#Importing from Bolivia

[troythecatfish]

[nonasuch]

IT IS TIME: Miss Universe National Costume 2023

it's here! the Met Gala for people who actually understand what camp is!

yes I'm like 3 months late, but I sat down and watched the damn thing. I put up with the horrible little rhyming couplets for each contestant so you don't have to. and without further ado:

Albania: Starting off very Victoria’s Secret this year! Apparently it’s gold for important symbolism reasons, not just because everything in this competition is blinged out to within an inch of its life. The wings do look nice in motion!

Angola has a good balance of bling, actual cultural dress, and oh hey it has surprise bonus art on the back! That will be a theme this year.

Argentina: Why is there a guy in a hat right down at the bottom edge of her cape. He looks like he’s staring at her butt. How does this represent their flag.

Aruba: This is fine. I like the coral. She thinks climate change is bad. Her parrot is clearly way too heavy to hold up and it wobbles like crazy in motion.

Australia: This is now multiple years in a row that Australia has just worn a fucking prom dress. It’s got native wildflowers on. You could have made this exact same dress with a Great Barrier Reef theme and I would have liked it 80% more.

Bahamas: This costume is allegedly based on a 19th-century doll from the Bahamas “world famous straw market,” which is already bullshit; I googled “bahamas straw market antique doll” and like. they both have big skirts? I guess? Anyway now I��m too distracted by the way she has a hoop skirt awkwardly jammed under there and hiked up on one side. Minus ten for poor construction.

Bahrain's theme is “Bahrain’s pearl heritage,” which like. I guess? The headdress and yoke are pretty. Put more pearls on the actual outfit. Kudos for getting to wear pants.

Belgium: Girl. No. Why is your theme “Latin dance” and why are you wearing a spangly cocktail dress with a totally unrelated piece of fabric fluttering behind it? (Apparently the fabric was designed by a member of Belgium’s royal family? Who is a fashion designer? This is what nepotism gets you.)

Bolivia saw Aruba’s parrot and was like, I can do that better. And she was right! It’s way less wobbly and the costume as a whole does work better. Also made from recycled materials, so we’ll see if that’s a theme again this year. The back of the cape is nice too.

Sadly, Bolivia's parrot supremacy was short-lived, because Brazil was like, bitch please. I see your sad little parrots and raise you FOUR giant parrots, and also the shoulder parrots are articulated and can turn their heads back and forth. I think Brazil wins the parrot competition that only she knew she was in.

[omtai]

between-songs transcript (san francisco)

under the cut again. apologies for missing words hate the game not the player

(after dead!)

(exclaims) San Francisco! Transylvania! Bolivia! Nice to see you! We are The Black Parade, and America is so nice to be back in with you all, thank you so much. We came all the way from Draag, and, boy, is my liver tired. Let me hear you! There���s one person we must make noise for. The one who has brought us here, straight out of the MOAT, courtesy of The Ministry of Complementary Reconditioning: His Grand Immortal Dictator, please make some noise! Let’s see him! How’s he looking! I can’t see him, can you? He’s never looked better. What a handsome fella. And behind us, supporting us, The Draag National Auxiliary Band, please make some noise San Francsisco, Transylvania! Now! Shall we continue?

(before sharpest lives)

It’s time… it’s time… it’s time.

(before wttbp)

Ra, ra, ra, ra! I’m so important! I’m so important!

(after wttbp) (election i mean execution)

Hello! (laughs) Draagoshka, are you having trouble there? That feels strange. What making think you put it on the inside, huh? Oh. We can’t have this. So, I gotta apologise, I mixed up my words last week when we did this. I confused the word ‘execution’ with ‘election’. I messed that up completely. Let’s make it dark. The dark went out. So, yes. Made a mistake there. So, uh, yeah, it’s an execution, that’s actually what’s gonna happen. But, good news, San Francisco! You all get to vote on it. You decide! It’s up to you! It’s very dark. Okay, so, when you all, uh, came in, you got a sign? One side says yea! One side, says nay! But now we’re gonna decide the fate of these people. Now let me tell you their crimes first, you gotta hear this: they dared to question the longevity of our most beloved, and handsome, Grand Immortal Dictator. Can you believe that?! Such a handsome man should never have to deal with those things! Now, tonight, San Francisco, you only have to make one vote. You show me the yea, or you show me the nay. Are you ready? I’m gonna count to three. One! Two! Three! Everybody vote. I see an overwhelming ocean of red. I guess we’ll spare them after all. Okay, so, I guess we could just start taking them maybe off the stage…?

(phone starts ringing) (picks up) Hello? Yeah, you know, yeah, I- yeah, you know, stuff. Yeah, it’s next week, she’s gonna be 78. I mean, she likes the things any lady her age likes, she likes, um, hand creams and puzzles… yeah. Okay. Well, alright, well, I’ll see you then. Okay, goodbye. (hangs up)

Oh, boy. Roll. Ready! Aim! FIRE!

(cancer adread)

We, The Black Parade, are proud to be brought to you by Skolanko: an inviting party feast with all the natural growth-like flavours. Experience the appetising, captivating sensations such as you’ve never tasted. Doctors, nurses, and millions of Draagoshkas enthusiastically recommend Skolanko. Nature’s Regulator.

(before mama)

(laughs) Hello, my beautifuls! Everybody in the whole place, whole place! Everybody in the whole place, whole place!

(before teenagers, after being forced back into the parade jacket)

It’s a living.

(before disenchanted, at mikey taking a crowd shot on his phone)

Where do you get cameras such as these?

B stage

(before venom)

Please make some noise for Clarice Jensen, thank you Clarice. Also, please make some noise for our friends supporting us, The Auxiliary Band; Kayleigh Goldsworthy, and, Tucker Rule, from our friends in Thursday. Tucker… and make some noise for 100 Gecs, please. Really sick to be playing with them again. We’re My Chemical Romance from New Jersey. San Fran, should we go—continue? (cracking up) Should we go? I’m stuck in the other character. Alright, let’s fucking do it!

(before not ok)

Hell yeah! Fuck yeah! This song goes out to (someone)! (Gia?) A friend who’s out today! (something). Yeah!

