#"Country of Particular Concern"

[minnesotafollower]

U.S. Critical of Cuban Religious Freedom 

On May 1 the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom published its annual report for 2023.[1] This report included its List of Countries of Special Concern. In addition to Cuba the other countries on this list were Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Report’s Key Findings on Cuba[2] “In 2023, religious…

[centrally-unplanned]

Recently I have heard a bunch of people discussing Sarah Paine, a professor at the US Naval War College. Dwarkesh Patel uploaded a bunch of her lectures to his YouTube, Noah Smith (jokingly) referred to her as the One Good Historian, etc. She appeals to, in particular, the "neo hawk" camp around rising competition with China.

She had a video on Japan in WW2 which, given that that is my area of expertise, I thought I would watch...and it is weird, man. She has the cultural bent to her analysis - she approaches analyzing Japan's strategic decision-making from in part their cultural obsessions with bushido, the imperial system, etc. This is an "old guard" approach that modern historiography tends to downplay - for example, interviews with captured POWs (who didn't surrender) during the war generally showed not that they were motivated by a deep code of honor (though ofc it was there), but by propaganda from their own government that if captured the US would torture and execute them. Bansai charging makes a bit more sense now, right? But Paine isn't dogmatic about it, and it isn't like the cultural factors played no role in Japan's thinking, so this is a matter of taste.

But much more off-putting are these sort of "communist menace" vibes that run through it, where she portrays Japan as inordinately concerned with the communist forces in China as some sort of big threat. That just is not true, they did not consider them very relevant, and it leads to a bunch of weird statements. Like okay, ~27 minutes in, we have this quote:

[China in the 1930's] is a mess. It is coalescing into a bilateral competition between the Nationalists under Chiang Kai Shek and the Communists under Mao Zedong, fighting with increasing dosages of Soviet aid. And the Japanese are appalled with all of this, and so it is time to surprise everybody again in 1937 - when they invade all the way down the Chinese coast.

Essentially pitching a narrative of growing communist/nationalist civil war provoking Japan into action to intervene. Which, I am sorry, what? This is a map of China in 1937

With Nationalist China/The KMT ruling most of the country in some form and the Communist forces ruling a rump state fortress in the mountains. By 1934 the civil war was pretty much on a standstill, and in 1936 (involving a kidnapping of Chiang, diplomacy baby!) they even signed a ceasefire to unite against the Japanese. And while she can weasel-word her way out of this, most people's read of that phrasing of "Soviet aid" would think it was going to the Communist forces to help them, right? But that isn't true! The Soviets in the 1930's were giving far more aid to the Nationalists, backing them as the obvious winners and hoping to court them as an ally against Japan.

There was no rising communist threat in China in the 1930's - instead there was a growing unity in China under the KMT to oppose the Japanese that was causing Japanese military planners to fret. Which would justify Japan's "surprise intervention"...if they did that intentionally, but they didn't! The war was started essentially by mistake, and Japan (and China) both tried to negotiate a ceasefire multiple times before it spiraled out of control due to aggressive local commanders.

(This also is the case for Japan's "other" surprise she mentions, the invasion of Manchuria - it was a strategic ploy to expand the empire, yes, but by the local 'Kwangtung Army' in open defiance of the government's orders! Not exactly 'high strategy'.)

In isolation any one of these - and other examples in the video - could just be awkward phrasings or interpretive differences, but in aggregate I think this is a level of revisionism that I can't stomach as being in good faith. It is just one video but these are pretty basic mistakes to be making. I don't think this person is a good historian, which definitely makes me question her expertise on the present-day CCP.

[spanishskulduggery]

hi! i recently found out that "hacer el griego" means to have anal sex which i found hilarious, so i was wondering if you could compile a list of expressions (not necessarily sexual ones lol) related to nationalities or something like that

Yeah...... Okay, so absolutely NSFW in the first half

So in sexual things, griego always means the butt or anal sex. Like el beso griego I think means rimming. A lot of the sexual ones have different nationalities attached to them for some reason, but everyone saw Ancient Greece and was like yup butt stuff

Like la paja griega means... actually I don't know the term, but la paja in this case means "masturbation", so this is something like "hotdogging" if you catch the meaning?

That one threw me off too because in my head la paja means "straw", but hacer pajas [more Spain than anything], or pajear means "to masturbate", so una paja is some kind of non penetrative act usually just masturbation

And that's when I discovered... la paja rusa. Now my brain was like "what's Russian straw?" and googled it and it was not what I thought at all

Because la paja rusa [which is sometimes la paja cubana or I think maybe la paja española don't quote me on that particular one and don't look it up if you're in public]... is "titty fucking"

So like actual Safe for Work things below lol

-

But in general, the words used for nationalities/ethnicities [los gentilicios in Spanish, or "demonyms"] are quite common, especially among food. But I'll include things I know of:

la milanesa = breaded cutlet [literally "from Milan", it refers to a cutlet of something that is breaded and fried - you might see la milanesa de pollo meaning "(breaded) chicken cutlet" or una milanesa de res "(breaded) beef cutlet" etc]

moros y cristianos = black beans and white rice [literally "Moors and Christians" but it's a specific dish]

no hay moros en la costa = "the coast is clear" [lit. "there are no Moors on the coast" - (no) haber moros en la costa is an expression meaning "the coast is/isn't clear"; likely a reference to old piracy concerns or trade routes between Christian and Muslim countries; the term moro/a here generally refers to Muslims from North Africa, meaning Morocco specifically, but moro/a became a catch-all term for North African Muslims, and later those of Muslim descent living in Spain... be real careful about calling someone a "Moor" today because it has some racial connotations, but historical references like this are generally okay; in some slang el Moro referrs to Morocco]

moreno/a = brunette / dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin, "dark features" [again from moro/a but the term moreno/a is ubiquitous in all of Spanish to mean someone with dark features - usually hair, skin, and eyes; though it does carry an implication of North African so people have used moreno/a to imply "black" or African, not specifically that someone has dark hair so it can be racial in some cases...]

