [Kenneth Branagh], Henry V (1989)

King Henry V Plantagenet [Tom Hiddleston], The Hollow Crown (2012-2016)

Henry VII Tudor [Luke Treadaway], The Hollow Crown (2012-2016)

King Henry VIII [Ray Winstone], Henry VIII (2003)

Prince Henry [Dougray Scott], Ever After (1998)

Hubert Hawkins [Danny Kaye], The Court Jester (1955)

Hugh Beringar [Sean Pertwee], Cadfael (1994-1998)

Prince Humperdink [Chris Sarandon], The Princess Bride (1987)

Inigo Montoya [Mandy Patinkin], The Princess Bride (1987)

Isildur, Son of Elendil [Maxim Baldry], The Rings of Power (2022-)

Ivanhoe [Anthony Andrews], Ivanhoe (1982)

Ivar the Boneless [Alex Høgh Andersen], Vikings (2013-2020)

Jacques le Gris [Adam Driver], The Last Duel (2021)

Jack [Tom Cruise], Legend (1985)

Jafar [Marwan Kenzari], Aladdin (2019)

Ser Jaime Lannister [Nikolaj Coster-Waldau], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

James Douglas [Aaron Taylor Johnson], Outlaw King (2018)

Jareth, the Goblin King [David Bowie], Labyrinth (1986)

Jaskier [Joey Batey], The Witcher (2019-)

Prince Jingim [Remy Hii], Marco Polo (2014)

Little John [Nicol Williamson], Robin and Marian (1976)

Little John [Eric Allan Kramer], Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Prince John [Claude Rains], The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Prince John [Richard Lewis], Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Prince John [Oscar Isaac], Robin Hood (2010)

Jon Snow [Kit Harrington], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Ser Jorah Mormont [Iain Glen], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Kai [Michael Gothard], Arthur of the Britons (1972, 1973)

Kili [Aiden Turner], The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)

The Kurgan [Clancy Brown], Highlander (1986)

al’Lan Mandragoran [Daniel Henney], The Wheel of Time (2022)

Sir Lancelot [Luc Simon], Lancelot du Lac (1974)

Sir Lancelot [Nicholas Clay], Excalibur (1981)

Sir Lancelot [Richard Gere], First Knight (1995)

Sir Lancelot [Santiago Cabrera], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

Legolas Greenleaf [Orlando Bloom], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Leofric [Adrian Bower], The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

Sir Leon [Rupert Young], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

Lin Shu [Hu Ge], Nirvana in Fire {Lángyá Bǎng} (2015)

Loial [Hammed Animashaun], The Wheel of Time (2022-)

Lurtz [Lawrence Makoare], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Madmartigan [Val Kilmer], Willow (1988)

Le Maître d'Armes (the fencing master) [Christian Bujeau], Kaamelott (2005-2009)

“Man With Snake” [Barry John Clarke], Edward II (1991)

King Mark of Cornwall [Rufus Sewell], Tristan & Isolde (2006)

Martin [Rutger Hauer], Flesh + Blood (1985)

Massetto [Dave Franco], The Little Hours (2017)

Matrim “Mat” Cauthon [Donal Finn], The Wheel of Time (2022)

“The Mayor of Hamelin” [Claude Rains], The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1957)

Mehmed II [Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu], Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020-2022)

Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck [Dominic Monaghan], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Merlin [Nicol Williamson], Excalibur (1981)

Merlin [Sam Niell], Merlin (1998)

Merlin [Colin Morgan], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

Mikoláš Kozlík [František Velecký], Marketa Lazarová (1967)

Miles Hendon [Errol Flynn], The Prince and the Pauper (1937)

Mordred [Jason Done], Merlin (1998)

Much [Sam Troughton], BBC’s Robin Hood (2006-2009)

Murtagh Morzansson [Garrett Hedlund], Eragon (2002)

The Mute [Jon Bernthal], Pilgrimage (2017)

Nasir [Mark Ryan], Robin of Sherwood (1984-1986)

Niankoro [Issiaka Kane], Yeelen (1987)

Niccoló Machiavelli [Julian Bleach], The Borgias (2011-2013)

Niccoló Machiavelli [Thibaut Evrard], Borgia (2011-2014)

Nicodemus Ravens [Jakob Oftebro], Skammerens Datter {The Shamer's Daughter} (2015)

Prince Oberyn Martell [Pedro Pascal], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Odda the Elder [Simon Kunz], The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

“One-Eye” [Mads Mikkelsen], Valhalla Rising (2009)

Osferth [Ewan Mitchell], The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

Sir Percival [Tom Hopper], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

Peregrin “Pippin” Took [Billy Boyd], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Pero Tovar [Pedro Pascal], The Great Wall (2016)

Perrin Aybara [Marcus Rutherford], The Wheel of Time (2022-)

Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish [Aiden Gillen], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

High King Peter the Magnificent [William Moseley, Noah Huntley], The Chronicles of Narnia (2005-2010)

Philip II [Timothy Dalton], The Lion in Winter (1968)

Phillippe Gaston [Matthew Broderick], Ladyhawke (1985)

“The Player” [Richard Dreyfuss], Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1990)

Podrick Payne [Daniel Portman], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Prince Prospero [Vincent Price], The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

Ragnar Lothbrok [Travis Fimmel], Vikings (2013-2020)

Ramsay Bolton [Iwan Rheon], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Rand al’Thor [Josha Stradowski], The Wheel of Time (2022-)

Ravenhurst [Basil Rathbone], The Court Jester (1955)

“The Red Death” [John Westbrook], The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

Renly Baratheon [Gethin Anthony], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Richard Cypher [Craig Horner], Legend of the Seeker (2008-2010)

King Richard [Timothy Omundson], Galavant (2015-2016)

Richard II Plantagenet [Ben Whishaw], The Hollow Crown (2012-2016)

Richard III Plantagenet [Aneurin Barnard], The White Queen (2013)

King Richard III Plantagenet [Benedict Cumberbatch], The Hollow Crown (2012-2016)

King Richard IV [Brian Blessed], The Black Adder (1982)

Rilk [Jesse Lee Keeter] JourneyQuest (2010)

Robert of Artois [Jean Piat], The Accursed Kings (1972)

Robert of Huntingdon [Jason Connery], Robin of Sherwood (1984)

Robert the Bruce [Chris Pine], Outlaw King (2018)