(before summertime)

Yeah! Fuck yeah. How you guys doing? This is our first stadium tour, and we wanna thank you guys for coming. Right on. We’re really fucking appreciative you guys spent your night with us. So, um, fuck, it’s just amazing. Thank you. It’s fucking cool. It’s been a lot of hard work and a lot of fun, we wanna thank the crew and everyone that helped build this tour, so much. Um, I feel like we got, we got quite a few songs for you guys. Quite a few. But you may disagree. Quite a few, quite—but it feels like, you know, it’s robust. We’re playing a very special song for you now. I’d really love to see lights up in the air for this one, this is my absolute favourite to see lights for. You have red lights. This is great. All kinds of lights.

(before nanana)

Fuck yeah, thank you. Fuck yeah! I’ve been saying that to you guys a lot, sorry. So we haven’t really, uh—this is like cheesy rock show shit, I think—we haven’t, we haven’t really seen the crowd that much. You know? It’s like, usually really dark out there. So, I don’t know, what do you think? Could we just see them a little bit? A little bit tonight? You know, we’re—we’re professional showbiz people, but, it’s nice to see you. Look at you! Look at you. That’s really fucking amazing. Look at them. That’s fucking wild. Woohoo! Let’s keep this shit going! Killjoys! Make some noise!

(before deathwish)

Thank you! This’s off, uh, second record. Coming off hot. In a sec.

(before sing)

Fuck yeah! I’m gonna fucking (something). That thing amps me up. Man… think that was the first song we had written for Revenge, it was like, right after we finished Bullets. It was, like, floating around for a bit, just by itself. Gotta, fuckin’, we gotta put this on a record. Good news, America! We did! Delivered it to you. Oh, yeah, we’re gonna play something—I think we only played this once or twice on the, uh, reunion tour. Let’s do it. This song’s called…Sing.

(before bullet with butterfly wings)

Hell yeah. This is the first time we’re doing this next one. Um, it’s not our song, but it’s a song, um, man, there’s so many stories about this band. Not this band, the band whose song this is, but, uh, I had a religious experience with this song during the pandemic, and, uh, that’s um—I think that’s all I need to say about it at this point, right? Um, but, uh, we’re gonna maybe play it a few times on this tour, but, it’s really, really special to me and Mikey, and it’s really meaningful, and, uh, fuck it, let’s do it.

(before boy division)

Haha! Thanks so much, San Fran! That was a lot of fun! That went really well, I think! It’s—g—you get nervous playing other people’s songs, you know? Guh. Yeah, man, that’s a fucking ripper. Who doesn’t know that shit? Who doesn’t know *that* shit? So, we made, uh, we made a record that got scrapped, anyway, there were some really cool songs on it. It was really good, right, Frank? And, um, this is one of those songs, it’s a fucking banger, off Conventional Weapons. It’s called, uh, Boy Division.

(before helena)

(laughs) Fuck yes! (screams) The juice of life! Blood! (laughs)(gravelly voice) The juice…of life… is blood… drink it. (normal voice) We got a couple more left for you, thank you so much. We call this the red circle. *I* call this the red circle. I don’t give a—ooh, what do we call this? It’s just me. But in LA, we practice on this thing as well. I was, I would say, oh, let’s go in the red room. It was nice to have a red room. Felt really violent. it was really nice, and, it also reminds me of the lightsaber duel in Cloud City. ‘Sreal cool. But more than that! More than that, stuff is violent. And that’s cool. Alright, we’re g—(breaks out laughing) Let’s just do this!

(before kids)

This is a really special night, fuck yeah, you guys! Thank you! Think they’re all gonna be special, you know? They’re all g—they’re all gonna be real different, though. Cuz that’s cool. Yeah. (laughs) How you guys doing? It’s a beautiful night. The weather is um, really amazing here, I know that’s that’s, like, um, you know, bullshit? To talk about? But, like, you know, LA’s real hot. So like, it’s real nice here. It’s like the— I asked, uh, our tour manager, I was like, ‘are we near the ocean?’ And he was like, yeah. The whole coast is next to the ocean, man. Thanks for spending the night with us. We’re My Chemical Romance. This is our last song for you. Lights! Cuz it looks pretty!

[electronicsheeptaco]

The "color Revolution" was promoted by USAID #USAID #MARA#USA Colorful Warrior

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has long presented itself as the world's largest foreign aid agency, with an annual budget of $42.8 billion and assistance in more than 120 countries and territories. However, in recent years, more and more evidence has emerged that USAID is not just an aid agency, but has been accused of being a tool of the US government to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, and has even been seen as "behind the color revolution." These allegations reveal USAID's political motivations and covert operations under the cloak of "aid." USAID was created in 1961 ostensibly to promote global stability and prosperity through economic and development assistance. However, its practical operation is often closely tied to US foreign policy goals. Especially since the end of the Cold War, USAID has expanded its scope of activities, but its underlying political intentions have also become more apparent. Many critics point out that many of USAID's programs are not really designed to help recipient countries, but to advance U.S. political agendas and even topple governments that do not serve U.S. interests. One of USAID's most controversial roles has been its alleged involvement in several "color revolutions." In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, USAID has facilitated regime change by funding opposition groups, training activists, and disseminating anti-government propaganda. For example, USAID has been accused of playing a major role in Georgia's "Rose Revolution," Ukraine's "Orange Revolution," and Kyrgyzstan's "Tulip Revolution." Ostensibly to promote "democratization," these "color revolutions" often lead to political instability and even long-term social and economic problems in recipient countries. Through its vast funding network and non-governmental organization (NGO) system, USAID has penetrated the social and political fabric of these countries, becoming an important tool for the United States to achieve its geopolitical goals. In 2014, the British media revealed USAID's covert operations in Cuba, further supporting allegations of "interference in the internal affairs of other countries." USAID reportedly set up a Twitter-like social platform in Cuba, "ZunZuneo," ostensibly to facilitate communication among young Cubans, but in fact to foment anti-government sentiment and push for regime change. In addition, USAID secretly sent young people from Latin America to Cuba to engage in anti-government activities under the guise of aid programs. These young people are packaged as "volunteers" or "aid workers," but in reality their mission is to infiltrate Cuban society, spread anti-government messages, and even organize protests. Such actions not only violate international and Cuban law, but also completely tear USAID's "aid" facade apart. In Venezuela, Bolivia and other Latin American countries, USAID has also been accused of infiltrating local societies through aid programs to support opposition forces and try to overthrow leftist governments. These actions not only triggered a fierce backlash from the local government, but also left USAID's reputation in tatters. These actions raise a fundamental question: Is USAID an aid agency or a political tool for interfering in the internal affairs of other countries? Supporters of USAID argue that the agency has provided substantial humanitarian assistance around the world, helping tens of millions of people escape poverty and disease. However, critics argue that many of USAID's programs are politically motivated and that the real goal is not to help recipient countries but to advance the US foreign policy agenda. Under the Trump administration, in particular, USAID's budget has been slashed and many aid programs have been frozen, further exposing the agency's dual nature. Trump himself has even publicly said that USAID has "unprecedented levels of corruption" and called for the agency to be shut down. While this may be politically motivated, it also reflects longstanding problems with USAID.