el azúcar moreno / la azúcar morena = brown sugar [same as above I just ran out of space, but this is really common for food and has no racial aspect]

el pan francés = baguette [sometimes called pan de barra "bar/rod bread", but el pan francés is specifically a baguette as opposed to a big loaf of Italian bread or something]

el brazo (de) gitano = Swiss roll [lit. "Gypsy arm" - generally I wouldn't include this because gitano/a is considered a slur in lots of places, but this is a roll cake in Spain, usually decorated... sometimes it's called la manga gitana which is like "Gypsy sleeve". Some countries call this el brazo de reina "queen's arm", and some countries simply call it el arrollado "rolled". Mexico calls it el niño envuelto "wrapped up child". I've also seen el bizcocho arrollado / enrollado which is "rolled spongecake" or "roulade cake" where the root is la rueda meaning "wheel"]

la persiana = window blinds, shutters [lit. "Persian", can be singular or plural, often "the blinds" are la persiana like one unit... ironically "Venetian blinds" are la persiana veneciana]

la macedonia (de frutas) = fruit salad, fruit cocktail / "hodgepodge" [comes from Macedonia, but this is primarily for fruit to mean "fruit cocktail"; the etymology is from Alexander the Great and his Macedonian forces that engaged in lots of miscegenation between the Greek and Persian/Middle Eastern people, what would have been considered Greece and Asia Minor; in some cases this can be "medley", like you might see la macedonia de verduras which is like a bunch of different vegetables diced very fine]

la turquesa = turquoise [from "Turkish" because it came from Turkish trade routes, though the word specifically came here by way of French]

la amazona = horsewoman, female horse rider [taken directly from Greek mythology, the Amazons were all women and known for horses and fighting; the other term for a rider is also a gentilicio... el jinete or la jineta comes from a specific Berber tribe in North Africa/the Middle East known for horses and being rowdy... and so la jineta "horserider (female)" was also a term for "slut" or "prostitute"... which is why in some contexts you will see the preferred term is el jinete for "rider" (male), and la amazona "rider" (female)]

la holanda = linen, doily [la Holanda is another word for Holland or the Netherlands (los Países Bajos or "the Low Countries" is the official one)... but la holanda as a fabric is "linen" or it refers to dainty tableware like doilies and often related to things made of el encaje "lace"]

hacerse el sueco / la sueca = to play dumb, to feign innocence [literally "to act (the part of) the Swede" or "to pretend to be Swedish" - the general term for this in Spanish is hacerse el tonto / la tonta which is "to play the fool"]

la pimienta de Jamaica = allspice [lit. "Jamaica pepper"]

la jamaica = hibiscus [not always - el hibisco is still common, but in Mexico for example is you're getting agua de jamaica it's hibiscus]

la montaña rusa = roller coaster [lit. "Russian mountain" - given that Catherine the Great had lots of roller coasters made of ice mountains and tracks and it was really popular at the time... ironically Russians call it "American mountains"]

hablar en chino = to speak gibberish, "it's all Greek to me" [it's literally "to speak in Chinese"]

tablas mexicanas = Mexican stand-off [also duelo mexicano, duelo a la mexicana... which mean "Mexican duel"]

la llave inglesa = wrench [la llave normally means "key", but it can also be "wrench" - la llave inglesa is a specific wrench and probably the most common]

despedirse a la francesa = "to leave without saying goodbye" [though it means "to say goodbye like the French", in English we say "Irish goodbye"]

This one is disputed but el flamenco as in Flamenco dancing is sometimes said to be from flamenco/a which meant "Flemish" as in from Flanders. The other etymology is Arabic and not a gentilicio

There are also lots of words for "jeans" and some of them are gentilicios. Like los jeans is the most common but you'll also see los vaqueros in Spain which means "cowboy(s)". In the same vein...

los tejanos = jeans [lit. "Texan(s)"]

los mahones = jeans [lit. "from Mahon" noted for very blue water]

The other word for "jeans" is just la mezclilla which is "denim" [lit. it's a diminutive of la mezcla "mix"]

-

A handful of cooking terms or condiments are also gentilicios... think Tabasco sauce meaning it comes from Tabasco which is a Nahuatl word. But basic ones - "mayonnaise" is from Mahon, or "hollandaise" is Holland, etc.

Culinary terms, botany terms, and zoology have these all over the place, and usually it's obvious and sometimes it's not

In cooking you'll see a lot of a la though. That's "something-style"

pulpo a la gallega = Galician style octopus

merluza a la vasca = Basque style hake

albóndigas a la romana = Roman style meatballs

sopa a la poblana = Puebla style soup

This isn't unique to Spanish, and you'll also see other words used like a la jardinera is "gardener-style", a la marinera or "marinara" means "sailor-style", or a la cazadora "hunter-style". Italian does this a lot too... like "puttanesca" means "whore-style"

It's very much like saying "Florentine" in English and knowing that it usually involves spinach, or "Francaise" means a lemon and white wine sauce etc. Wines and cheeses also take on these meanings, like "Champagne" or champán comes from a specific region in France, and so does Oaxaca cheese etc.

Worth noting not all words with a or a la with food are like this; al horno is "oven-baked", and a la parilla is "grilled" etc.

Also if you see serrano/a it often means "mountain", as la sierra is "mountain range", or it means "saw" the idea of the peaks looking like saw teeth; but if something is listed as serrano or a la serrana it means "mountain-style"

Occasionally foods themselves carry this idea; jalapeño peppers come from Xalapa in Mexico, el danés is a "Danish" as in pastry, or there's la tortilla española which is the Spanish potato omelette [note: la tortilla means "omelette" in Spanish, related to the word "to flip", so it usually involves eggs... the tortillas you get with something like tacos are sometimes called la tortilla de harina "flour tortilla" or la tortilla de maíz "corn tortilla" to specify]'

There's also el damasco which is the Latin American version of "apricot"; Spain tends towards el albaricoque but Latin America calls it "Damascus" like the capital of Syria

And in older etymology la sandía "watermelon" referred to Sindh in Pakistan

[sgiandubh]

Chain of fools

Promo season seems to always reactivate #BestOfFans' predatory instincts. Today, one of the people I was mildly 'following' on X, knowing she was a very decent, half-clandestine shipper had the naivete to share a pic taken today with C. Lo and behold, the KGB across the street immediately started the screeching. I would have granted them a pass, were it not for the very curious angle they chose to present things, this time:

Most, if not ALL of the women involved in that conversation were born and lived their entire lives in a country where democracy was never completely obliterated. They have no idea, nor direct experience of what a dictatorship looks and sounds and feels like and yet they look and sound and feel exactly like The Pravda, circa 1951, where enemies of the people (including Americans, so basically... themselves?!) were currently called 'reactionary/ imperialist vipers'. Replace shipper by 'enemy of the people' and voilà:

'Because she's a known shipper enemy of the people and has been one for a long time. All smiles around Cait and on SM and her tumblr page she's a snake like the rest of her ilk.'