Robin Hood [Errol Flynn], The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Robin Hood [Richard Todd], The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952)

Robin Hood [Sean Connery], Robin and Marian (1976)

Robin Hood [Michael Praed], Robin of Sherwood (1984)

Robin Hood [Kevin Costner], Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

Robin Hood [Cary Elwes], Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Robin Hood [Jonas Armstrong], BBC’s Robin Hood (2006-2009)

Robin Hood [Tom Riley], Doctor Who: “The Robot of Sherwood” (2014)

Robin Longstride [Russell Crowe], Robin Hood (2010)

Rodrigo Borgia [Jeremy Irons], The Borgias (2011-2013)

Rollo [Clive Standen], Vikings (2013-2020)

Roose Bolton [Michael McElhatton], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Rosencrantz [Gary Oldman], Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)

Count Rugen [Christopher Guest], The Princess Bride (1987)

Saburo Naotora Ichimonji [Ryu Daisuke], Ran (1985)

Saladin [Milind Soman], Arn: The Knight Templar (2007), Arn: The Kingdom at Road’s End (2008)

Samwise Gamgee [Sean Astin], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Sandor Clegane [Rory McCann], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Saruman [Christopher Lee], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Stannis Baratheon [Stephen Dillane], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Tajomaru [Toshiro Mifune], Rashomon (1950)

“The Sherriff of Nottingham” [Alan Wheatley], The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-1959)

“The Sherriff of Nottingham” [Peter Cushing], The Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960)

“The Sherriff of Nottingham” [Alan Rickman], Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

“The Sherriff of Rottingham” [Roger Rees], Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Sid [Luke Youngblood], Galavant (2015-2016)

Sihtric Kjartansson [Arnas Fedaravicius], The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

Simon Aumar [Justice Smith], Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Steapa [Adrian Bouchet], The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

Syrio Forel [Miltos Yerolemou], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

“Taunting French Guard” [John Cleese], Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Theoden, Son of Thengel [Bernard Hill], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Thierry de Janville [Jean-Claude Drouot], Thierry la Fronde (1963-1966)

Thomas Becket [Richard Burton], Becket (1964)

Thomas Cromwell [Mark Rylance], Wolf Hall (2015-2024)

Sir Thomas Gray [Nigel Terry], Covington Cross (1992)

Thorin Oakenshield [Richard Armitage], The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)

Thranduil, The Elvenking [Lee Pace], The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)

Thraxus Boorman [Amar Chadha-Patel], Willow (2022)

Tom Builder [Rufus Sewell], The Pillars of the Earth (2010)

Tormund Giantsbane [Kristofer Hivju], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Sir Tristan [Kingsley Ben-Adir], King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Trumpkin [Peter Dinklage], The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Mr. Tumnus [James McAvoy], The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Turgut Alp [Cengiz Coşkun], Diriliş: Ertuğrul (2014-2019)

Tyrion Lannister [Peter Dinklage], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Lord Tywin Lannister [Charles Dance], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Ubbe [Jordan Patrick Smith], Vikings (2013-2020)

Uglúk [Nathaniel Lees], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Uhtred of Bebbanburgh [Alexander Dreymon], The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

Ulrich von Jungingen [Stanislaw Jasiukiewicz], Knights of the Teutonic Order (1960)

“Unnamed Elf Escort” [Bret McKenzie], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Uther Pendragon [Gabriel Byrne], Excalibur (1981)

Uther Pendragon [Anthony Stewart Head], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

Vaisey, Sheriff of Nottingham [Keith Allen], BBC’s Robin Hood (2006-2009)

Vlad III Dracula [Luke Evans], Dracula Untold (2014)

King Vortigen [Jude Law], King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Wat [Alan Tudyk], A Knight’s Tale (2001)

Wen Kexing [Gong Jun], Word of Honor (2021)

Westley [Cary Elwes], The Princess Bride (1987)

Wil Ohmsford [Austin Butler], The Shannara Chronicles (2016)

William Wallace [Mel Gibson], Braveheart (1995)

Will Scarlet O’Hara [Matthew Porretta], Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Will Scarlett [Patrick Knowles], The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Will Scarlett [Christian Slater], Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

Will Scarlett [Harry Lloyd], BBC’s Robin Hood, (2006-2009)

William Thatcher [Heath Ledger], A Knight’s Tale (2001)

Willow Ufgood [Warwick Davis], Willow (2022)

Xenk Yendar [Regé-Jean Page], Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Zbyszko z Bogdanca [Mieczyslaw Kalenik], Knights of the Teutonic Order (1960)

[sergeifyodorov]

Your post of all the first overalls to girl interrupted actively makes me feel crazy. Do you have a ranking of the most compelling first overalls?

cody's list of most compelling (active) (to me) first overalls

21. aaron ekblad (2014.) i don't care for the florida panthers

20. alexis lafreniere (2020). his strongest narrative juices are a) the bust thing (he was a covid baby, it takes time) and b) maybe him also going to rimouski like sid, if you really wanted to pull it out like that. but the two of them have little otherwise connection, so not really

19. owen power (2021) this is a list ranked by compellingness and not cutieness or who i would want to provide most with feminizing hrt against their will

18. nico hischier (2017) even some of the least compelling 1oas are still quite interesting IMHO -- nico is the highest ever drafted swiss player + a very young captain on a basement team + a CHL import. all of which *are* juicy. he just lacks... i don't know, a little extra je ne sais quoi

17. macklin celebrini (2024) invoking the power of "He Literally Just Got Here" for this one. the daddy issues are a powerful offset though

16. ryan nugent-hopkins (2011). the power of the longest-tenured member of a team is quite something. earns points for not being an upper middle class rich boy either

15. nathan mackinnon (2013). controversial to put him so low i know but in my genuine and honest opinion he's way more interesting as a Character than a Part Of The Narrative. crucial divide here. i'm about to talk about slaf's personality making him interesting narratively but they do want their good canadian boys to shut up and take it and nate doesn't rebel against that. all he wants to do is win (accomplished) and fuck sidcros (negligible)

14. juraj slafkofsky (2022) just barely edges out the nuge by virtue of a) the whole First Slovak thing (see nico) and b) his new and upcoming beef with the slovak federation??? what's all that about because THAT'S juice. THAT'S spark. slaf's great because not only are his little circumstances compelling but he's also got such a Personality to him. his little rockstar attitude. his little braces. I will show him where is Slovakia. yessss girl

13. rasmus dahlin (2018). im a dahlin attention payer so he's probably higher than he "should" be but CAPTAIN OF THE BUFFALO SABRES I AM SO SORRY.