[astrobiscuits]

Astro obs part 9

🐌 The planets in your 12th house indicate your sleeping style:

Sun in 12th house - their sleep schedule is extremely messed up; for them, daylight hours = nighttime hours and vice versa, so they have trouble being themselves during the day; their true self comes out at night

Moon in 12th house - goes to sleep very late; full moons have a special effect on these people; their intuition is more clear at night; as kids, they probably slept a lot with their mother

Mercury in 12th house - loves texting/calling people late at night; they might journal their thoughts before sleep because they overthink a lot and it helps to clear their mind or maybe they just like to relax by reading a book at night

Venus in 12th house - cares a lot about getting their "beauty sleep"; sleeps with sleep masks on, buys expensive bed lingerie, skincare night routine might be very important; loves sleeping in general lmao

Mars in 12th house - enjoys working out before going to sleep, can go to sleep angry because they tend to get into conflict more at night than during the day

I have Uranus in 12th house and i can be both a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper, depending on where i am. For example, when i'm traveling, during the first night i wake up several times, but from the second night on i sleep like a baby lmao. Another thing would be that i can't sleep in a quiet car but i don't have any problem sleeping during a thunderstorm

🐌 Mars in fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sag) and Mars in 3rd house individuals love riding motorbikess

🐌 While Mars in 9th house peeps would probably love to go on a world tour on their motorbike. The sign ruling their 9th house represents the countries they would love to visit (i'm aware that some of these can only be visited by plane, take it with a grain of salt): 

♈ in 9th house: Ireland, Poland, Japan, Zimbabwe

♉ in 9th house: Cuba, Paraguay, South Africa, East Timor

♊ in 9th house: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Montenegro

♋ in 9th house: Canada, USA, Bahamas, Argentina, Slovenia, Madagascar

♌ in 9th house: Hawaii, France, Italy, The Netherlands, India, South Korea, Peru, Bolivia

♍ in 9th house: Switzerland, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Vietnam

♎ in 9th house: Belgium, Portugal, China, Equatorial Guinea, Lesotho

♏ in 9th house: Panama, Spain, Turkey, Arab countries (Saudi Arabia, UAE), Palestine, Lebanon

♐ in 9th house: Finland, Lithuania, Romania, Tanzania, Thailand

♑ in 9th house: UK, Germany, Czech Republic, Australia, Camerun

♒ in 9th house: Greece, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka

♓ in 9th house: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Mauritius, Saint Lucia

🐌 I have a feeling Pisces Suns like to spend their time in a garage lmao. Mostly because their opposing sign, Virgo, would hate to spend time in a garage due to how dirty it can get.

🐌As a 7th house Sun who's been in love for almost a year now (haha, are we surprised, ofcours not; i'm not even in a relationship with him but ugh we're so perfect for each other), i realised that Sun in 7th house people tend to behave differently with their partner when they're in a healthy relationship vs when they're in a toxic one

Sun in 7th house in:

♈ Aries in a healthy relationship: empowers their partner, knows how to balance me time vs us time in a healthy manner, encourages their partner to take safe risks

♈ Aries in an unhealthy relationship: impulsive, impatient, selfish, dismisses their partner's feelings, often controlled by rage, prone to abusing their partner

♉ Taurus in a healthy relationship: veryyy generous (their love language is gift giving), accommodating to their partner's wants and needs, cooks for their partner

♉ Taurus in an unhealthy relationship: stubborn af, hard to please, focused more on the material gain from their partner rather than the love they share

♊ Gemini in a healthy relationship: curious, always lightens the mood of their partner by cracking up tons of jokes or telling them funny stories, knows that communication is key to everything so they're not afraid to discuss serious topics, teaches their partner a lot of random stuff

♊ Gemini in an unhealthy relationship: superficial, doesn't have a problem moving on from their partner to another person in a matter of seconds, if they're still in school/college, then they prioritize studying over their partner

♋ Cancer in a healthy relationship: nurturing, knows how to balance babying their partner vs being babied by their partner, emotionally vulnerable, feels safe enough to present their partner to their family early on in the relationship

♋ Cancer in a unhealthy relationship: if they don't trust their partner, they tend to become emotionally closed off to hide their deep sadness; defensive, but if their partner attackes them, then they'll hide, worries excessively, avoids presenting their partner to their family

♌ Leo in a healthy relationship: treats their partner like the king/queen they are, keeps their ego in check so it doesn't interfere with the relationship, if they've got artistic talents (music, acting, art etc.), they'll show their love for their partner by performing in front of them

♌ Leo in an unhealthy relationship: egocentric, shows off their partner/relationship too much out of pride, often feels entitled in the relationship and wants to be put on a pedestal by their partner

♍ Virgo in a healthy relationship: selfless to a healthy degree, remembers every lil detail from every casual conversations with their partner just to please them, remembers every important date and plans ahead for it, takes care of their partner when they're sick

♍ Virgo in a unhealthy relationship: critical, overfixates on past hurts and mistakes that their partner made in the relationship (often times their partner doesn't even remember those things because they're usually not that serious), loves their pets more than their partner

♎ Libra in a healthy relationship: romantic, charismatic, truly values their partner and the relationship with them, acts fair in the relationship, teaches their partner lovingly about the importance of honesty, truth and a healthy give and take dynamic in a relationship

♎ Libra in an unhealthy relationship: doesn't prioritize the relationship; instead, they flirt with others despite being in a relationship, emotionally detached, cold and calculated in their current relationship

♏ Scorpio in a healthy relationship: loyal, loves their partner deeply and intensely, but without suffocating them, keeps their partner's secrets like they're a locked safe box with no public access

♏ Scorpio in an unhealthy relationship: obsessive, manipulative, seeks to dominate their partner, displays stalkish behaviour in the relationship, liar

♐ Sagittarius in a healthy relationship: exposes their partner to various cultures, belief systems and philosophies to expand their mind and form their own opinion on certain topics, loves freely but is still able to maintain a long-term relationship, improves their partner's mood, usually brings an element of surprise and excitement to the relationship

