Some pretty credible reports in Iraqi media about Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Al Sistani's health rapidly deteriorating. He's considered the Grand Marja of the Shia Muslim faith, which makes him pretty much the Shia Pope. Shia Marja politics are incredibly interesting, and his death might actually trigger a pretty massive upheaval in the upper echelons of the political side of Shia Islam. This might be the topic of my next effortpost, something about the evolution of the Shia Marja since colonialism and then Sistani's interpretation of the role which made him the modern Marja (but actually not, more on that later). The fight about succession will be interesting with many clashing dynamics (Persian vs Arab, Qom vs Najaf, Sistani family vs Islamic Republic of Iran, Political vs Apolitical, Old vs Young), and the looming Sadrist cult threat is even more interesting.
The scene on Al Jazeera right now with the skies of Israel lightning up with the Islamic call of prayer in Jerusalem in the background is fucking beautiful, I'm genuinely tearing up
Satan and his little family
One traditions that I really respect in the older generations is their borderline obsession with hot tea or more specifically, Iraqi Chai. It's 50 fucking Celsius in the summer, but you'll always find an old dude sitting outside downing "istakans" of blazing hot tea with like a ton of sugar. This tradition is slowly getting carried over to zoomers, because the largest growing chain in Iraq now is Ridha Alwan, an old style coffee and tea house where the menu is an old style newspaper.
Dear Mr Ali Khamenei and Mr Masoud Pezeshkian,
Please stop edging!
Best regards,
News Mega Nerds
Russia crossing into Sumy and Kharkov has finally made Twitter exciting again, thank you Mr Putin
I've been busy recently, but I have caught up on the latest news from Ukraine in the past few days and it's funny how even the western media are now accepting that Ukraine might be taking a huge L soon. So much cope and dooming from the Ukrainian side, while Russian media is finally really confident and free from doomers for the first time. I remember reading a substack article by Big Serge (what a shit name for a politics guy) a year ago titled "Gradually, and then suddenly". It feels very fitting to the current situation, as we're firmly in the transition phase from gradually to suddenly right now. Russians are now moving in every sector of the front except Kherson, which is destined to be frozen until Russia reaches the Dnieper on another sector. I keep being wrong in every prediction, but I really feel like this Russian strategy of slowly chipping away at multiple sectors is bound to generate a Ukrainian collapse in at least one sector soon. 2023 wasn't exactly an eventful year for us Ukraine War war watchers, with the map looking static as fuck everywhere except Bakhmut. 2024 looks like a more mobile year imo, we'll definitely see some significant movement somewhere this year.
Hexbear Travel Group presents the first Russian Ukraine group trip! Embark on a captivating 10-day journey through the heart of Russian Ukraine! Explore the charming cities of Donetsk, Avdiivka, Mariupol, Soledar, Bakhmut, Robotyne, Kherson and Tokmak, each offering a unique blend of history, culture, and natural beauty. From picturesque landscapes to rich traditions, this trip promises an unforgettable experience. Book now for an immersive adventure and discover the hidden gems of Russian Ukraine!
Day 1: Donetsk
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Landing at the historic Donetsk International Airport
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Experience the captivating life of a Donetsk civilian by dodging shells in central Donetsk
Day 2: Avdiivka
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Guided tour of the famous Avdiivka Coke Plant
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Visit to the Promka industrial zone
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For a small fee, write a personalised message and lob your very own shell towards central Donetsk
Day 3: Bakhmut (Prigozhingrad)
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Walking tour of beautiful downtown Bakhmut
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Buy a bouquet and lay it on the feet of the Yevgeny Prigozhin memorial statue
Day 4: Soledar
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VIP all inclusive experience in the Soledar Salt Tunnels
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Free shopping day
Day 5: Kherson
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Explore the natural beauty of the Russian countryside in a 9 hour train journey to Kherson
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Pilot an FPV drone over the Dnieper at night and capture some unforgettable photos
Day 6: Kherson - Nova Kakhovka
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Experience life like a solider in the newly-opened Kherson Surovikin Park
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Pilot a small raft across the Dnieper and avoid the falling grenades from the sky
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Fun and wet treasure hunt in the former site of the Nova Kakhovka dam reservoir
Day 7: Robotyne
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Visit to the unique Leopard Graveyard Park
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Capture amazing photos on top of the countless Bradleys, Leopards and Strykers
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Landmine fun in the forest belts north of Robotyne
Day 8: Tokmak
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Visit to the Tokmak Trench Center
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Learn how to build a trench from world renowned Russian trench instructors
Day 9: Mariupol
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Beach adventures on the Azov Sea
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Immersive guided tour of Azovstal, including the VIP POW experience in the tunnels of Azovstal
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Chechen-themed farewell dinner in Akhmat's Tunnel Bakery
Day 10: Mariupol
- Early departure from Mariupol International Airport
Israel propaganda is drinking from the same well of cringe as the Ukraine propaganda blitz back in 2022. The difference is that Zelensky is a good actor and can actually pull off the "cute victim" role and his side characters like Reznikov also pulled it off well, while the Israelis just can't not be genocidal and insanely evil in every single statement. From a Western lib perspective, cute short camo-wearing actor-president Zelensky was perfect to sell the Ukraine war, but Netanyahu is just so clearly evil and can't even be repackaged into a good propaganda tool. Same goes for evil Peter Griffin twin Ben Gvir, or zombie looking Gantz, or the countless weirdo ultra-zionist losers crying on TV. Really hard to sell people on the crying propaganda when you're the ones committing the clear genocide.
I'm so mad about the insane cucking by Saudi, UAE and Jordan that I hope Iran fucking strikes Dubai and Riyadh before Tel Aviv. Mr Khamenei send a Shahed-136 into Burj Khalifa and I'll get you and Khomeini tattooed on my back.
Ya Allah, it looks like Hezbollah and by extension Lebanon have officially joined the war. My cousin who works in Tyre/Sour sent us a pic in the family group chat of a massive Hezbollah convoy outside of the city and some dudes from Hezbollah started sending messages on WhatsApp telling people to leave to Beirut if possible. Genuinely shaking and tearing up as I'm writing this, may Allah keep the resistance safe and grant them victory.
If I'm running a dysfunctional threatened African or Asian state now, what would the point of being allied to China or Russia? Iran is probably the 3rd most valuable state in the anti-Western camp after China and Russia, and now they're actively suffering in a existential war and the Russians and the Chinese are just allowing Iran to get ran over while having phone conversations with Netanyahu about mutual trade. They let Syria fall while Russia was too busy elsewhere, they didn't lift a finger to help Armenia, and now they're just watching Iran fight alone. They're probably the shittiest military allies you can have, there's literally 0% chance that they pull off something like Desert Storm to help you out. Russia helped out in Syria, but they're basically too busy with their own stuff, but China's anti-interventionist stance is actively harmful right now.