12. erik johnson (2006) hugely fascinated by his fall from grace via golf cart, which is not a route most people take. and then of course he was a crucial emotional crux of the avs up until their 2022 run and in my belief a much more important part of their fall from grace post-run than whatever landeskog is doing. and of course any flyer is relevant by nature

11. jack hughes (2019) you cannot deny the hughes are interesting narratively because they are important. he's not as interesting or as important as quinn though so obviously not as high on the list as he might have otherwise been

10. taylor hall (2010) actually super interesting because he has, throughout his entire career, been on one (1) good team (the 2022-23 boston bruins). he has a hart trophy!!! you guys know he has a fucking hart trophy right???? while they were drafting davo et al, he was an oiler. while they were drafting nico, he was a devil, while they were drafting owen, he was a sabre, and when they drafted connor bedard he was a blackhawk. always the bridesmaid, never the bride

9. steven stamkos (2008). there's always something to be said for waiting a long time to get what you want. and then once that goal's been accomplished, they throw you out.

8. connor bedard (2023) Let's Get Generational With It

7. john tavares (2009) brief let's un-get generational with it to talk about mr magic amulet breaking TWO entire playoff round curses as captain, twice. about him choosing toronto. about Him

6. auston matthews (2016) what if you were a vain shy arizona boy who wanted nothing more than to be a star and then they gave it to you and then you immediately had to learn that it's not nearly as good as you thought it was going to be. and you were actually kind of gay the whole time (im biased. this is cody sergeifyodorov's immense toronto bias. be normal)

5. patrick kane (2007)

4. marc-andre fleury (2003) the whole saga of him in pittsburgh AND the whole saga of him in vegas AND the whole saga of him in minnesota (and the brief intermission when he was in chicago) are all massive narrative moments of their own, but to have all of them? to be a goaltender that lucky and that loved for that long? it's not done. it will never be done again.

3. connor mcdavid (2015) I Love It When The Ginger Man Suffers

2. alexander ovechkin (2004) you know i could write essays on ovi. i could write dissertations. people have already done so -- i would not be the first and will not be the last if i join their ranks. i could take about the goals and the record chase. i could talk about the way he's been juxtaposed against the guy who you really should have known going in was going to be number one for his whole career. i could talk about the hunt for 2018, and the long, long time they said he was useless, no matter the record. but i will say after me. after me, i give it to you, baby.

sidney crosby (2005). obviously

[horizon-verizon]

TG stans love to say that jaehaera can't die in HOTD because it's her marriage to aegon iii marks the end of the dance "two scared kids bla bla bla" but I think that in GOT canon this marriage is NEVER mentioned? Shireen doesn't mention Jaehaera and Aegon III, she just says how horrible the dance of the dragons was for House Targaryen and how she wouldn't choose any sides. this marriage don't exist GOT canon.

what TG uses is the narrated version of the dragon dance from youtube lol what I think has nothing to do with canon GOT and HOTD follows the line of GOT no?

Why would Shireen mention Jaehaera and Aegon's marriage when she was talking about the devastating effects of the war outside of the Targs themselves (their family's tragedies)? She also didn't talk about Aegon's marriage to Daenaera, once again bec how the Targs recovered or didn't recover personally was not what Shireen was talking about. Also, GRRM wrote F&B way after the first few main books of the series and after AWoIaF is published.

Either way, the YouTube also existed before GRRM wrote F&B, which had some changes from that narration. Team green (as in the fans and those who say they aren't TG but show themselves as such and lie to themselves) is clinging.

EDIT (10/29/24):

Let's review GRRM's writing and the records of Jaehaera's death/Aegon's marriage to Daenaera, and the considered "end" of the Dance for media literacy:

Davos would have given much to know what he was thinking, but one such as Velaryon would never confide in him. The Lord of the Tides was of the blood of ancient Valyria, and his House had thrice provided brides for Targaryen princes. A Clash of Kings -- Davos I

Vaelaena Velaryon (mother of the Conquerors)

Alyssa Velaryon (mother of Rhaena the BB, Alysanne, and Jaehaerys I, plus others who died young; even mother to Jocelyn Baratheon, the mother of Princess Rhaenys, rider of Meleys and mother of Laena and Laenor Velaryon, grandmother to Baela/Rhaena Targaryen)

Daenaera Velaryon (mother of Daena, Elaena, Rhaena the Septa, Daeron I, Baelor I; thus Daenaera is the grandmother of Daemon Blackfyre)

(AWoIaF -- The Targaryen Kings -- Aegon III)

(F&B -- Under the Regents -- War and Peace and Cattle Shows: Daenaera's entrance in the Maiden's Day Ball, and way before that, Jaehaera's death and Unwin Peake)

A Clash of Kings was published in November 16, 1998. (meaning this storyline that included Jaehaera's death had been a thing for years even before the publish date bc writers/authors plan and write stories to be published--which can take a while itself)

A World of Ice and Fire was published in October 28, 2014.

Fire and Blood was published November 20, 2018.

The entire "Game of Thrones: Histories & Lore" animated series of six installments began back in 2012 & ended officially in 2019.

The "The Dance of Dragons" animation was both published in 2016 AND was based on G.R.R. Martin’s novella The Princess and the Queen (published in December 3, 2013), not Fire & Blood.

The BluRay episode of the Dance didn't include anything about Jaehaera's death or marriage to Aegon, nor anything about Aegon's regency or Daenaera BECAUSE IT ENDED with it saying that Aegon's marriage to Jaehaera ended the Dance, or the war itself. But it didn't end the ambitions of Unwin Peake and others, (which lead to Jaehaera's death) the story of which existed since at least 1998 on record. But definitely GRRM planned and wrote this storyline years before said publishing date, bc that's how that works.

This means that whatever sort of BluRay feature they are clinging to doesn't matter bc Daenaera being Aegon's 2nd wife/mother to his kids means that Jaehaera was always slotted to die even as she marries Aegon first.

"The Princess and the Queen" was meant to be a sort of "teaser" for Fire and Blood, and thus doesn't include anything about the greens or Rhaenyra/Alicent and Viserys before the usurpation and after Aegon II's death:

beginning of "The Princess and the Queen":

end of The Princess and the Queen:

Why in god's green earth would GRRM upend years of writing Jaehaera and Daenaera's fates/narrative purposes the way he has for the comfort and delusions of a few so called "neutrals" and green stans?! Those who refuse to take in what they are "reading"?!