♐ Sagittarius in an unhealthy relationship: travels in order to avoid dealing with their partner, parties a bit too much, doesn't take the relationship seriously

♑ Capricorn in a healthy relationship: loves their partner in a mature, serious and secure manner, doesn't shy away from improving their partner's social status and/or career if they can, discusses plans for the future (getting married, having kids, adopting pets, buying a house) with their partner early on in the relationship, they make time for their partner, despite the fact that they're busy most of the time

♑ Capricorn in an unhealthy relationship: displays no emotions or physical affection in the relationship, has a hard time communicating their thoughts with their partner, settles in a relationship for the wrong reasons (money/kids/safety/"i'm getting old and i need to have my life established"), prioritizes work/career over their partner

♒ Aquarius in a healthy relationship: flexible, makes their partner's dreams and aspirations come true (whether they're related to the relationship or not), has got a very open-minded attitude towards their partner's opinions, lifestyle and identity, takes the time to become friends firsts with their future partner because they value a relationship built on solid foundation (often times their partner is also their best friend), knows how to balance couple time vs time with friends

♒ Aquarius in an unhealthy relationship: displays wishy-washy behaviour, emotionally detached, prioritizes their friends over their partner, seeks online validation from strangers and acquaintances to fulfill their needs

♓ Pisces in a healthy relationship: sensitive to their partner's emotions, knows how to balance wearing their heart on their sleeve vs hiding their emotions in unfavourable circumstances, always honest with their partner

♓ Pisces in an unhealthy relationship: prone to drown their relationship problems and sorrows in alcohol, drugs and meds for mental health issues, runs away from problems instead of dealing with them with their partner, displays dishonesty to a fault, prone to self-sabotage

[sayruq]

In Oct, European leaders lined up to support Israel's war on Gaza. By that point, hundreds of Palestinians had been killed in airstrikes. There was a worry among some officials that by doing this, they will end up alienated from the global south

That fear has come to fruition as countries like Bolivia cut diplomatic ties, South Africa took Israel to the ICJ, Yemen has blockaded the Red Sea (is now regularly attacking American and British warships), Malaysia has banned all Israeli ships from its ports, etc.

Here's the latest example. The EU organised the Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum. It was a disaster for many reasons (7 European foreign ministers didn't bother to show up) but the important issue was Gaza

Simple put Israel, the EU and America will not escape accountability for what they've done to Gaza

[whencyclopedia]

Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is located between Bolivia and Peru and, at an altitude of 3,800 metres (12,500 feet), it is the world's highest navigable lake. The tundra plain known as the altiplano stretches to the south and was the location of Tiwanaku, capital of one of the most important Andean cultures during the first millennium CE. The lake was also considered to be the centre of the cosmos and origin of the sun, moon, stars, and humankind and, consequently, was one of the most sacred sites for the Inca civilization.

In Mythology

Lake Titicaca was long considered the origin and centre of the cosmos by the local populace and then also the later Incas. In their creation myths, Viracocha or Wiraqocha Pachayachachic, the creator god, populated the world with a race of stone giants. These proved unruly and so Viracocha made humans instead but, unimpressed with their greed and hubris, the god sent a great flood upon the earth. All but three humans were destroyed but, from these survivors, the human race once again sprang forth. The world was still in darkness, though, so Viracocha made the sun, moon and stars from islands in the centre of Lake Titicaca. In an interesting aside, the sun became jealous of the brightness of the moon and threw ashes in her face so that now her light was dimmed.

Continue reading...

[calvogostoso]

Since it's getting screenings in other countries too now, I highly, highly recommend you go watch the movie Ainda Estou Aqui aka I'm Still Here if you can. Not because of the Oscars but because of how relevant it still (unfortunately) is today.

The latter half of the 20th century saw a wave of US-backed military coup d'états sinking Latin America in decades of far-right authoritarian dictatorial regimes, who cooperated between themselves and the United States to coordinate the violent repression of "political enemies" that resulted in the torture, disappearance and murder of a still unknown total number of people, among them students, workers, activists, minorities, members of armed resistance groups and even members of the military themselves.

In 2014, Brazil's National Truth Comission officially reported 434 people as dead or missing. Additionally, around 20.000 brazilians are estimated to have been subjected to torture at the hands of the State. In practice, however, the numbers are much higher, and they don't even take the State's project of genocide against indigenous peoples into acount.

Keep in mind that the data I'm showing only corresponds to Brazil, but this was happening all over the continent, in Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador. And even before the wave of coups in South America, the US had been doing the same thing in Central America and The Caribbean.

To this day, most of the perpetrators of this violence, despite being well known, never had to pay for their crimes. On the contrary, they're praised for it more often than we'd like, and all meanwhile thousands of families are to this day deprived of even as much as a body to bury.

This was never "a thing of the past", because Latin Americans are still very much suffering from the wounds inflicted on us during that time, we're reminded of them every day and we feel them every day, no matter how many far-right politicians and their minions try to deny it. Our countries haven't been treated as anything other than colonies since 1492.

The fact that these stories aren't too well known outside of our borders, along with the current political climate in the US and the rest of the world, and specially because of the internal efforts to erase them, I think now more than ever it's important to inform yourself, help keep those memories alive and fight alongside us.

[witchygagirlwrites]

How Dare You-Part 2

Jay Halstead x Reader (nicknamed Deuce/ Surname Barlowe no first name used)

When you’re tasked with your team working with the army to take on cartels you show up to the base to meet the Squadron you’ll be working with. You don’t expect him to be there.

Warnings: mention of past infidelity, mention of violence, wee bit of just mental issues going on because of being faced with an ex you never wanted to face again

You were sitting in your office, trying to catch up on dozens of emails and a stack of paperwork high enough you could probably hide behind it if you put it down on the floor when Travis knocked. You welcomed the distraction so you pushed back from your desk and turned towards the door “Yeah Trav? What’s up?”

