Alaskaball

Very nice and a bit psychedelic

From here

A section from the overall Q&A that was held by the minister. Overall a good read.

Wang Yi: Multipolarity and economic globalization are the prevailing trends in the advancement of human society. But there are different views on what they should look like. China believes in an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

An equal multipolar world means equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal rules for every nation. Certain or a few powers should not monopolize international affairs. Countries should not be categorized according to their strength. Those with the bigger fist should not have the final say. And it is definitely unacceptable that certain countries must be at the table while some others can only be on the menu. We must ensure that all countries, regardless of their size and strength, are able to take part in decision-making, enjoy their rights, and play their role as equals in the process toward a multipolar world.

An orderly multipolar world means all should observe the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, and uphold the universally recognized basic norms governing international relations. Multipolarity doesn’t mean multiple blocs, or fragmentation, or disarray. All countries must act within the U.N.-centered international system, and pursue cooperation under global governance.

Universally beneficial globalization means growing the economic pie and sharing it more fairly. All nations, all social groups, and all communities should be able to take part in economic and social development and share the benefits. Development imbalance, be it national or international, should be settled properly so as to realize common prosperity and development.

Inclusive globalization means supporting countries in pursuing a development path suited to their own national conditions. No one should impose one single development model onto the whole world. Unilateralism and protectionism for selfish gains at the expense of others must be discarded to keep the global industrial and supply chains stable and unimpeded, and to sustain the robust and dynamic growth of the world economy.

China is ready to work with all countries to steer multipolarity and economic globalization toward the right direction as expected by the whole world, and to make global governance more just and equitable.

The article does ask a good question on the sort of conundrum that could become an identity crisis thst fire emblem has rode itself into with the steady inclusion of social aspects in their games ever since Awakening.

Personally I would be in favor of keeping the model they developed in 3 houses while refining it further with the game mechanics they developed in engage. I'd also like to keep the whole marriage and matchmaker aspect that we saw in awakening and fates out unless they figure out how to tastefully weave it into the storyline.

And while it would take too much gamedev time to implement it, it would be interesting to whether or not its possible to blend and synergize the fire emblem strategy game aspect with some of the musou aspects they've been lately dabbling in. I'm thinking akin to how the Total War series handles army battles but making the choices of how to play each battle as being either classic turn-based tactical mode or going full musou hack'n'slash nonsense as options for gameplay.

If you feel like subjecting yourself to 20d20 psychic damage, click the link below.

https://x.com/DarthPutinKGB/status/1791802212596773336

I rolls 20d20 and got 245 points of damage with two of the die being nat-20s dealing critical damage.

I'm 10 minutes in and its a very excellent presentation on the oriental pig slop that the western media industry feeds our brainworms and an analysis of musical theory that touches on a few Iranian styles, Arabic styles, Turkish styles, and Balkan styles. Also dunks on dipshit orientalist music makers with takes like "Oh you like making Egyptian Persian music? Why not make some Estonian Scottish music, or Belgian Lithuanian music". Also shows how off some musical instruments are in orientalist music by comparing the Armenian Duduk being used in a soundtrack set in Morocco being akin to using the banjo for a scene set in the Soviet Union

I'll include a blurb he wrote in the comments as well.

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So there is such a thing as Occidentalism but it's not the yin to the yang of Orientalism as some may think. Most often, it takes the form of irrational hostility towards the West rooted in an anti colonial narrative, like rejecting well researched truths presented by Western academia solely on the basis that it's Western. I've been highly critical of this in my videos. Occidentalism as a stereotypical view of the West, however, doesn't really exist as a symettrical counterpart to Orientalism.

The reason why it's mostly a one way street, and non-Westerners are generally better at representing the West than the other way around is because the West is currently the hegemon of this planet, in terms of cultural soft power. Therefore everyone around the world is intimately familiar with the generalities of Western culture because everyone is exposed to it.

The average Iranian who lived in Tehran all their life can tell a British accent is distinct from Scottish, and we do associate Received Pronunciation British with "posh." They do know the organ is a church instrument. Typical Western associations are well known to the average Iranian in Tehran.

At the beginning of the video, my uncle and I mention Mozart and Ketèlbey, Western Classical composers, and the musical form of "alla turcas," and "Baroque music". That's because every musician in the world knows Western music and its genres, styles, composers, etc. But it may take you months to find a single Classical Western musician who knows the names of Sheydā, Dimitrie Cantemir, or who know what the terms "peşrev" or "kalofonía" mean, and what musical forms they refer to.

All musicians around the world can play Western music. We all do chords, harmony, play the piano and guitar; we all know and are familiar with Western music theory. Only a tiny fraction of Western musicians learn any music theory outside of their own. There's a reason why Western musicians are the only ones who call their form of ethnic music "Music Theory," whilst everywhere else, even between them, people preface their music theory with the cultural specifier like "Iranian music theory," "Japanese music theory," etc. I'm aware that this presents a rather unflattering picture of the West, but please understand that this is not a consequence of us non-Westerners being oh so wiser. Not trying to portray Westerners as inherently bad or evil. If we were the current cultural hegemons of the planet, we'd be just like that. In 500 years, if China or Brazil become the next superpower, they'll be the ones generally ignorant about other cultures whilst everyone else knows about them. Average Westerners aren't ignorant by default, they simply naturally embody the traits of a region with hegemonic global cultural influence, and we non-Westerners are simply luckier than them because unlike them, we all grow up listening to both our music, and Western music.

TLDR: everyone in the world knows that Madonna exists. Most Westerners have no idea who Fairuz or Shajarian are. That's just how it is. Orientalism is mostly a one way street and not a symettrical yin and yang where Occidentalism is its perfect counterpart.

• I mistakenly use the term "Southeast Asia" in the video, but what I mean is "South Asia." Southeast Asia is countries like Laos, Cambodia, and I'm talking about the Desi cultures like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, hence South Asia.

Also same person that posted this article

Rumors say he also designed the trap doors so they'd be too small for the perpetrator to fall through so most of them also hit their face on the edge as they fell

starts calling them all Russians and nazis

The rumors are true: Vegetables aren’t real — that is, in botany, anyway.

While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term for many types of edible plants.

You might think you know what carrots and beets are. Carrots, beets and other vegetables that grow in the ground are actually the true roots of plants. Lettuce and spinach are the leaves, while celery and asparagus are the stems, and greens such as broccoli, artichokes and cauliflowers are immature flowers, according to Steve Reiners, a professor of horticulture at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

As for produce that grow from flowers, such as peppers and tomatoes, the hot-debated crops are botanically classified as fruits, Reiners added. Cucumbers, squash, eggplant and avocados are also classified as fruit due to their anatomy, according to the European Food Information Council.