Apparently, this is the post (before this edit) that some in TG have decided to disseminate amongst themselves and choose to outright distort into me saying that Jaehaera shouldn't and doesn't become Aegon's first wife. Never said anything of the sort. I said she doesn't live to become the mother of his kids nor be a direct ancestor to any of the Targs who lived post-Dance and as scions of either Viserys II or Aegon III. I said so in seevral other posts, but this is the one they want to use to say I said something I did not say.

It is disengenuous and lazy, frankly. But what ese can you expect from people who would use BluRay videos as "true" canon or stronger evidence of Daenaera's not being Aegon's second wife/mother to his kids/grandmother to Daemon Blackfyres and thus ancestor to all Blackfyres OVER several AWoIaF and main series mentions/confirmations as the this?

Example of said green and their anon asker:

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

I'll be in TUCSON, AZ from November 8-10: I'm the GUEST OF HONOR at the TUSCON SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION.

#20yrsago Disney sued by “inventor” of FastPass system https://web.archive.org/web/20041101023537/http://www.patentlyobviousblog.com/2004/10/patent_suit_all.html

#15yrsago Mickey Mouse comics drawn by concentration camp prisoner https://web.archive.org/web/20091103172853/http://www.scribd.com/doc/21860527/Horst-Rosenthal-Mickey-Mouse-in-Gurs

#15yrsago UK ISP TalkTalk threatens lawsuit over 3-strikes disconnection proposal https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/oct/29/talktalk-threatens-legal-action-mandelson

#15yrsago My Times editorial on British plan to cut relatives of accused infringers off from the net https://www.thetimes.com/article/denying-physics-wont-save-the-video-stars-wf52wrrs2r0

#10yrsago The rise and fall of American Hallowe’en costumes https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2014/10/27/359324848/witches-vampires-and-pirates-5-years-of-americas-most-popular-costumes

#10yrsago Profile of MITSFS, MIT’s 65-year-old science fiction club https://web.archive.org/web/20141023191938/http://www.technologyreview.com/article/531401/60000-books-and-a-few-toy-bananas/

#10yrsago Malware authors use Gmail drafts as dead-drops to talk to bots https://www.wired.com/2014/10/hackers-using-gmail-drafts-update-malware-steal-data/

#10yrsago Verizon’s new big budget tech-news site prohibits reporting on NSA spying or net neutrality https://www.dailydot.com/debug/verizon-sugarstring-us-surveillance-net-neutrality/

#10yrsago Every artist’s “how I made it” talk, ever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_F9jxsfGCw

#10yrago The Terrible Sea Lion: a social media parable https://wondermark.com/c/1062

#10yrsago Opsec, Snowden style https://web.archive.org/web/20141028183511/https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/10/28/smuggling-snowden-secrets/

#5yrsago Elizabeth Warren proposes a 4-year ban on government officials going to work for “market dominant” companies https://medium.com/@teamwarren/breaking-the-political-influence-of-market-dominant-companies-8ff27e99ada0

#5yrsago Behind the scenes, “plain” text editing is unbelievably complex and weird https://lord.io/text-editing-hates-you-too/

#5yrsago Despite denials, it’s clear that Google’s new top national security hire was instrumental to Trump’s #KidsInCages policy https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/miles-taylor-family-separation-dhs-despite-google-denial

#5yrsago 70% of millennials would vote for a socialist https://victimsofcommunism.org/annual-poll/2019-annual-poll/

#5yrsago Davos in the Desert is back, and banks and hedge fund managers are flocking to Mister Bone-Saw’s side https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50219035

#5yrsago Podcast of Affordances: a new science fiction story that climbs the terrible technology adoption curve https://ia903108.us.archive.org/3/items/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_314/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_314_-Affordances.mp3

#5yrago Kindness and Wonder: Mr Rogers biography is a study in empathy and a deep, genuine love for children https://memex.craphound.com/2019/10/29/kindness-and-wonder-mr-rogers-biography-is-a-study-in-empathy-and-a-deep-genuine-love-for-children/

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.

[leftistfeminista]

Argentina and the stigmatization of feminism in the Milei era

The trans-Andean president describes feminism as a “ridiculous and unnatural fight between men and women” and, within the framework of the omnibus project, intends to modify the Micaela Law, the norm that since 2019 establishes mandatory training in gender violence for all people who work in public office.

Femicides in Argentina have gradually increased in recent years, despite the fact that the Micaela Law was enacted in 2019 after the femicide of Micaela García, who was 21 years old when she was raped and murdered in 2017 by a criminal who had already served a sentence before. for raping two women in 2010. In 2019 , 327 femicides were recorded , with an estimate of one woman murdered every 24 hours, according to that year's report from “Now that they do see us.”

For Nestor “Yuyo” García , Micaela's father and promoter of the law that bears his name, the increase in femicides is the product of “different actors who are in national politics.” “This generates violence and makes people who have been taking care of themselves identify a context in which they can continue exercising violence as they have been exercising it,” he tells La Tercera.

García points to Milei 's “misogynistic” comments at the Davos Forum , where he attacked feminism and the environment, considering them part of the influence of socialism on Western economic policies. “The first of these new battles was the ridiculous and unnatural fight between man and woman . Libertarianism already establishes equality between the sexes. (...) The only thing that this agenda has resulted in is greater intervention by the State to hinder the economic process,” he said.

[cuntstable]

looked through my asoiaf tag and delighted that the only posts in it pre Today were the universal davos chapter post and a single post about jaime x ilyn payne yaoi. thank you 2019 siiri

[istumpysk]

i was re-reading the meereenese blot essays (10 years old this year!) the other day and decided to peruse the comments, the most recent of which was from 2019, and they're all so funny. those essays are so much softer than readings of dark dany today and take every opportunity to hammer home her "good intentions" (...🙄), but even then people seem so genuinely shocked, SHOCKED, that her preference for war could mean a darker turn

even when people agreed she was "turning away" from altruism (...🙄), there's this stance that actually it's necessary, because obviously we all know she has a heroic roll to play fighting against the white walkers. maester aemon's guilt-ridden dying delusions of grandeur for his lost family have this fandom in a choke-hold i swear

Also noticed the writer making a deliberate effort to refrain from staining her character, lol. Perhaps it's for the best that he wasn't more candid, George might not have publicly commented on it if he had been.