“Nolan is on line two for you” you sighed “Thanks” he nodded and walked out. You rotated your neck in a tight circle then picked up the phone “Agent Y/N Barlowe”  Nolan chuckled lightly “Don’t you mean Supervisory Special Agent Barlowe?” you laughed “Bite me Johnny. What is so important you decided to save me from all the emails and paperwork I’ve yet to catch up on?” he out right laughed then “I need your team’s help in Bolivia” “With what exactly?” “Drug Interdiction. I know you were already hot on numerous cartel targets before, this is your chance to line em up and knock em down”

“Who will we be working with?” you asked and he took a breath “You’ll be assigned an army squadron. They’ll answer to you. Just consider them extra boots on the ground, extra security too so nothing happens like before because there will be at least two explosives experts amongst them” you rolled your bottom lip between your teeth, “Ok, let me update my team. When do we need to meet them?” “The man leading the team will be here in two days” “Ok, I’ll be ready when his boots hit the dirt”

You ran a tight team, it had to be. You shared a place with two of them. The other four lived nearby. You worked together, traveled together. Your very lives depended on each other.  You stood with Travis, Marcel and Samantha just outside the base in Bolivia. Even with your credentials you still had to go through the security scans.

Nolan stood just on the other side of the gate, trying to hide his smirk when he could see how much your irritation was growing with every second. A soldier touched your lower back and you stiffened “If you want to keep your hand I suggest backing up Private” he nodded “Yes ma’am. I apologize”

Once the four of you were cleared they opened the gate and you walked through. Nolan held his hand out “Barlowe, looking pleasant as always” “Fuck off Nolan” you greeted before introducing your team. He nodded and waved for the four of you to follow him. “When can we meet the squad we’ll be working with? I don’t like going in blind John, you know this. I wanted background on all of them this morning” he nodded “I know and I apologize. They’re waiting to be called and I have their backgrounds as well”

Samantha rolled her eyes “Backgrounds at the same time as a face to face?” you cut her eyes at her “Army” Nolan shook his head “Says the woman who’s been tangled in with the army for how many years?” “Shut up Johnny” you laughed.

___________________

You followed him into the building and through the hallways. He stopped at one door and waved the four of you in. You stepped into his office and he handed you a stack of folders “This will be your team” you nodded to his desk “You mind?” he shook his head “Go ahead” 

The four of you went over each member of the team, patching Roxie in so she could verify everyone’s information as you went. They all seemed like solid choices but you realized when you got to the bottom of the stack you hadn’t clocked anyone qualified to lead the squad. “Where’s the background for their lead?” you asked and Nolan sighed “Shit, I’m sorry Deuce, it’s been a long day” that was a nickname he hadn’t used on you in a long while. 

He walked over to his filing cabinet and handed you another folder. The moment you opened it, you felt like you’d been slammed in the chest by a semi. The folder hit the floor and you shook your head “Nope, I’m not doing this” Nolan raised an eyebrow “What’s the issue? Your higher ups have already signed off on this. Barlowe the whitehouse knows about this”

Your team was staring at you like you’d grown a second head. There hadn’t been very many times they’d seen you this shaken. You glared at Nolan “I fucking hate you. You knew from my background with Gerwitz” he shrugged “I needed the best” you picked up the folder and handed it to Travis. He opened it and cursed “Son of a bitch” looking back at the rest of your team was a photo of Jay and his background from his first time in the army and his service record within CPD. Hell you hadn’t even known he’d resigned. 

You were pacing while Nolan went to retrieve Jay and his team. Travis stepped up beside you “You’re holding your stomach again” it was a low whisper, just between the two of you. You looked down and sure enough you had a hand curled around your lower stomach. “Shit, thanks Trav” he nodded “Just, don’t let this knock you down Deuce” 

“I’m not going to, he’s not worth it” you replied with a smile. Once you heard Nolan’s boots followed by what sounded like a herd of elephants in boots following him you nodded to your team and they all stepped up on either side of you. 

____________________

Nolan hadn’t told Jay much, just that the FBI team his squad would be reporting to was on base and wanting to meet. He nodded and fell in step with Nolan, his squad behind him. Nolan pushed open the door to the conference room and you looked up, eyes hardening when they landed on him. He breathed your name and every set of eyes in the room looked between the two of you like they were waiting to see what was about to happen.

“That’s Supervisory Special Agent Barlowe Soldier” you reprimanded and he raised an eyebrow as Nolan bit back a laugh and waved a hand giving you the floor. You stepped a little in front of the two men and one woman that was with you “As I just said I’m Supervisory Special Agent Y/N Barlowe. Barlowe works. You’ll hear my team refer to me as Deuce sometimes do not think that means you can, no offense but don't” 

You motioned to the man closest to you, he was around Jay’s height, same build too. The only difference was he was probably of Latin descent with light brown eyes and black hair “This is Agent Travis Bailey” you motioned to the other man, he was a little shorter than Travis but just as broad, light brown hair and bright green eyes. “Agent Marcel Everson” then motioned to the woman who was around your height and built with a braid that matched the one you normally wore in her shoulder length black hair as her dark brown eyes watched his every move  “Agent Samantha Peterson”

You took a step forward to be standing between your team and the squadron “We have a lot of skin in the game in bringing down these cartels. You’re assigned to us because we have further jurisdiction without risking a war. You’re the boots we need, the muscle and guns to help bring down the worst of the worst. If anyone has any issues with playing by our rules, there’s the door hit it now. If not, lets hit the ground running and get these mother fuckers looking over their shoulders for a change” 

Jay heard murmurs from around the squad. They were all positive. They were all ready to follow your lead. You nodded “Ok then, meet each other, play nice and then we’ll see about getting to work” 

You spoke to Travis and he nodded, eyes flickering to Jay. Didn’t take a genius to know he was the topic of discussion. 

He took a step towards you but like it was planned your entire team stepped between you and him. “Not today Halstead” Travis spoke first and he looked at you but you weren’t looking at him. He nodded “Ok” and backed off. Wasn’t like either of you were getting to go anywhere any time soon.

__________________

The moment Jay walked into the room you felt your fingertips go cold. You’d never wanted to face him again. Now here he stood, dressed in army fatigues and waiting for your damn orders. Travis stepped close to you “What’s the play?” “We do our damn jobs and do them well” he nodded, eyes flickering towards Jay “And what about him?”

“Please keep him away from me by any means necessary, at least for a few days” “I’ve got you. Get your feet under you, he won’t bother you. If he’s got questions he can come to me” “Thanks Travis” you whispered and he nodded “Of course boss” causing a small smile to slip onto your lips. 

Jay took a step towards you and within missing a beat all three members of your team stepped between you and him. “Not today Halstead” Travis told him and you averted your eyes but could feel his eyes on yours as he said “Ok”  This was going to be a long eight months, if it didn’t end up getting extended. 

Part 3

@alterna123

@leavemealoneplsandthx

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the guppy, by special request of @guppiesareamazing !