Most, if not ALL of the women involved in that revolting conversation can recite by heart The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag:

[Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance]

'With liberty and justice for all'. This includes the freedom of speech, set into stone by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which reads:

[Source: https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-1/]

You think I am overreacting? In that case, I wouldn't be the only one. It took me exactly three minutes to find on Google a short, but very interesting blog post about the metaphor of the snake being used as a dehumanizing tool in many totalitarian regimes' official rhetoric and media. I will quote it briefly, leaving the rather ironic references to current US politics aside. I find it very interesting and enlightening, for a certain pervasive mentality, in some regions of this fandom:

[Source: https://www.dangerousspeech.org/libraries/beware-of-snakes-a-common-dehumanization-trope]

I have written it before and I probably will write it again, but the Eastern European I am feels unsettled and worried about this. It is not only unsavory, it is violent and denotes a totalitarian way of thinking I am very surprised to find in the minds of these mature women, who lived in complete freedom for all of their lives.

Oh, and by the way. Given that particular 'enemy of the people''s active and very public commitment to charities supported by C (you know, as in raising money for WCC and so on...), I am absolutely sure C knows very well who she is. And I wonder what were they expecting from her, in a work-related context nonetheless, even if (the premise is perfectly absurd, as C does not give a fuck about fandom wars) C would not stand shippers.

By the same token, why would C offer anything more than a vague, borderline formulaic birthday reference while talking to the press, knowing fully well each and every word she utters would be immediately dissected to death and weaponized by the factions of this fandom?

Ironically, their knowledge about Eastern Europe is about zero. I just had to LOL (not really), reading this very serious and concerned dialogue between Marple and The Vulgar Canadian Journo. The Canadian was pissed off about Maril showing up, as she is supposed to, for promo, in NYC:

It's not STAZI, madams, but STASI - short for Ministerium für Staatssicherheit, or Ministry for the State Security. Each and every USSR satellite state had one, but both of these arrogant and superficial Westerners make it sound like a harmless gossip and propaganda machine. In reality, the STASI, along with its sister institutions, was a supremely powerful, merciless apparatus that crushed tens and tens of thousands of lives, encouraged hatred and denouncement (for money, political protection and social climbing) even within the same family. And I personally remember the day where an agent of the local STASI, the Securitate, picked me up from school, walked with me for almost one hour until he left me on my doorstep, in a cruel attempt to make me denounce Shipper Mom. I was nine years old. I will never forget, nor forgive. I felt raped. You don't care and you could never understand, of course, but for the love of God, keep off such complicated tropes you have no idea about.

[thislovintime]

Clip from In The Mind Of, 2007.

“Christianity as it is now practiced by most people who call themselves Christians in this country is pretty shabby. Sometimes the true Christian spirit seems dead. But I can see it coming out of the woodwork now. I think the flower children are an example of the true Christian spirit. That means love and participation.” - Peter Tork, Fave, March 1968 “For me, spirituality means the growing awareness of the connection between ourselves and that which cares, shows care, for us without thought of material gain. (It doesn't have to be anything transcendent, either. A strong community, even a good therapy group could do the trick.) How to come by this spiritual connection is one of the great questions of the age. Some churches may be of use here. I get a lot out of reading and practicing Zen Buddhism (which is not a religion, at least as we usually mean that word).” - Peter Tork, Ask Peter Tork, 2008 “Someone recently said that people who want to talk to you about their religion rarely want to hear about yours. I am only too aware that my expressing my spiritual/religious views leaves me open to the charge of proselytizing, which I don't want to do. Everyone has to come to their own views, as far as I'm concerned, whether or not certain conventional religions provide a suitable framework. Having said all that, tho', and since you asked, I will try to give you a quick sketch. Firstly, eastern ‘religions’ (I use quote marks to say maybe they aren't religions*) have indeed been a huge source for me. My mom gave me a book on Zen when I was in my teens, and while I didn't get much from it then, I have found in the years since that Zen Buddhism has an attitude that appeals to me a great deal, as far as I understand it. I'm something of a minimalist, I think, at least in these matters, and Zen has been about as minimal as it's possible to be and still say anything at all. Incidentally, I can also recommend anything by Krishnamurti, who might be seen as uncompromising to the limit, but he's great anyway. I grew up in an agnostic/atheistic/non-theistic household. I wondered for years what everybody was on about when they said ‘God.’ I certainly wasn't interested in whatever religion the good boys and girls in school were into, usually Catholic, sometimes Protestant. My father didn't believe in the God he was presented with, and I don't believe in that God either. Howsomever, I do believe that awareness of a connectedness of some sort is critical to human well-being. One Zen teacher said ‘Life is the teacher.’ That made all kinds of sense to me, because whatever we're talking about here, it has to be real. Unverifiable assertions are useless to me, so if it's real, it will show in real life, some way, somehow, some time. Anyway, all of that is partly to say that I had no particular religion to break away from at home, except the ‘religion’ of rationalism. I did have a set-to or two with my father about my developing sense of connection, which included phenomena he couldn't allow himself to believe were even possible. That part was tough, and we never did completely reconcile over the point, tho' we got along okay thru the rest of his life. […] *Some of the schools of thought I follow don't engage with the concept of God at all. Maybe better to think of them as psychologies or philosophies.” - Peter Tork, Ask Peter Tork, 2010

[voltaridylla]

What are you headcanons concerning Bebe's parents? We don't have proper names for them, do we? How'd you imagine they met and what their relationship is like. How that influenced Bebe and her relationship with them of course.

OKAY IM SO SAD BECAUSE I HAD DRAWINGS OF THEM BUT I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED THE PAGE WHEN I WAS HALF ASLEEP 😭 anyways. A lot of this is based purely on speculation and my own thoughts from episodes like Bebe’s Boobs, Spoiled Whore and TFBW !! I was desperate to yap about this so I’m happy hehe.

-They’re both unnamed so I decided to call them: Elanore Stevens and Justin Bonetti. Elanore is typical Welsh, Irish, French and German ancestry while Justin is Italian American. Basing this purely on vibes.

-Elanore Stevens is the matriarch. Justin took on her name when they got married. Basing this on the throw away line « Stevens women are very smart. » I just think it implies that it’s HER side of the family not her dads.

-I don’t have a story of how they met but I think it would be funny if they were college or highschool sweet hearts. Elanore had a few boyfriends while Elanore was Justin’s first or second proper relationship. Based on dynamics? what I have in mind is: Elanore is the main provider while Justin is a stay at home dad. In the FBW he is seen at home washing dishes (quote unquote traditionally ‘women’s’ roles.) For example, she’s the one who has the final say, makes the plans and is particular about every detail - while Justin is happy to help where he can, be the person she can wind down with and he gives her the needed massages.