Anyway, people are deluded. The man who wrote this,

"If Joffrey should die . . . what is the life of one bastard boy against a kingdom?"

"Everything," said Davos, softly. - Davos V, ASOS

will never provide a rationale for her atrocities in the narrative. Get real.

[fineosaur]

Ooh, for the WIP asks, I’m curious about Patterns of Life? (thanks for the tag ❤️)

thank you for the ask, lily !

so, this one is a special one. back in 2019 (or 2018?) i started writing a gendrya fic with the fake marriage trope and it ended up being my most popular story posted. i sort of abandoned it cause my writing has evolved a lot since that time but i think a lot of people enjoyed the story and the premise so i decided to rewrite it.

essentially gendry and arya, who are strictly best friends, get married because gendry’s PR in winterfell is coming to an end and of course all sort of drama ensues.

the old story was and i can change your marital status. and my new story is called patterns of life, im excited about it cause i’ve always enjoyed the story and have a lot coming up.

here is a snippet from one of the later chapters:

“Morning, Maarya,” he says, trying his best to crack a smile at her despite the alarms going off in his head.

“Morning, darling,” she smiles back, drawing closer notice to the crow’s feet near her eyes. “Sorry to wake you so early. My phone’s not working proper. I’m heading to the market but I’ve made some fresh bread for you.”

“Thanks, have fun. I’ll wake up in a bit.”

Maarya nods and laughs. “Late night? Steffon looked in a worry state himself when he rocked up at the early AMs.”

“Yeah, Davos’s friends know how to drink,” Gendry jokes. Fleabottom habit, sailors’ too.

“Alrighty, I’ll leave you then and head out,” Maarya finally says but not without mention of the woman sleeping soundly in his bed. “Take care of your wife and give her plenty of water.”

[luxe-pauvre]

We face a stark choice; down one road, the one with zero infrastructure upgrades, no air quality regulations, and Covid safety only for those who can afford it, you and your family will get Covid this year. You will get Covid next year. You will continue to get Covid over and over and over again, as the health problems - like cardiac damage, viral persistance, and immune system dysfunction- continue to build up. (The billionaires, of course, will not). Down the other road, we quite simply treat ourselves the way Davos would. We engage with what the science is telling us and we build a safer, better world for our kids. We embrace the lessons this pandemic is teaching us, and let go of things we now know are harming people. We stop clinging desperately to the idea that 2019 will come back if we just get the virus one more time, and we come together to achieve what we’ve been told is impossible: elimination. The economic elite thrive on our divisiveness and blame casting. They don’t mind that we’re calling each other names, engaging in racial stereotyping, or leaving disabled people to die, so long as we keep their machine running. But we can choose to stop throwing blame at each other, and direct it where it belongs: at the powerful people who’ve left us to suffer, at the politicians who are whipping people into a frenzy over masks instead of over our millions of dead, at the talking heads on TV that work so hard to convince us: you want to get sick. It’s better than being a *weirdo* or a *hold out*.

Julia Doubleday, Billionaires at Davos don’t think COVID is a cold

[felipeandletizia]

Felipe and Letizia retrospective: January 24th

2006: Attended the Julio Bocca Pas de Deux Ballet Function at Theatre Albeniz in Madrid & Inaugurated a school in El Salvador

2007: Diplomatic Corps Gala

2012: Diplomatic Corps Gala.

2013: Inaugurated the retirement complex “La Minería” & Lunch celebrating the 125th anniversary of Institute of Ophthalmology Fernandez-Vega

2014: Presided the First International School Congress of Uncommon Diseases

2015: Offered condolences for the death of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia

2018: 48th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. (1, 2, 3)

2019: Military audiences at the Royal Palace & Audiences at la Zarzuela (1, 2)

2020: Received the credentials of new ambassadors

2022: Trip to Puerto Rico for the celebrations of the 5th Centenary of the foundation of the city of San Juan Bautista & Delivery of the Medal of Honor from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando to the Hispania Nostra Association

2023: Work meeting at the (AECC) & 75th anniversary of the creation of the “Méndez Parada” Military Parachuting School

F&L Through the Years: 1121/??

[purpleravensblog]

TW ENORME.

Cosa c’è che non va? Dico sul serio, cosa c’è che non va nella vita?

Nella mia vita probabilmente niente, ma per qualche motivo ho sempre avuto qualcosa di cui lamentarmi.

Suvvia, la mia famiglia mi vuole bene, certo, ci sono tanti scazzi, ma che sarà mai?

C’è gente che sta peggio.

Ma basta pensare che c’è gente che sta peggio, anche i tuoi problemi sono reali, sei caduto e ti sei sbucciato un ginocchio? Se per te è grave, se per te è un problema allora okay, quella sarà la tua battaglia.

È cosi complicato pensare che i tuoi problemi valgano davvero quanto pensi? La vita è fatta per viverla e io adesso non sto vivendo, vorrei poter dire che lo sto facendo, ma la verità è che non è cosi, non sto vivendo, o per lo meno, non come potrei, non come vorrei.

Fa male pensare che probabilmente ho un problema.

Dal 2019 ho sempre cercato di sviare i miei problemi, dalla morte di nonna ho incontrato persone, molte persone, moltissime di esse sono già andate via, quindi forse non erano cosi essenziali come pensavo, non mi volevano davvero bene come dicevano.

Ma dicevo, dalla morte di nonna sono successe tante cose, ho perso tantissimo peso, entrando in un bilico che non augurerei nemmeno al mio peggior nemico, la cosa che faceva più male di tutto ciò è che le persone incoraggiavano questi comportamenti, o meglio, incoraggiavano ciò che stavo diventando.

Le persone non si rendevano conto che avevo perso tutto quel peso, per loro erano 10/15 chili, invece erano 30.

30 è un grande numero essi parla di peso, sia se si parla di peso perso che di peso preso.

Io all’ora lo persi, persi così tanto peso da essere completamente dissociata da me stessa, da non essere più in grado da capire chi fossi.

Mi pesavo ogni giorno, avevo e ho ancora attualmente le note del telefono con ogni grammo perso, ed ogni grammo perso era una vittoria, se vedevo anche solo un grammo in più era la fine.

