Check out my new (and first!) op ed in @kyivindependent.com. t.co/87ogk6XftH
Also, watch "2000 Meters to Andriivka." It's on Youtube, and really, really necessary as well as completely engrossing.
A great rebuke from
@nanagongadze.bsky.social about our constant, misplaced search for symbolic resistance in Russia
kyivindependent.com/the-film-awa...
It is also becoming the story of the day in global Olympics coverage, exposing them to international criticism. Had they just let him compete it would have prob been just a blip, because nobody in their right mind over there would be putting up a stink about him wearing the helmet. PR masterclass!
To this day I still cannot understand for the life of me how the same people who are addicted to the shortform video slot machine and have no remaining attention span also have the patience to sit through some guy sitting in a multi hour livestream
Slightly later it occured to me that the stray dog (bottom left) could be a representation of the Ukrainian civilian. Submissively accepting the merciful offering of the conquering Russian (his future owner), generous enough to spare him.
Doing research on the role of Orthodoxy in Putin's Russia particularly when it comes to icons and religious art and came across this nasty "patriotic art" that was shown in Moscow in 2023, artist is Valeriy Nesterenko. Like not only are they evil, but they are so tacky
Someone on here recently said that if you factually try to describe some of the things happening in this country to a completely offline stranger you sound like a conspiratorial nutjob, and, well...
as in many countries that have oligarchy (eg Ukraine in past years), these billionaires do not want there to be a free press, fundamentally. It is "more trouble than its worth." Luckily here it has not gotten to the point of killing journalists but, it happens in those places.
It is perfectly clear that the ultimate goal of Bezos' moves with the Post was less about cost savings (to make up for self inflicted losses, granted), but about destroying local coverage in Washington, which was liable to be critical of him or his billionaire/WH friends
People insisting the Post's other media cuts are "the cost of doing business" or go on about unsustainable business models think they're so much smarter & more rational, but actually end up looking ignorant b/c they can't acknowledge role of malice/whims of the billionaire owners
The amount of loss in DC over the past year has been staggering. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of jobs, even entire industries, whole offices cleared out. The entire Kennedy Center, and now a huge chunk of our hometown paper. I don't think people outside understand the scope
Dear god please tell me why I am encountering "Grokipedia" high up on multiple google searches
this is such a common dynamic online. People from the former USSR or of Eastern European descent are not allowed to criticize the (genocidal) legacy of that system without some privileged leftist/USSRophile jumping in to undermine. No discussing anything except capitalism = bad!!
Saw a cool video on IG by an Eastern European creator about how communism surpassed/appropriated regional folk culture in the USSR & the comments are full of "but capitalism homogenizes local cultures too!!!" comments. They really take "Communism was harmful" as a personal attack
The reason the """"Board of Peace""" logo looks so cheap and junky, aside from the obvious fact that it only depicts the US and has the stupidest name imaginable, is that I'm unshakably certain it was made by AI and not an actual designer
Honestly the EU should just ban US passports from tourist travel. It would be painful in the short term but it would certainly wake Americans up to how deranged this White House is being towards Europe
(not sad that he did it, makes sense, sad that it is come to this)
I get the sense that the threats to him and his family and the political assassination in his state made him step back for natural self preservation reasons. it's sad to see.
fork found in kitchen for this guy tbh
Omg I am a prophet
I appreciate how in DC we have a local chain that is unambiguously evil (Compass Coffee)
Maybe it's because I'm Ukrainian so this is all triggering, and setting aside Venezuela for a minute, the Greenland stuff genuinely the thing that is making me crash out. I don't care if it's just something they're saying. I can't take this anymore.
Cleansing the timeline with my homemade Ukrainian makivnyk
UNC-Chapel Hill is closing all six of its area studies centers to save $7 million dollars.
UNC's football coach, Bill Belichick, makes $10 million a year.
In total, the football team now has a $40 million budget.
Make this make sense.
it has such terminal normie energy to me, but I suspect they're juicing engagement on there hard to keep people on there/away from here. the curated algorithm has really sucked in a lot of people especially people more averse to critical thinking let's say
Everything you need to know about what Russians really think, which a lot of people insist they do but come off as very divorced from reality because they are unwilling to call out the imperialistic impulse, can basically be explained by this graph
I'm building a fort
And its so so depressing that Ukraine is being used as a pawn in this fight to break up the world's strongest alliance, partnership and trade relationship. Not to remove Ukraine's agency here but worth considering the big picture.
Russians & their "friends" in the West are chomping at the bit to keep a wedge driven between Europe and the US because it is resolutely in their best interest to keep both sides divided and distrustful of one another. They already did it with everyday people using social media.
The thing about Trump/Ukraine is that the Ukrainians have tried everything. Tried humanitarian appeal (he doesn't care), critical minerals/economic carrot (not enough), European messengers (don't sway him), "peace through strength" (turns out this means nothing)