-With that in mind, I think she works as a hair dresser. There’s something about her vibe that SCREAMS hairdresser to me - partially because back in my home country all of the hairdressers looked and dressed like her lmfao. It would also explain why Bebe’s curly hair is well taken care of - this will overlap with another point in a bit.

-I think while yes Mrs Stevens is a ditz, a bit dotty. I think she’s more on the social side, she attends all of the town’s meetings takes part in their demonstrations/protests so this could parallel her and Bebe’s need for being perceived as ‘better’ than they actually are. Bebe saw her mother making such a point about showing their faces to every event, even if she didn’t care about it. She’d converse with the other mothers and yet none of them invited her to sit with them (this is me noticing how all of the moms in the later seasons never have her around. It’s probably not deep but it works for my headcanons lol.) It’s all for show and it’s why Bebe grows up with this NEED to have control in how she’s viewed.

-Bebe gets her romantic heart from her mother too, they’d rent romcoms and watch them together. Elanore has terrible relationship advice, a bit more on the traditional side, perhaps because heartbreak isn’t nice and she doesn’t want her daughter having to go through so much searching. She’d say things like “oh he’s just a boy, they all make mistakes” and the likes and in turn this does explain a reason for why Clyde and Bebe are stuck together.

-So back to the hairstylist point - I took this from @kennys-parka-jacket’s headcanon list because I think the idea is really sweet. For years Bebe tried to separate herself from her mother, viewing her as kind of stupid and unintelligent, but as she gets older they do get closer or at least form a bond. Bebe goes to her hair salon and in PC - Bebe wears similar makeup to her mom, it would be cute if they bond over the more mundane things, like fashion, celebrity gossip, shoes and makeup and that’s where they really get on.

-As for her dad: Justin and Bebe are very close. With the line at the end of Spoiled Whore being “from now on you’ll dress like a little girl.” There’s something about it that says to me he would be a positive male role in Bebe’s life since we see how she’s been objectified and that could damage just about anyones self perception. Maybe it’s odd and I don’t want to sound weird but I think he would value his daughter wanting to not care about appearances just based on that line. To be a ‘little girl’ and I can see her and her dad having a close bond and being the figure she goes to after a bad break up. Justin and Bebe talk too, he would be the one to know about Bebe’s friend groups, the drama and he’d do his best to at least give advice.

-I can see Elanore ranting as well to Justin about why Bebe only ever seems to go to him over her but that’s just an idea that came to mind as I’m typing.

A lot of this centres around Bebe’s mom but I hope you like some of these rambles !!! I wish they’d get more screen-time in the show since with the crumbs we have it’s really intriguing to me.

[justinsentertainmentcorner]

Ben Beaumont-Thomas at The Guardian:

A performance by R&B star Kehlani at Cornell University in New York State has been cancelled, with the university’s president saying the booking of the singer had “injected division and discord” at Cornell, due to her making what were felt to be “antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments”. Kehlani was due to perform at Slope Day, an annual Cornell celebration marking the end of the academic year. But president Michael I Kotlikoff wrote in a public statement: “In the days since Kehlani was announced, I have heard grave concerns from our community that many are angry, hurt, and confused that Slope Day would feature a performer who has espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media. While any artist has the right in our country to express hateful views, Slope Day is about uniting our community, not dividing it.” Kehlani, whose first two albums reached the US Top 3 in 2017 and 2020, has publicly supported Palestine a number of times. She appeared in front of Palestinian flags in the video to her 2024 song Next 2 U, wearing a suit stitched with keffiyeh scarf material. The video also features the words “long live the intifada” at the outset, a phrase which has been chanted at protests over the Israel-Gaza war. “Intifada” has been used to name particular armed conflicts between Palestinians and Israelis, and also to general Palestinian resistance to Israel. Some US politicians and academics have equated the term, which translates as “shaking off”, with calls for violence, even genocide, against Jewish people. In an Instagram post announcing the song, Kehlani quoted US artist-activist Toni Cade Bambara’s aphorism “the role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible”, and added: “As an artist, i was nervous [to release Next 2 U]. terrified … paired with the crippling wonder of what music is appropriate to drop during the most historical tragedies of our generation.” A T-shirt made in Palestine was sold alongside the song to raise funds for aid organisation Operation Olive Branch. In a video in May 2024 castigating some of her music peers for their lack of comments on the war, Kehlani said “fuck Israel, fuck Zionism”. The Guardian has contacted representatives of Kehlani for comment. Kotlikoff acknowledged that “my decision will be celebrated by some and criticised by others. I believe it is the right thing to do and the decision I must make to ensure community and safety at this high-profile event”. Numerous US university campuses have seen pro-Palestine protests on their grounds since the October 2023 outbreak of war, and in March this year, 60 universities were sent warning letters by the Department for Education, telling them to “fulfill their obligations … to protect Jewish students on campus”. Secretary of education Linda McMahon characterised the campus protests as “relentless antisemitic eruptions”.

R&B singer Kehlani had her Cornell performance cancelled over comments supporting Palestinians. This is just another disgraceful episode of cancelling speech critical of Israel’s apartheid regime.

[santoschristos]

Quetzalcoatl Christ Consciousness.

In the sacred history of Meso-America, a Christ-like figure dominates the spiritual horizon. His name is Quetzalcoatl, which means the Plumed Serpent.

Christ is a cosmic force, an energy and intelligence that radiates in everything. In any religion, no matter what the name, no matter the country or the tradition, the primary concern of that religion is Christ, even if that religion doesn’t use that word.

The word Christ is derived from a Greek term, Khrestos. The word Christ is a title. It is a cosmic force. It is energy, a radiation, a vibration, a sound.

Ancient scriptures state that in the beginning God sounded. If you study the creation mythologies of any religion, you always find that in the first instances, in the first moments, what emerged was a vibration, energy, a force, a light, a sound; that is Christ.

That force is beyond any name, beyond any concept, beyond any thought, beyond any title, beyond any belief.

It is something incomprehensible, immeasurable, and eternal. Everything that we are, everything that we experience, everything that we can ever imagine or perceive, is merely a derivative of Christ.

This is how all encompassing and overpowering this energy is.

Absolutely everything in existence is merely a derivative of Christ. So when we talk about Christ, we are not talking about a man; we are not even talking about a God.