Poteva essere anche semplicemente ritenzione idrica, ma nella in testa era molto più grave, era una sconfitta, la sconfitta più grande che stavo vivendo.

Non ho mai raggiunto un peso che potesse dare “sono anoressica” ma forse i miei pensieri erano molto più forti di una qualsiasi ragazza che pesa 45 chili.

Ora posso dire, riesco a pensare di essere stata anoressica, ma per il semplice fatto che i comportamenti e gli atteggiamenti erano esattamente gli stessi.

Non mangiavo, lo facevo solo quando ero obbligata, solo quando ero vista.

Non esisteva più la colazione, non esisteva più il pranzo.

Ricordo benissimo, come se fosse ieri, che tornavo da scuola e dovevo pranzare intorno alle 15, ma non lo facevo mai, buttavo il cibo, lo masticavo e poi lo sputavo oppure lo davo al mio cane.

Cucinavo le cose per le altre persone, soprattutto dolci, e aggiungevo moltissimi grassi, vedere una persona mangiare più di me mi faceva sentire potente, e in realtà è ancora così.

Mettevo tantissimo olio nel piatto delle altre persone e io invece usavo un piccolo piatto, in modo da far sembrare il cibo molto di più, e ne mangiavo solo la metà,mangiarlo tutto, nonostante i miei pasti non superassero mai le 150 calorie era una sconfitta.

Era una sconfitta arrivare sopra le 500 calorie giornaliere, nonostante le diete che mi hanno sempre fatto fossero intorno alle 1200 calorie.

Non ero più in grado di essere una persona sociale, perchè ciò avrebbe significato uscire, probabilmente a pranzo, quello stesso pranzo che io ho saltato per molto tempo, e fuori non potevo contare le calorie, fuori non potevo far capire che stavo male, che ero malata, che poi nella mia testa non ero malata, ma sapevo che le altre persone avrebbero potuto pensarlo, e a me il pensiero delle persone pesava tantissimo.

Se una persona mi diceva che stavo dimagrendo troppo mentiva ma se una persona diceva che ero grassa aveva completamente ragione.

La mia testa ha sempre avuto pensieri autodistruttivi.

Ma dopo tutto ciò ho ripreso peso, sono tornata ad essere la stessa balena di sempre.

Sono tornata ad avere amici, si, ma a che costo?

Io non sto bene con me stessa.

Sono solo un’onestà del cazzo che non merita di essere amata, vorrei tornare com’ero prima, e ovviamente non parlo del peso, perchè quello dovrebbe scendere sempre, fino a poter toccare le mie ossa solo sfiorandomi, parlo dei miei comportamenti, vorrei tanto tornare a non mangiare, a sputare dopo aver masticato, a vomitare, ma non ce la faccio, perchè non ce la faccio più?

Cazzo, ce l’ho fatta una volta, perchè non posso farlo ancora.

Sono debole.

A quest’ora peserei anche io 40 chili come quelle bellissime ragazze, e invece purtroppo non è andata così, purtroppo sono rimasta io, nel corpo di un’onestà del cazzo, eh si odia ogni giorno di più, ma infondo che io pesi trenta o più chili a chi importa, troverò sempre un motivo per odiarmi.

Voglio solo cercare la pace, qual è la pace? Che cos’è la pace? Non so se mai la conoscerò, ho bisogno di aiuto.

Aiuto serio, perchè io da sola non farò una bella fine.

Voglio solo essere magra, voglio solo che il mio ragazzo mi trovi la più bella del mondo, che non senta più il bisogno di guardare una qualsiasi altra ragazza perchè ci sono io al suo fianco, voglio solo che non abbia vergogna nel mettere una mia foto nelle storie solo perchè sono grassa e chissà cosa penserebbero le altre persone, voglio solo essere nei suoi pensieri quando vede dei fiori viola e quando vede dei bimbi per strada, perchè io un giorno li vorrò tantissimo e lui per nulla, voglio solo ricordargli la felicità e non la tristezza, non la depressione, non i disturbi alimentari. Voglio solo essere abbastanza per lui, ma so che non lo sarò mai abbastanza per una persona come lui. L’ho sempre amato, dal primo giorno che ci siamo visti, in lui vedo coraggio, bellezza, forza, in lui vedo tutto ciò che in me non c’è.

Questo è solo il mio punto di vista, so che probabilmente per lui non sono tutto ciò e che mi ama da impazzire così come sono, ma per me non sono abbastanza per lui.

Lui merita la donna più bella la casa più grande, la vit perfetta, lui merita tutto ciò che con i miei problemi del cazzo non potrò mai dargli.

Spero che un giorno si renda conto che non sarò in grado di dargli la felicità, un giorno quando non sarà più innamorato di me si renderà conto di tutto ciò, che sono solo un’onestà del cazzo piena di problemi del cazzo con una vita del cazzo.

Nella vita voglio solo la sua felicità, nella vita voglio che lui abbia al suo fianco una donna in grado di potergli dare tutto ciò che io non sarò mai in grado di fare.

Deve avere la macchina più bella, la moglie più bella, i figli più belli (perchè lui è il più bello del mondo e con una donna bella quanto lui i figli sarebbero degli dei), la casa più bella, il lavoro più bello, anzi, spero anche che un giorno non dovrà più lavorare, che potrà coltivare le sue passioni per tutto il giorno e non essere mai stanco, deve avere tutto ciò che la vita gli ha tolto,e soprattutto, cosa più importante, deve essere felice, non contento, perchè la contentezza passa, lui deve essere dannatamente felice.

Solo dio a quanto vorrei essere quella donna, ma io non lo porterò mai alla gioia, lo porterò all’esasperazone.

Per questo a parer mio si merita tutto ciò, perchè lui è la persona migliore che io abbia mai incontrato,e come dicevo ne ho incontrate veramente tante.

Io però non sono la sua donna, io non sarò mai abbastanza per lui, e per questo motivo mi odio.

Gli vorrei dare così tanto che nemmeno immagina.

Io lo amerò per sempre in cuor mio, anche quando vivrà con una donna migliore di me, perchè so di stargli solo facendo perdere tempo dietro a me, so che ciò che merita lui sono tutte le cose elencate sopra, e non una come me.

Avrò per sempre il suo nome inciso sul mio cuore e nella mia mente, indipendentemente da tutto, sarà per sempre, l’amore della mia vita.