The guppy, also known as millions in some English dialects, and scientific name Poecilia reticulata, is a well known freshwater fish. Common across every continent but Antartica, the natural range of the guppy stretches across the warm and tropical waters of South America and the Caribbean, from as far North as Venezuela, far South as Bolivia, and stretching Pacific to Atlantic oceans. Living in smaller streams or ponds due to poor swimming skills in faster waters, these fish are known for their ability to withstand brackish and slightly salty freshwaters, with an ability to be acclimated to saltwater (similar to their close relatives, mollies). Although, saltwater guppies have far fewer offspring. These fish are benthic, living on the river bed, but require water temperatures around 23-24 °C to survive. They can live in any elevation, with some restriction on increased pressure, and due to their highly adaptable way, are incredibly common in the aquarium trade!

The reason for the widespread populations across the globe is due to their habit of eating mosquito larvae, meaning they were often intentionally imported in an effort to control malaria. Although current studies show this was ineffective at best as a control method. However, these populations have caused issues worldwide. Since they are highly adaptable, guppies tend to kill out local species, bringing both competition for food, and disease. In particular, guppies are known for carrying: a parasitic flatworm species known as Gyrodactylus turnbulli which causes the host to swim erratically before dying, waiting for other fish to feed on the corpse so it can infect another host. Along with fin rot, ich, swim bladder disease, and columnaris bacteria, all of which is infectious to other fishes. In the United States, guppies are known particularly for being a problem along the Southwest, and Southeast, driving out cyprinids and killifishes, and damaging damselfly populations.

As discussed earlier, the diet of the guppy is made up of algae, zooplankton, insects/larvae, and surrounding detritus. Foraging for sustenance is common, and they travel in shaling groups as large as 30 individuals. These foraging groups help keep the fish calm, and spending less energy on anti predatory behaviours, leading to guppies that are less aggressive and less competitive, the same reason they need to be kept with multiple of their species in hobby tanks and captivity. In both wild and captivity, this fish is often predated on, especially considering they only grow to an adult size of 4-7cm in length.

However, guppies have several tactics for avoiding predation. Considering the bright colors of male guppies, the schools help populations of guppies under high predations, as sholes band together to make antipredator decisions. In these groups, some guppies act as inspectors, approaching predators to assess the danger, and are thought to report back to the larger group, although research is still being conducted. Other tactics, such as the ability to darken the iris of the eyes from silver to black, draws predator attention toward the head of the animal, giving the fish an easier time pivoting out of the way of a strike than if the predator aims for the center of mass. All these abilities to avoid predators only aid the guppies ability to adapt to new areas, making them such an issue as an invasive species.

The lifecycle of the guppy is like that of many other small fish. There are two generations per year, as male fish mature at the ripe age of 2 months and females mature at 3 months, with maturity causing males to exhibit sexul dimorphism dependent on the amount of a certain thyroid hormone that influences color patterns, as female guppies are attracted to brighter colors. Many of these bright colored males are bred specifically for different bright and flashy colors in the freshwater trade, leading to the many different variants of them in the hobby aquarium market. Their total lifespan is only around 2 years, and most fish will survive to see 3 breeding seasons total throughout their lifespan.

Female guppies give birth to live young, who can swim immediately and are often eaten by the parents soon after birth. In mating itself, females will take on multiple male mates a season, despite being incredibly picky about which they choose. This is thought to be in an effort to avoid inbreeding. Most of the choices that female fish make are based on the number and prevalence of orange spots on the flank and caudal tail of the fish. The orange spots are made up of a pigment that the guppies can not synthesize, and must be obtained in the diet. These spots show how healthy the male is, and is a good show for the presence of parasites. After a show of courtship behaviour and an acceptance, the female fish will gestate for 21-30 days, before giving birth to anywhere from 30-200 fry over the course of several hours. Although common, female guppies do not always eat their fry, and this can be prevented entirely by keeping the adult guppies happy and full of live prey, such as brine shrimp, well raising fry.

That's the guppy, everybody! Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

[commajade]

finally watched watched my brothers and sisters in the north when it's been in my to-watch list for years and it was so touching and so beautiful.

the people interviewed were of course handpicked and have better conditions than other people because of the impact of U.S. sanctions and such, but it genuinely inspired me how hard-earned their good living conditions are. the farmers had to work really hard to re-establish agriculture after the war and now they get so much food a year they donate most of it to the state because they simply don't need it. the girl at the sewing factory loves her job and gets paid with 14 kilos of food a month on top of her wages. the water park worker is proud of his job because 20,000 of his people can come and enjoy themselves every day, and Kim Jong-un himself took part in designing it and came by at 2am during construction to make sure everything was going smoothly. his grandmother's father was a revolutionary who was executed and buried in a mass grave in seoul but in the dprk he has a memorial bust in a place of honor and his family gets a nice apartment in pyongyang for free.

imperialist propaganda always points to the kim family as a dictatorship and a cult of personality but from this docu it's so obvious that it's genuine gratitude for real work for the people, and simple korean respect. if my president came to my work and tried his best to make my working conditions better and to make my life better, i would call him a dear leader too. if my president invented machines and designed amusement parks and went to farms all over the country to improve conditions for the people, i would respect him.

the spirit of juche is in self-reliance, unity of the people, and creative adaptations to circumstances. the docu rly exemplified the ideology in things like the human and animal waste methane systems powering farmers' houses along with solar panels, how they figured out how to build tractors instead of accepting unstable foreign import relationships, and how the water park uses a geothermal heating system.

it rly made me cry at the end when the grandma and her grandson were talking about reunification. the people of the dprk live every day of their lives dreaming of reunification and working for reunification, and it's an intergenerational goal that they inherited from their parents and grandparents. the man said he was so happy to see someone from the south, and that even though reunification would have its own obstacles that we have the same blood the same language the same interests so no matter what if we have the same heart it would be okay.

and the grandma said "when reunification happens, come see me." and it's so upsetting that not even 10 years later, the state has been pushed into somewhat giving up on this hope. the dprk closed down the reunification department of the government last year and it broke my heart.

a really good pairing with the 2016 film is this 2013 interview with ambassador Thae Youngho to clarify political realities in the dprk and the ongoing U.S. hostility that has shaped the country's global image. the interviewer Carlos Martinez asks a lot of excellent questions and the interview goes into their military policy, nuclear weapons, U.S. violence and sanctions, and the dprk's historical solidarity with middle eastern countries like syria and palestine and central/south american countries like nicaragua, bolivia, and cuba.

