I was in Ukraine a few months ago, where people around me were (rightly!) Complaining about recent price hikes and cost of living crisis while I had seldom seen such low prices in my life.

I think it's very hard not to feel disgusted by yourself when you learn these things.

For the record, as an explanation, two years ago I had what I can only describe as a panic attack because my job required me to stay in a fancy hotel.

I think I genuinely struggle with this, in a mental fashion. But I don't know if I'd want to change this about me.

Okay please keep writing Syriac posts. I don't read Syriac but i'm going to make an earnest attempt starting with this.

No pressure.

This is not purely a good thing, btw. It's concievable to me that Israel's victims will repay past cruelty and genocide with future cruelty and genocide. As much as it's almost impossible to feel sorry for zionists today, I think it is crucial that we not allow such a thing to happen.

I don't like big military actions. I don't trust western powers that much, and I absolutely don't like the Americans, who would be almost certainly involved. but wat the war needs right now is movement. and I sure as shit think military resources are better spent in Ukraine than losing against Iran.

I'm not a military strategist (everyone else seems to be) but I won't pretend. My uninformed vibe is that it would be better for everyone if Russia was shock doctrined into giving up Putin and the war. The current attrition war is maybe the worst possible situation.

A lot of people here have strong opionions on Ukraine. I went there to get a better perspective, but I still kinda don't. There's a lot of room for improvement about the country. The most important one is obviously that Russia should stop bombing them.

www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...

Okay so I read some more. I still really don't see any real downside to the guy, so much that for controversies, they have to scrape the bottom of the barrel. His wife liked some extremely basic anti-Israel posts and this offends some. Nothing burger.

Here's some excuses: he's not been in office for long. And he's not in terribly terribly high office, so his movement, as well as his ability to act on his promises (e.g. on arresting Bibi) is limited.

But having a popular, non strawman "figurehead" speak publicly and well on good politics?
A-OK.

He's just been individually excellent, I think. He's been in office for a very short time, and even if his successes (like the snow shovel thing this winter) are mostly PR successes, they are pretty nice.

I've been looking for "the catch" for a long time. I haven't found it. That astounds me.

There is a sense of relief bordering on spiritual salvation in knowing that there is a politician who('se rhetoric) is actively presenting as a leftist and who is also popular, and seems to me to be gaining.

What has he actually done? Honestly, don't know. He publicly called for Netanyahu's arrest.

I play my video games in French now.
So that I can, you know. Learn more languages.

I'm so jealous! What I wouldn't give to be back learning ancient languages!
(even though I suck at that tbh)

This is not me being critical, by the way. I think the Equal Earth projection is pretty good, and it's equally "right" as the mercator projection.

I'm glad African people (and pro-justice movements) seem to like it. I just think that the mechanisms of regional pride are subjective and interesting.

Back in the 1800's scramble for Africa, I think Africa's size was one of the main reasons for colonization; Western powers' desired to "paint the map", to triple or quadruple the pure landmass under their control. African coutries counted as a source of prestige precisely BECAUSE they were large.

Obviously, we should improve our understanding of Africa. But is "Africa is large" grant African people and cultures the dignity it craves?
I'm Dutch. We (sometimes + wrongly) pride ourselves on being a small country, precisely because it elevates the effect of our historical influence.