Lotterò per lui, anche se merita molto di più e io sono maledettamente egoista, lotterò per sempre per il suo amore, perchè non troverò un’altra persona come lui.

Non ho nemmeno intenzione i cercarla, perchè lui fa parte di me, per sempre.

Nonostante rimarrò per sempre quella bambina insicura che piange nella sua stanza.

[medievalandfantasymelee]

THE HOT MEDIEVAL & FANTASY MEN MELEE

FIRST ROUND: 20th Tilt

Odda the Elder, The Last Kingdom (2015-2022) VS. Ser Davos Seaworth, Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Propaganda

Odda the Elder, The Last Kingdom (2015-2022) Portrayed by: Simon Kunz Defeated Opponents: - Ser Barristan Selmy [Ian McElhinney], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

“Scarred face. Great beard. Quizzical brow. Noble, kind, wise, self-sacrificing. Grade A quality DILF.

Ser Davos Seaworth, Game of Thrones (2011-2019) Portrayed by: Liam Cunningham Defeated Opponents: - Gest [Jakob Þór Einarsson], When the Raven Flies {Hrafninn flýgur} (1984)

"SER DAVOS SEAWORTH is the real deal. He's brave and he's honest and he's good with children. Like one single person in the whole of Game of Thrones has managed to dislike Ser Davos Seaworth, and it was because of his moral stand against letting her burn people alive. Every king he meets decides they want this warm-voiced former smuggler on their small council. Hot in a down-to-earth, not-showing-off kind of way. TL;DR: GoT is full of hot psychopaths, but Davos will treat you right.”

Additional Propaganda Under the Cut

Additional Propaganda

For Odda the Elder:

For Ser Davos Seaworth:

“I'm not usually into older guys, but Davos is hot! My friend calls him ‘Onion Daddy’.”

“He just has such a kind face! I don’t know how better to explain it. And Davos is just so honourable and good, how could you not love him?”

[mariacallous]

Over the past two weeks, Chinese President Xi Jinping has been holding court for visiting European dignitaries. In late March, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was the first European statesman to meet the Chinese leader after his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. French President Emmanuel Macron followed last week together with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The only winner from these visits is Xi. Not only did he not make any concession on any issue vital to European interests, from Russia’s war to economic relations, his European visitors treated Xi to a display of European and transatlantic disunity serving the Chinese leader a major strategic objective on a silver platter and leaving Europe’s China policy in disarray.

It was not supposed to be this way. The plan of European leaders was a good one in theory. They wanted to take advantage of reopening after the end of China’s “zero-COVID” regime and personally press important concerns with Xi, in particular Russia’s war. Macron had invited von der Leyen to join him in Beijing to celebrate European unity and met her for a preparatory lunch in Paris before the trip. The French president clearly seemed to want to signal that he is a more committed European than German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who had embarked on a solo trip to Beijing in November 2022, after rejecting Macron’s offer to go together. Von der Leyen had done her part to signal a determined European approach.

On March 30 in Brussels, she gave the boldest speech of any senior European decision-maker yet on how to deal with Xi’s China. The very fact that the EU Commission president chose to invite Berlin-based Merics, Europe’s leading think tank on China that had been put under sanctions by the Chinese party-state in 2021, sent a clear message to Beijing. The speech itself was even clearer. Von der Leyen depicts a China that is “more repressive at home and more assertive abroad” where security and control trump all other concerns and that is quick to use political and economic coercion trying to exploit the very dependencies of other countries on China that it systematically seeks to encourage. She described a country that Xi prepares for a long-term violent “struggle” with the United States and that has the “clear goal” of “systemic change of the international order with China at its center.”

To prove her point, von der Leyen added that the recent “show of friendship in Moscow” says “a thousand words about this new vision for an international order.” No other European leader had ever presented such an accurate dissection of Xi’s agenda. As a European response, von der Leyen outlined an ambitious “de-risking” strategy that puts economic security at the center of the relationship with Beijing and includes an instrument for outbound investment screening in technologically sensitive areas. Just as in 2019 when it introduced the notion of China as a “systemic rival” the EU Commission had again pushed the boundaries of Europe’s China policy. But straight away, China’s EU ambassador, Fu Cong, voiced doubts whether most member states were ready for von der Leyen’s agenda. For him, it sounded like “two people quarrelling with each other,” he told the New York Times, meaning “Europe has not formulated a coherent policy toward China.”

Both Sánchez and Macron worked very hard during their China trips to prove Fu right. In a speech at the Boao Forum, China’s version of Davos, the Spanish prime minister praised China for its belief in “a strong, transparent, and rules-based multilateral system,” directly contradicting what von der Leyen had said about Beijing’s vision for international order.

Given France’s status as a permanent member of the United Nations and Europe’s second-most important economic power, Macron could have offset these remarks by clearly aligning himself von den der Leyen’s de-risking agenda. The French president instead chose to do his utmost to pull the rug from under von der Leyen’s feet during their joint visit in Beijing. Instead of de-risking, Macron firmly stuck to illusions of reciprocity in economic relations with China, as if he learned nothing from the previous instances that he had pursued this approach only to find Beijing did not deliver. On Russia, Macron did not manage to extract any commitments that substantively go beyond the statement against the use of nuclear weapons that Scholz got from Xi in November. That is not surprising given Xi’s determination to stand by Putin’s side to keep Russia as an ally in the struggle against the United States.

But it is not that Macron tried very hard to signal that Beijing’s support for Russia’s war violates a European “core interest,” to use a favorite term of the Chinese Communist Party. Macron brought a 50-strong business delegation, four times the size of Scholz’s delegation in November for which he was criticized. Macron’s delegation included a member of the board of directors of Huawei France and former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who is the French equivalent to Gerhard Schröder selling out to both Russian and Chinese interests. That is anything but a signal that because of the support for Russia’s war it is no longer business as usual in EU-China relations.

But it is on Taiwan policy where Macron chose to cause the most damage. When asked in Beijing on the meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Macron coined the heroic formula: “I am neither Taiwan nor the U.S. As a good stoic, I can only deal with what depends on me. One does not have to mix up everything.” That was his only major statement on stability in the Taiwan Strait on the ground in China. It flew in the face of von der Leyen’s statement in Beijing vis-à-vis Xi that “stability in the Taiwan Strait is of paramount importance” and that “threat of use of force to change the status quo is unacceptable.” But Macron was not done yet. Just after the farewell fireworks Macron received before taking off, the People’s Liberation Army started a series of aggressive drills of “sharpening the sword” by encircling Taiwan as a reaction to the meeting between Ing-wen and McCarthy. On the plane ride back, Macron gave an interview to Politico Europe and Les Echos that amounted to a carte blanche for Xi on Taiwan. Macron described Taiwan as a “crisis that is not ours” that Europeans should stay out of and not be “America’s followers.”