We are talking about a force, a cosmic ray, a living, vibrating, resounding energy.

There are many names for this energy that emerges out of the nothingness. In Kabbalah, it is called Ain Soph Aur.

Some Western traditions have called it “the ray of creation.”

The ancient Native Americans, the Aztec, and Maya, had many names for this ray of light, but the most famous is Quetzalcoatl.

The Christians call it Yeshua, Jesus Christ, the Son. In the East, there are thousands of names for this energy: Avalokiteshvara, Chenresig, Krishna, Vishnu, Osiris, Ahura Mazda, and Fu Xi.

These names all refer to the same primordial energy, which is the very heart and soul and purpose and meaning of religion.

This is very important to understand because we have inherited from our different cultures and tradition different mistaken concepts about religion, and especially about Christ.

People nowadays have limited the term Christ to a person. This is wrong.

They have limited the term Christ to a mere God, and this is also wrong.

They have limited the term Christ to one religion and this is wrong.

The force of Christ is universal, but religion is not. Religions are born, grow, sustain, and die. Religions belong to time.

They belong to a particular place and a particular time. That is, religions have a narrow focus on a particular psychology.

They all come from the one universal primordial religion, which is cosmic and eternal, and is the worship and science of Christ.

I am not referring to a modern system or belief, but to the ultimate primordial science which is beyond anything that we can conceive of, write down, or put in a book.

"Christ is beyond all of that."

"In every atom of your body is the fire of life, and that is Christ."

"The energy that gives you the capacity to think is Christ."

"The energy that flows in your emotions is Christ."

"The energy that gives you the power to see, to feel, to think, to receive, to experience, is Christ."

"The energy in the sun, the energy that spins the Earth, the energy that forms a butterfly, the energy that allows the clouds to float in the sky, is Christ."

"When you think of Christ, do not limit your thought to one man who lived two thousand years ago."

"Do not limit your thought to a statue, a scripture, a quote, a concept, or an idea of what Christ is."

"Instead, open your eyes and look around you."

"Look within you."

That is where you will find Christ.

Christ is in your breath, in the pumping of your heart, in the sensations which reach all of your senses in every moment.

There is a transformation of energy happening right now, and that is Christ.

The true yogi, the true aspirant, the true practitioner, does not think of Christ as an idea, a concept, something that is limited in the mind.

The true devotee of Christ looks for Christ in every instant, in every face, in every eye, in every word, in every image, in every animal, in every plant.

The true devotee of Christ is always seeking to perceive and witness that energy in action in the universe right now.

That is how you find Christ: right now. In your breath, through your eyes, through your ears, through touch, through taste and through smell, Christ is there in everything, without limitation.

Everything that exists is a modification of Christ, and everything vibrates with that energy..

~ Victory.

Happy Winter Solstice, everybody!

Image: Quetzalcoatl, the Plumed Serpent Artwork by Mahaboka

[infernaltenor]

the niki shiina analysis post i heavily procrastinated on, also known as "niki shiina is stupid on purpose"

"as opposed to stupid on accident?" yes.

this goes hand in hand with my other niki shiina analysis, otherwise known as niki "why in gods name would i think about my problems" shiina.

where is this particular opinion coming from? oh well. his parents. see, the thing is, he never mentions them. we know niki's parents are out of the country and have been for at least 5 years, as during hot limit, niki's already living on his own despite being 14. while theyre mentioned by eichi in the main story, its nothing else aside from that niki's father was knocked off the air by idols, resulting in them leaving. i just think its really interesting how niki deliberately doesn't bring them up. hell, he's not opposed to other people's problems, expressing concern for rinne in the main story and kohaku during the ss arc.

another aspect of this is the "casual putting of himself down" which kohaku noted enough to comment on. it's something i think factors into what niki hopes to have others perception of him be, mostly because its his own; that he's an idiot, especially considering his lower level of education from other characters in the game (not that it matters much in his unit, considering himeru is probably the only member who got close to finishing school), but he has a few weird lines where (imo) hes pushing the idea that hes an idiot, and not that he actually is one.

for instance, in both ss and hot limit, he makes references to how he "isnt paying attention" and has "no interest" when overcomplicated idol conversations come up, meaning that it has little to do with his actual comprehension of the situations and a lot more to do with his lack of interest. even more interesting to me is when in date plan, he says that he "wants" to only think about cooking, not his usual quote that he does only think about cooking. this makes me think that niki puts up a deliberate front of being an idiot, like hes pushing for being to be underestimated.

[minnesotafollower]

U.S. Designates Cuba as a “Country of Particular Concern” Regarding Religious Freedom  

On January 4, 2024, the U.S. Department of State issued a press statement by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, entitled “Religious Freedom Designations.” According to that statement, he had designated Cuba and 11 other countries as “Countries of Particular Concern” which by statute are those “countries that commit systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.”[1] This…

[coimbrabertone]

Cautiously Optimistic - Liberty Media Buying MotoGP

So, Liberty Media, owners of Formula One, are officially trying to buy MotoGP. This has been rumored for the last few months, with Dorna Sports - the parent company of MotoGP and World Superbike - had spent the last few years making the kind of moves you'd make before a big sale. The launch of sprint races in MotoGP, appointing a new CCO in the form of Dan Rossomondo, and expanding the calendar with new races in new markets.

Nevertheless, there were always question marks over whether Liberty Media could own both MotoGP and Formula One, because precedent suggested they could not. As Simon Patterson reported for the Race, in 2006, CVC Capital Partners acquired Formula One and thus European regulators ordered them to sell off MotoGP. Thus, MotoGP was sold to another private equity firm, Bridgepoint. Bridgepoint would then acquire World Superbike in 2013, and evidently owning the two premier global motorcycle racing series didn't seem to bother any regulators at that point.

I can't help but combine that with a quote from Dan Rossomondo made at some point while being the Chief Commercial Officer of MotoGP. Rossomondo said, essentially, that MotoGP doesn't just compete with other racing series, it competes with going out for a walk, listening to music, and all the other things you could do on a Sunday instead of sitting down and watching a motorcycle race.

Was that more than just an innocuous quote? Maybe it's a hint of how Dorna and Liberty will make their case to various regulatory bodies to justify this merger.

Whether or not that's true, Liberty Media seems confident that they're going to pass regulatory approval. How exactly that'll happen remains to be seen - some have suggested that World Superbike will be sold off as a sort of sacrificial lamb to allow this to happen - but it now seems like MotoGP and F1 will very likely end up under the same ownership.

So...what does that mean for MotoGP?