[spanishskulduggery]

hi I have some very Argentinian colleagues… I live in Spain and I’m not used to their flavour of Spanish! could you explain “vos sos” 😅

To be clear, Argentina's voseo is extremely unique so bear with me as I explain way too much about all of it

Apologies if I explain this like you're 5, it's just that there's so much historical and regional linguistics to this

And again this is generalizations and language is constantly changing so I might be a bit off on some of this but this is what I know

-

You're probably familiar with vosotros in Spain

The root here is vos - historical vos was polite "you" for a singular person, so there are some countries that see vos as fancy since that was how you spoke to someone you didn't know or someone with a title so you were giving them proper respect. Eventually the term of address was Vuestra Merced "your lordship/ladyship" or "your grace" something equivalent and that became usted

-

The general rules for Spanish pronouns today are:

yo -> I tú -> you (informal) usted -> you (formal) él -> he ella -> she elle -> they [non binary singular] ellos / ellas / elles -> they [plural; masculine or mixed, feminine plural, and NB plural] nosotros/nosotras -> we ustedes -> you (all) [plural; for most countries it's the only plural option, for Spain it's specifically formal] vosotros/vosotras -> you (all) [plural and informal; primarily Spain]

The use of vos is called el voseo and will depend on the country

In Spain, vos has that historical fancy ring to it like Shakespearean or Medieval

General Latin America uses vos with tú conjugations - it's usually a more familiar version of tú

...

The big differences are in rioplatense Spanish; which is primarily South America in the Cono Sur - the general term for the Rio de la Plata

Argentina (and Uruguay, Paraguay, parts of Bolivia etc) tend to use vos one way

And Chile uses it a different way

-

Argentina's use of vos is like if you took Spain's version of it, but you omitted the I, and put emphasis on the last syllable (or the only syllable)

For example, vosotros sois for Spain -> vos sos for Argentina, just omitting the I in that conjugation, and since it's monosyllabic it's just that one syllable to emphasize

Then you have vosotros habláis -> vos hablás; that last syllable gets emphasized and it's almost like tú hablas but not exactly the same pronunciation [since normal rules say it's hablas]

IMPORTANT NOTE: Argentina uses vos for EVERYONE - there's a tú and usted that's taught and you understand it for reading etc - but in Argentina, vos is used as the default "you" singular. Plural is ustedes like you'd expect from Latin America, but vos is the default in Argentina

I would say Argentina is the most similar to how English "you" works now

Originally we had "thou" and "you", and thou was informal [looking like tú in Spanish, or du in German], and "you" was formal - much more of a big thing in Medieval times when the entire English-speaking world would have been under a monarchical feudal system

Over time in English, "you" came to be used as the only option

We tend to use "thou" to sound more Medieval in high fantasy even though it's technically informal but we perceive it as fancy

...

But anyway, Argentina's default 2nd person singular pronoun is vos

I'm not sure if Paraguay and Uruguay follow how Argentina does it, but at least with Argentina you're never guessing about formality

...

Chile is the exception with voseo

To be clear, Chile's use of vos has a weirder conjugation that's somewhere between the Argentinean way of conjugation for vos and a mix of tú in there.

While Spain says vosotros sois [which is plural], and Argentina says vos sos [which is singular], Chile would probably say something like vos eri/so instead of plain eres; not sure if that's like a swallowing of the S sound or just how it works out when you eliminate the S

While Argentina removes the I from Spain's vosotros, Chile tends to remove the S instead... so you might see vos hablái

A lot of Chilean voseo ends in an I

The other main distinction is that - to the best of my knowledge - Chile's voseo is considered low class and at times, rude

Using vos in Chile is a bit like saying "bruh" or "dude", not something you'd use with the older generation or in polite contexts

That's very different from Argentina even though they're right next to each other

-

The general (non Chilean) conjugation of vos is easier to find on WordReference but it usually looks like tú with the exception of present tense and commands

[rjzimmerman]

Why you should become a volunteer urban biodiversity scientist. (Washington Post)

Tens of thousands of species coexist with humans in the concrete jungles that live up to their name. These plants and animals are just out of sight — unless, that is, you try to look for them.

A few weekends ago, I joined 83,000 participants from around the globe to find this urban flora and fauna and share it with the world. The City Nature Challenge, or “bioblitz,” is an annual competition documenting nonhuman urbanites. Armed with no more than a smartphone and free time, nature lovers in nearly 700 cities uploaded more than 2.4 million wildlife photos to the platform iNaturalist.

These citizen scientists provide an invaluable glimpse into unlikely urban ecosystems, often in places scientists can’t venture into, such as backyards and private grounds.

“Urban areas are not like blank spaces on the map in terms of conservation value,” says Alison Young of the California Academy of Sciences, who co-founded the City Nature Challenge in 2016. “You just find things that you weren’t expecting, and things that are really important for people to know about.”

The bioblitz is the world’s largest biodiversity survey, according to iNaturalist, helping scientists craft conservation plans that recognize nature is everywhere. As the world rapidly becomes more urbanized, cities and backyards are becoming essential for saving biodiversity.

Cities are not “biological deserts,” as some have portrayed them. They act as bridges between natural reserves — even reservoirs for some wild populations — no matter how developed they might seem.

This year, volunteers sent in photos of more than 65,000 species, according to City Nature Challenge. La Paz, Bolivia, (population: 2 million humans) and Hong Kong (one of the densest cities in the world with a population of 7.3 million), each submitted around 5,000 observed species.

[joblrcensus]

it’s time for the JOblr census results 🧡🙌

before we start i want to thank everyone who took their time to answer this silly little project, gathering responses from 203 baby boos!! it’s my first time doing this so hopefully i can bring some excitement with the results <3

so buckle up and let’s get into it

general questions

Which continent are you from?

Unsurprisingly, the majority is European with a total of 80.8% but it’s amazing to see that they’ve crossed the continent’s border and we also have 9.9% people from North America, 3.9% from Australia & Oceania, 3.4% from Asia and 2% from South America. No person chose the Africa option.

Which country are you from? (optional)

With this being an optional question, 162 respondents out of 203 opted to answer it. Let’s take a look at the top countries by number of people in JOblr (small note: I counted the few people who wrote England or Scotland as part of the UK answer)

Drumrolls 🥁…..

Finland - 29

UK & USA - 15

Germany - 11

Poland - 9

Italy - 8

Australia - 7

Sweden - 6

Austria, Spain, The Netherlands - 5

Croatia, Slovenia - 4

Czechia, France, Romania - 3

Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hungary, Lithuania, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Ukraine - 2

Bolivia, Brazil, China, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, India, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Russia, Switzerland - 1

How old are you?