The will of the majority of the Taiwanese people, expressed in democratic elections, not to be ruled by Beijing does not feature in his thinking. Despite Xi having made clear his determination to control Taiwan with ever more aggressive acts, Macron seemed to make the United States solely responsible for the ratcheting up of tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Macron seems to foolishly presume that Europe can insulate itself from a war between China, Taiwan, and the United States and therefore does not need to even try to deter Beijing from using force. But a Europe that cannot even deal with a much smaller war on its doorstep without U.S. help has no way of escaping the much larger consequences of a U.S.-China war. He undermines French credibility by going against key G-7 statements on Taiwan (most recently in August 2022) that France signed.

Perhaps most disconcerting is that Macron seems to lack any positive definition of the French national interest and strategic objectives on stability in the Taiwan Strait beyond not simply following the United States. His much-trumpeted approach of France as puissance d’équilibres, or “balancing power,” seems to be one of exclusively balancing against the United States. The irony is that Macron is right that Europe needs to chart its own course on China based on its own interests and invest in its own capabilities to achieve what he calls “European sovereignty.” But by presenting his approach as a purely anti-U.S. agenda, he discredited the “European sovereignty” approach even further in the eyes of many, especially in Central and Eastern Europe who were already skeptical before. A divided Europe only benefits Europe’s enemies.

That is why it is now crucial for Europe to shift to damage control mode. However self-defeating and provocative Macron’s remarks were, there is no point for other European leaders to add fuel to the fire of public debate. Rather, they should calmly restate the key principles on Taiwan outlined in G-7 statements also signed by the EU. At the same time, they should push the debate back to engaging with von der Leyen’s de-risking agenda. A majority of EU members is open to spelling out a “de-risking, not decoupling” agenda with China. Germany plays a key role on fronts. In November, Scholz was clear in the press conference on both Taiwan and human rights, including Xinjiang, not being internal Chinese matters. According to a German diplomat, Scholz delivered an “incredibly clear” message to Xi about the consequences of using force against Taiwan for the bilateral economic relationship. Scholz and Baerbock need to try to get the rest of Europe quietly behind such an agenda of deterrence against Beijing over Taiwan. Scholz himself has used the term “de-risking” vis-à-vis China, although he does not seem to want to move as decisively as von der Leyen on some fronts.

Building a coherent EU China policy on de-risking got much harder after Macron’s dismal China trip. But it is the only way for Europe to assert, in Macron’s term, its “sovereignty.” Baerbock should find ways to publicly back this de-risking agenda as well as the G-7 and EU position on Taiwan during her trip to Beijing. But let us not hold our breath this will impress Xi very much. As long as he can count on Macron as his best ally against a sovereign Europe asserting its interests vis-á-vis an aggressive Beijing, he will simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

[collapsedsquid]

As snow fell on Davos Wednesday afternoon, Manchin joined the congressional delegation here for a quiet meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the leader of Europe’s largest economy. Manchin related to POLITICO that Scholz expressed frustration that the American law would directly harm German’s vital car market. The incentives would prove damaging to Germany and Europe and eventually spark a trade war, Scholz added.

Manchin pushed back, saying there’s nothing stopping Germany from producing more cars in the United States — a point that wasn’t exactly a response to Scholz’s frustration.

“I think it rubs him wrong when I say that,” the senator told POLITICO.

Manchin said that Scholz countered that the U.S. places too many penalties on European cars entering the American market. So the West Virginian pulled out his cellphone and Googled “tariff cost on autos in Germany.” In bold, the search engine’s front page excerpted the relevant part of a 2019 Deutsche Welle article: “US levies a 2.5 percent tariff on European auto imports, while the European Union imposes a 10 percent duty.”

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

Catch me in Miami! I'll be at Books and Books in Coral Gables TOMORROW (Jan 22) at 8PM. Berliners: Otherland has added a second date (Jan 28) for my book-talk after the first one sold out - book now!

#20yrsago RIP, Whole Earth Review https://web.archive.org/web/20040202031838/https://www.worldchanging.com/archives/000338.html

#15yrsago Media helped create the financial meltdown https://web.archive.org/web/20090125204013/http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/01/23/the_medias_role_in_the_financial_crisis/

#10yrsago Ukraine government sends text to protesters: “Dear subscriber, you are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance” https://memex.craphound.com/2014/01/23/ukraine-government-sends-text-to-protesters-dear-subscriber-you-are-registered-as-a-participant-in-a-mass-disturbance/

#10yrsago What Makes Jo Walton So Great https://www.tor.com/2014/01/21/what-makes-jo-walton-so-great/

#5yrsago After Net Neutrality repeal, Comcast, Charter and Verizon cut investment in their networks https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/01/sorry-ajit-comcast-lowered-cable-investment-despite-net-neutrality-repeal/

#5yrsago Data-broker implicated in bounty-hunters’ access to mobile location data lobbied FCC to fight consent for sharing location data https://www.vice.com/en/article/vbwgw8/zumigo-phone-location-data-sold-lobbied-fcc-consent

#5yrsago Limits to trickle-down: Trump’s tax-cut “boom” fizzles https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/23/business/investment-boom-tax-cuts-economy/index.html

#5yrsago Corporate America projects giant profits from climate disasters https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-22/muggy-disney-parks-downed-at-t-towers-firms-tally-climate-risk

#5yrsago After six days, LA teachers settle their strike, wringing huge concessions out of the school district https://jacobin.com/2019/01/la-teachers-strike-contract-arlene-inouye/

#5yrsago Winners Take All: the Davos Edition (how elites launder looting with phoney philanthropy) https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/jan/22/the-new-elites-phoney-crusade-to-save-the-world-without-changing-anything

#5yrsago How a political outsider’s fundraising tool is helping insurgent, working-class Dems mount primary challenges and campaigns https://theintercept.com/2019/01/23/grassroots-analytics-campaign-donations/

#1yrago Eggflation is just more price-gouging https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/23/cant-make-an-omelet/#keep-calm-and-crack-on

I'm Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.