Well, it means that the company that turned F1 into this trendy giant of a series is going to give some of that marketing love to MotoGP. That can only be a good thing - MotoGP is fantastic racing and it deserves more attention.

Will MotoGP see a move from historic venues to chase new markets? I would argue that it already has. Dorna has already been chasing emerging markets and a simple look at the calendar will show that - Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, India, etc, etc. Not only that, but that's arguably a necessary decision for MotoGP because, quite frankly, those are the countries that are buying motorcycles these days. 1000cc sport bikes? Not necessarily, but quite frankly, KTM doesn't even make a 1000cc sport bike, so MotoGP has become more of a showcase of the motorcycle industry rather than a marketing tool for a particular type of motorcycle.

Will this result in MotoGP chasing street circuits like F1 did? Well, Liberty Media has already said no, and as much as the word of giant corporations is worthless in 2024, simple safety concerns make it unfeasible. MotoGP needs a ton of space and big gravel traps to stop the bikes - and more importantly, the riders - in the kind of dramatic crashes that can happen in this sport.

What do I think will happen? Well, in the short term, not much, but come 2026, 2027 when circuit contracts start expiring, I suspect we'll lose a few existing venues - having four races in Spain presents an obvious opportunity for some trimming - and probably gain another race in the US (likely that Flatrock track in Tennessee) and if I had to guess, another one in East Asia, most likely China.

Maybe India will pave the way towards MotoGP reviving old, disused F1 tracks, and we could see the likes of South Korea and Istanbul Park added to the MotoGP calendar. If not MotoGP, then WSBK with a Turkish star in the form of Toprak Razgatlioglu really ought to consider it.

Anyway, the way I see it, the legitimate criticisms that F1 fans have with Liberty Media - being greedy, chasing new venues at the expense of historic ones, pushing the teams hard by constantly expanding the schedule - is all stuff that Dorna has already been doing. Even the complaints about the Drive to Survive drama, Dorna has tried two different DTS clones and neither one moved the needle. If you're going to be doing these things anyway, you might as well do them with the company that has at least been successful with it.

For now though, I have MotoGP coverage through Max and TruTV in the US, commercial free, and that's a dramatic improvement over how I had to watch the series last year. Dan Rossomondo's team has made MotoGP far more accessible and pleasant to watch already, and if that can continue under Liberty Media's ownership, then I hope this series that I've fallen in love with over the last year and a half can grow.

Thus, the overall verdict is...I'm cautiously optimistic.

[mariacallous]

The Kremlin has a problem with democracy – also with the European Union’s democracy. According to the Kremlin’s claims, there is not enough of it: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is an unelected leader. Russian state outlets conveniently forget the Spitzenkandidaten or the Lead candidate process(opens in a new tab) that establishes a political link between the nomination of the President of the European Commission and the political composition of the European Parliament. Ursula von der Leyen ran successfully in that campaign.

The Queen’s army of bureaucrats

Ursula von der Leyen is now accused by Russian state outlets with global reach like RT, Sputnik and others of plotting a coup against the member states in order to militarise the bloc and lead it into war against Russia. She is allegedly assisted by an army of Brussels bureaucrats, equally unelected and unaccountable. In Moscow’s story, von der Leyen’s administration is based on an imperial Presidency: she is ‘Queen Ursula’, according to RT(opens in a new tab) [Russia Today]; a Russian state-run influence and intelligence operation disguised as a media outlet(opens in a new tab). RT has been under EU sanctions(opens in a new tab) since early March 2022; more about RT here.

Russian state-owned outlets tried to tarnish and denigrate the June 2024 European parliament elections in a long-running campaign which we unmasked in this series of articles. The campaign continues now with these claims criticising President von der Leyen and the EU leadership in general.

The start of the second von der Leyen Commission by 1st December 2024 has prompted another flurry of copy/paste attacks against President von der Leyen, some of the incoming European Commissioners, and the European Union in general.

Claiming ‘Russophobes’ are in charge

The main issue Kremlin-controlled outlets take with the next European Commission concerns its members and where they come from: ‘nonentities with inflated self-esteem(opens in a new tab)’, according to the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, a onetime presidential seat-warmer himself.

According to this narrative, the incoming European Commission has handed EU foreign policy to ‘Russia-haters’. RT opined(opens in a new tab) and singled out the former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as the nominee for High Representative/ Vice President, Josef Sikela, the former Czech Minister of Industry and Trade as the EU Commissioner for International Partnership, and the former Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius as the Commissioner for Defence, whom RT called ‘Commissioner for War against Russia(opens in a new tab)’.

These accusations are but the latest in a string of personal attacks against Kaja Kallas in particular, who is framed as a hysterical Russophobe from a country run by Nazis(opens in a new tab).

Achieving ‘Defence Union’

Not only does Moscow want to undermine the individual commissioners but the policy is also a problem – in particular, the idea of an EU ‘Defence Union’. Some Russian officials take these plans as a sign that the EU is now turning into a military alliance, which will be subservient to the United States and NATO.

The European Union threatens to ‘provoke a new big disaster with its militarisation’, according to Konstantin Gavrilov, head of the official Russian delegation at the Vienna talks on military security and arms control. Gavrilov was quoted as saying(opens in a new tab) that Russia was ‘closely monitoring the growing trend towards the militarisation of the European Union, which indicates the intention of this once purely economic and political association to continue confrontation with Russia’.

Going Nazi – again and again

One outlet attributed(opens in a new tab) the move towards a Defence Union to ‘fear-mongering by the Baltic states, Poland and some other Central and Eastern European countries’. According to the Strategic Culture Foundation(opens in a new tab), which is found to be another Moscow influence operation(opens in a new tab) with dubious background(opens in a new tab), the problem goes even deeper: imperialism and Nazism.

The claim goes: ‘NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine against Russia is the continuation of Western imperialism to subjugate Russian territory that was previously pursued by Nazi Germany’. The further disinformation suggests that the EU has abandoned its traditional pacifism and has now turned into a ‘financial war machine’ for NATO.

The Nazi theme is an obsession, which has dominated Moscow’s propaganda since late 2021.

Seizing power

A final charge against President von der Leyen claims that she is planning a ‘seizure of power(opens in a new tab)’ to turn the Commission into a supranational, authoritarian authority that can punish EU member states(opens in a new tab) that disagree with EU policies decided in Brussels.

According to pro-Kremlin outlets these policies include: first, the EU’s unwavering support of Ukraine as the country defends itself against the illegal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Russia.