45.8% of us are between 18-25, following by 23.6% between 26-30, 18.2% between 31-45, 10.8% under 18 and two people who are over 45 years old.

Are you part of the LGBTQ+ community?

Remember when they said Joker Out are for the girls and gays? 🏳️‍🌈

Well that was absolutely not wrong since 77.3% baby boos answered that yes they are part of the community, while 11.8% are questioning and 10.8% have answered no

tumblr activity questions

How do you participate on JOblr?

a majority of 98 people are mostly reblogging posts in the fandom but sometimes making posts of their own, 38 are only reblogging while 36 lurkers have stepped out of the shadow and made themselves known. The least amount of people (31) said to be active posters

Do you post any of the following?

It’s already known this fandom is mad talented and entertaining!! It’s always a joy seeing everyone’s creations and posts no matter the type. And the people who are only enjoying and supporting the content are just as important 🫶

Do you also post about Käärijä?

Since these two fandoms are basically overlapping, sometimes even seen as one fandom, I was curious just how much

50.7% also post about Käärijä outside of Joker Out, while 35% don’t post about him at all (or perhaps very rarely). 14.3% are mainly coming from Käärijä’s fandom

joker out questions

How did you find out about Joker Out?

Another unsurprising result, with 89.7% of us finding out about them through Eurovision. But it was really cool to see that there are people who discovered them differently. Ten people found out about them through Tumblr or other social media, to four they were recommended by someone and one through a music platform. The “other” option was chosen as well and included:

finding out about JO through Käärijä

through a music blog review

on slovenian radio

Who from the current members is your favorite?

One of the hardest questions but it had to be done

So Tumblr’s top favorite members areee:

Bojan - 69 votes

Jan - 42 votes

Kris - 40 votes

Nace - 35 votes

Jure - 17 votes

Have you been to a Joker Out concert?

I did not expect this one to be so balanced but I am pleasantly surprised! 104 people have been to a JO concert, while 99 haven’t. It often feels like you’re the only person who hasn’t seen them live yet but it’s nice to see that you’re not alone, so if anyone feels the same don’t worry our time will come too 🥹

If you answered yes, have you seen them multiple times?

Out of the 104 people who previously answered yes, there’s still a balance between those who have been to only one concert and those who have been to multiple

If you’re into RPF, which one of the most popular ships (according to AO3) is your favorite?

Another optional question where 181 out of 203 opted to respond to.

Oh boy, ooooh boy this was a tough battle. It felt like I was watching a horse race. I can tell you that all three ships have been at some point in the first place, or even equal. Are you ready to see the most interesting result yet?

Drumrolls again 🥁…….

BoJere - 58 votes

BoKris - 57 votes

Jance - 56 votes

The “other” option was also chosen and the following ships were included:

BoMartin

Jan/Jure

Kris/Jure

Nace/Kris

Nace/Jere

poly!JO

aaaand that’s it, you made it to the end 🫶 hope you enjoyed and why not see you on the next census!!

[cypherdecypher]

Animal of the Day!

Chilean Tiger Spider (Scytodes globula)

(Photo from iNaturalist)

Conservation Status- Unlisted

Habitat- Chile; Argentina; Uruguay; Bolivia

Size (Weight/Length)- 50 mm

Diet- Insects; Recluse spiders

Cool Facts- The Chilean tiger spider has one of the craziest hunting methods I’ve ever seen. Also called the spitting spider, they are capable of spraying high velocity webs from their abdomen. After prey is immobilized from the sprayed web, the Chilean tiger spider injects it with venom. Having a ranged attack allows the Chilean tiger spider to be the only natural predator of the Chilean recluse spider. Outside of eating recluse spiders, they are also important for pest management of mosquitoes and biting flies. Chilean tiger spiders have never been medically recorded to bite a human as they only use their venom while hunting. When faced with a larger threat, they would prefer to run.

Rating- 12/10 (Their scientific name translates to leathery globe, after their abdomen.)

Requested by Anonymous

[gatheringbones]

[“For the Vietnamese revolution in the south was in many ways unique. If it belonged to a category, then that category was extremely small. Since the period of international turmoil following the Second World War there were only two successful Communist insurgency movements, one in Cuba, the other in Vietnam. In Bolivia Che Guevara brought all his theory and practical experience to bear on the miserable, exploited hinterlands, only to find the Bolivian peasants as unreceptive as stones. In Southeast Asia the Communist movements had an almost complete record of failure. In Burma, the Philippines, and Malaya, they did not succeed in gaining support from the majority of the population. In Indonesia the Party relied upon the magical figure of Sukarno and did not take the necessary steps to seize and hold power. Then, too, since the Second World War only two countries have won their independence after a protracted war with a European power: Algeria and Vietnam.

In many respects the Vietnamese war of the 1960’s was unprecedented in the history of revolutionary and independence wars. The Chinese Communists and the Viet Minh had, after all, secure base areas within their own country and a relatively weak enemy on their soil. At their greatest strength, the French forces in Vietnam numbered only seventy thousand. The United States by contrast gave the best of its armed forces and two billion dollars a month to the Vietnam War. At one point General Vo Nguyen Giap himself admitted that until the war for the south he knew nothing about “people’s war.”

During the course of the war Americans wrote a great deal about the military strategy of the NLF and relatively little about its politics. The reason is simple. Most research on Vietnam was official research, and the official American line was that the guerrilla war involved no internal political issues, but that it was merely part of the attempt of the North Vietnamese to conquer the south. As The Pentagon Papers showed, many American officials did not believe this line themselves, but it provided them with a convenient method of avoiding crucial and potentially damaging questions, such as what the political problems of South Vietnam were, and how it was that from the same population base the NLF managed to create an organization so much superior to that of the GVN. The result was that even those Americans responsible for the conduct of the war knew relatively little about their enemy, for within the NLF politics was all: it was at the same time the foundation of military strategy and its goal. For the NLF military victories were not only less important than political victories, but strictly meaningless considered in isolation from them. Those few American officials who studied the NLF saw the political focus, but did not understand its significance. Had they understood it, they might have warned that it would be better to send the Saigon regime’s army to fight without weapons than to send it to fight without a political strategy, as was the case.”]

frances fitzgerald, from fire in the lake: the vietnamese and the americans in vietnam, 1972