Secondly, the EU’s push to ‘divert cohesion funding’ to ‘arm against the Russians(opens in a new tab)’ and ‘overthrow(opens in a new tab)’ those national governments in Member States that oppose the EU’s alleged militarisation.

No other topics were nearly as prominent in the pro-Kremlin coverage of the incoming European Commission as the EU’s wartime approach(opens in a new tab) towards Russia and its alleged transformation into a militaristic bloc.

Stay tuned as we at EUvsDisinfo continue to track and expose these narratives over the next European Commission term. Don’t be deceived.

[princessfaerygia]

Walking to the gym. Wearing dark green cardigan, Adidas black t shirt, blue leggings, and fluffy black neck warmer. The weather is actually too cold for just a cardigan. Hopefully the sun warms up on my walk home. Ok I went a lil wild last night and purchased the lacey frilly white and black socks. My boyfriend is going to dislike them. I just wanted them so much. I'm concerned with my orders from Etsy. At least one of them, the one from country Turkey, hasn't taken money out of my card yet. I really want the product. God says he will provide us with clothing. Do not worry. So from now on every month I'm going to stop buying things online, also stop buying clothes because I have enough now. I may purchase another pair of black leggings though. Just because all my leggings are multicolored and a bit goofy. My boyfriend loves my lotus elephant leggings. They are pink and brown. I slept well last night but am going to drink my orange dreamsicle energy drink once I get to the gym. It's vegan! All alani drinks are vegan. My fave energy drinks used to be Celsius and reignstorm. Reignstorm mango energy drink is still really good but hard to find🥭…anyway i'm an alani woman now lol. The sky is pale blue and it has indeed warmed up a tiny bit as I walk. Banana peel on ground as I pass. I love bananas! When I was mentally ill living in the city, I used to walk around picking up trash just to help tidy up. It's kinda OCD of me. But there's a quote in life, "to be useful, to count." And I enjoy living by that. Though I nearly never pick up trash now. Still do sometimes tho lol. My friend loves sleeping beauty, two mutuals. I barely remember that Disney movie. But is it the one with Aurora and Angelina Jolie played the dark fairy witch? I remember that particular movie. Though old Disney cartoon looks far more vintage and ethereal. My favorite Disney movie is probably the Lion King. And beauty and the beast. That makes me miss my jolly dad. I wonder if mom put his clean sheets on his bed or was too tired from everything else, she has multiple schlerosis. But she does very good with it! She volunteers with horses and cooks for family every night. I want to visit them soon but always want to be with my boyfriend. Unfortunately my family is very Catholic and doesn't allow my boyfriend inside the house. Its saddening. Ok well I'm almost at gym. TTYL 🐾

[beardedmrbean]

Newspaper Helsingin Sanomat covers the Russian media reaction to Finland preparing to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, which bans the use of anti-personnel mines.

"Finland is suspected of wanting to create a minefield on the Russian border," the online magazine Lenta.ru wrote. Lenta is one of Russia's most popular news sites and a Kremlin-controlled media outlet.

Lenta and other news outlets, such as Gazeta.ru — part of the same media group — quoted Russian political scientist Konstantin Khudoley, an academic from St Petersburg and member of the Russian International Affairs Council.

Khudoley stated that Finland is "preparing for war".

The article goes on at length and in numbers about Finland, describing what was once a "good neighbour" to Russia, with a strong bunker network and possessing "Europe's most combat-ready army".

"In that case, a line of minefields may appear on the border between Russia and Finland," Khudoley stated, the only justification in the article for the comment on minefields on the border.

Russia, for its part, has never joined the Ottawa Convention and has actively used the types of mines banned by the treaty as part of its invasion of Ukraine.

According to Russian state news agency Tass, the Kremlin's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that in addition to words, Finland should take concrete actions if it wants to improve its relations with Russia.

Zakharova called on Finland to stop anti-Russian narratives and open the "illegally closed" border.

"If hostilities [in Ukraine] end, opening the border between Finland and Russia and loosening restrictions will become possible," Khudoley added.

However, he admitted that he expects Finland to take a "very, very reserved attitude" in this regard.

Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (NCP) took a tougher stance on Saturday, arguing that now is not the time to open up dialogue with Russia.

Heightened US passport controls

Tabloid Iltalehti reported that while Finns travelling to the US might face heightened scrutiny at passport controls, the Finnish Foreign Ministry cannot always help.

Jussi Tanner, Head of Consular Affairs at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, told IL that the Foreign Ministry has some anecdotal evidence that the checks at the US border has been more thorough than in the past.

"It falls within the normal range as we understand it, at least for now," Tanner said.

"However, we must bear in mind that we do not know what the real difficulties facing Europeans are that have been reported. There may be underlying causes that have not been reported," he added.

This has also been reflected in the ministry's travel advisory to the United States, updated a few weeks ago.

Another change to the travel advisory made in the last month concerns the new US requirement to indicate sex at birth in visa or ESTA applications.

If a Finnish citizen gets into trouble and is apprehended at US border control, the ministry has limited options to assist.

"The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will ensure that a person's fundamental rights are respected, in particular the right to legal assistance, for example, a lawyer and, if necessary, an interpreter if the person does not understand the local language," said Tanner.

If the US authorities consider that the conditions for entry are not met, the ministry does not have the power to help the person to enter the country.

Lynx population doubles in two decades

Rural-focused newspaper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus reports that the number of lynxes in Finland has more than doubled in two decades, with around 2,300 individuals classified as a viable population.

According to Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) researcher Annika Herrero, key factors include legal protection since the 1960s, plentiful prey and the species’ strong reproductive capacity.

Lynxes are wild predator cats found across Finland, except in northern reindeer herding areas in Finnish Lapland and parts of Ostrobothnia.

Finland’s other large carnivores include the brown bear, wolf and wolverine. Bears number just over 2,100 and are mainly in eastern Finland, while wolves (approx. 300) and wolverines (approx. 400) are considered critically endangered.

The government has proposed changes to hunting laws to allow population management hunting of large carnivores, aiming to maintain the distance between humans and wildlife in a response to rising numbers near settlements.

A government proposal on the issue was revealed last week. According to Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah (CD), the changes are aimed at a more balanced large game policy.

The proposal has sparked significant public interest, with 260 comments and opinions submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, far above average.

[mitchipedia]

“The Anti-Social Century: Americans are now spending more time alone than ever. It’s changing our personalities, our politics, and even our relationship to reality.”

An in-depth longread by Derek Thompson at The Atlantic.

This solitude epidemic is not the same as loneliness. Despite public statements to the contrary, we’re not in the middle of a loneliness epidemic. We’re just choosing to be alone, Thompson notes:

… compared with 2003, Americans are more likely to take meetings from home, to shop from home, to be entertained at home, to eat at home, and even to worship at home. Practically the entire economy has reoriented itself to allow Americans to stay within their four walls. This phenomenon cannot be reduced to remote work. It is something far more totalizing—something more like “remote life.”

…

the cardinal rule of contemporary apartment design is that every room is built to accommodate maximal screen time.

…

Despite a consumer economy that seems optimized for introverted behavior, we would have happier days, years, and lives if we resisted the undertow of the convenience curse—if we talked with more strangers, belonged to more groups, and left the house for more activities.

Social media and other screen time means we’re never truly alone, which is part of the problem. We don’t get time to recharge.

But Thompson ends on a hopeful note. He quotes political scientist Robert D. Putnam, author of the seminal 2000 book Bowling Alone:

” I have a view that is uncommon among social scientists, which is that moral revolutions are real and they change our culture," Robert Putnam told me. In the early 20th century, a group of liberal Christians, including the pastor Walter Rauschenbusch, urged other Christians to expand their faith from a narrow concern for personal salvation to a public concern for justice. Their movement, which became known as the Social Gospel, was instrumental in passing major political reforms, such as the abolition of child labor. It also encouraged a more communitarian approach to American life, which manifested in an array of entirely secular congregations that met in union halls and community centers and dining rooms. All of this came out of a particular alchemy of writing and thinking and organizing. No one can say precisely how to change a nation’s moral-emotional atmosphere, but what’s certain is that atmospheres do change. Our smallest actions create norms. Our norms create values. Our values drive behavior. And our behaviors cascade.

The anti-social century is the result of one such cascade, of chosen solitude, accelerated by digital-world progress and physical-world regress. But if one cascade brought us into an anti-social century, another can bring about a social century. New norms are possible; they’re being created all the time. Independent bookstores are booming–the American Booksellers Association has reported more than 50 percent growth since 2009–and in cities such as New York City and Washington, D.C., many of them have become miniature theaters, with regular standing-room-only crowds gathered for author readings. More districts and states are banning smartphones in schools, a national experiment that could, optimistically, improve children’s focus and their physical-world relationships. In the past few years, board-game cafés have flowered across the country, and their business is expected to nearly double by 2030. These cafés buck an 80-year trend. Instead of turning a previously social form of entertainment into a private one, they turn a living-room pastime into a destination activity. As sweeping as the social revolution I’ve described might seem, it’s built from the ground up by institutions and decisions that are profoundly within our control: as humble as a café, as small as a new phone locker at school.

Since last year, I have been making more of an effort to get out into the community, in my own introverted, nerdy socially maladroit way. I’ve joined the Masons and rejoined the board of the La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club. Also, inspired by this whimsical Tumblr post, I’ve started a personal calendar of local community events that it might be fun to go to. All of this is a start.

[rmelster]

Hello friend

Who was the favourite child of Isabella of Castile and Henry VII Of England?

Did Prince juan love Margaret of Austria?

Hi, catherinemybeloved :D

Isabella of Castile seemed to have particular deference for her eldest (and for nearly eight years, her sole) child and namesake, Princess Isabella of Aragon -however, her disregard for her grief only show us that she would much rather sacrifice the happiness of a daughter if hers rather than sacrificing an alliance-, but most undoubtedly, her favourite child was, in fact, her only son, Juan (John), Prince of Asturias. She reportedly referred to him as “my angel”, and made the best to provide him with an exceptional education. Juan was a kind-hearted and cultured lad, but his health was frail, having been born with a cleft lip and suffering from frequent fainting fits; though in his time it was deemed that this was due to the stress Isabella I had endured when suppressing a fight between men that had occurred while she was heavy with child, one cannot help but wonder if he was the first of the many victims of the endogamy that the Spanish royal family would endure. On another hand, Catalina (Catherine / Katherine) was Ferdinand’s favourite. As the kings’ fourth child to make it to adulthood, Maria was more unnoticed, but deemed a valuable dynastic pawn nonetheless. Joanna, however, would have an strained relationship with her parents, and it is well known that Isabella I had her severely punished for “daring to defy their faith” as a young teenager, this punishments reportedly involving physical torture. (Every time I revisit Isabella I, I like her less. She seemed like a royal jerk if you ask me; good at her role of Queen in most things, but not less of a jerk, to put it lightly. Her treatment towards her niece Joanna and to her daughter, as well as the whole Inquisition stuff and dare I say the handling of the whole Christopher Columbus ‘discovering’ America matter is plain awful, though I don’t much of the last point)

As for Henry VII, I would say that it was Arthur to whom he was the closest of, but also his daughter Margaret, whose departure to Scotland was deemed specially painful for the still grieving king. In a way, I feel like he made no acute difference between his children, contrary to the Catholic Kings, who appeared to firmly believe that saying of “to spare the rod is to spoil the child” (o la letra con sangre entra, in Spanish).

Margaret of Austria came to Spain with a heavy heart, since she was meant to be married to the king of France, Charles (she had been sent to be raised in france since she was very young too, but he had called the engagement off to promptly marry Margaret’s former stepmother, Anne of Brittany; later, Margaret thought of marrying Charles’ successor, Louis XII, who was annulling his marriage to Joan of Valois, but again, the king of France chose Anne of Brittany), and to be married into a country that she deemed not as refined as France must have stung to such a well-educated and ambitious lady; but Juan was sensible and gentle, and love flourished in her heart. It is well recorded that Juan loved Margaret of Austria. He was infatuated with her, and entered in such a frenzy for her physical affection (something that must have clashed with his seemingly happy but sheltered upraising) that it became concerning for the kings’ advisors, who feared for his fragile health worsening, to such Isabella I dismissed them by saying “what God has joined ought not to be separated by man” (I quote this very loosely, since I read it somewhere long ago); sadly, they were right. Juan’s health declined and died soon into his marriage; Margaret, pregnant, would suffer the stillbirth of a boy, or a girl, and within some years, remarried to the Duke of Savoy, who she was very fond of. His early death left her again a young, heartbroken and childless widow, and though she was suggested as a possible bride for the recently widowed Henry VII (an old portrait of her was sent to his court), she refused to remarry, and eventually, her father, emperor Maximilian I, appointed her as Governor of the Netherlands, a role she played most successfully and of which she would become pioneer of a long line of female, equally successful Governors of the Netherlands.