(turkish: ayasofya) a cathedral built in the 6th century in modern-day istanbul, turkey. constructed under the direction of byzantine emperor justinian i, it is considered one of, if not the most significant byzantine monuments. it stands today as a symbol of the religious developments that have taken place throughout the ages in this city. presenting elements of both islam and christianity alike, it started as an orthodox christian temple and was converted to a muslim mosque after the ottoman conquest in 1543. it was converted to a museum and named a unesco world heritage site in 1934, and has since been converted back to a mosque.

narcissism means excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one's physical appearance. people with lots of facebook friends more likely to be narcissists.

in 1765, parliament passed the quartering act, requiring the colonies to provide housing for 10,000 british soldiers. a year later, two regiments of redcoats, as british soldiers were sometimes called because of their uniforms, arrived in boston. the people maintained an uneasy peace with the redcoats until march 5, 1770, when an unruly mob taunted some soldiers. the soldiers opened fire, killing three bostonians; two more later died of their wounds. calm followed for the next two years, but the basic conflict had not been resolved.

samuel adams, one of the most radical patriots, began calling the incident the boston massacre. for several years, patriots cited this incident as an example of british brutality.

(aka the lone star state) in the 1820s, moses austin, followed by his son stephen, gained permission from the mexican government to settle 300 american families in the state of coahuila, soon to be known as texas. thousands more settlers were granted permission and followed. by 1830, they outnumbered mexicans in the region four to one.

in 1835, the dictator of mexico, general santa anna, moved an army into texas to establish military control. about 100 texans defended their settlements at the alamo. on march 6, 1836, surrounded by 5,000 troops, they were all killed. other conflicts followed. the texans, inspired by the rallying cry "remember the alamo!" overwhelmed the mexicans and captured santa anna. in september, the republic of texas was formed, with sam houston as president. the lone star republic would remain independent until 1845, when it was annexed by the united states.

in 1936, the olympic summer games were held in germany, and adolf hitler wanted it to be a great showcase of german-or aryan-racial superiority. but jesse owens, an african american track and field star, stole the show, setting records and winning four gold medals.

a platform where a gazillion series and movies can be found. of course not available out of the usa.

do-it-yourself.

curiosity. a great curiosity.

rabbi abraham twerski talks about the difference between selfish love and true love, which must be a love of giving and not of receiving.

transcript:

"'young man. why are you eating that fish?' the young mans says, 'because i love fish.' he says, 'oh. you love the fish. that's why you took it out of the water and killed it and boiled it.' he says, 'don't tell me you love the fish. you love yourself, and because the fish tastes good to you; therefore, you took it out of the water and killed it and boiled it.'

"so much of what is love is fish love. young couple falls in love. young man and young woman fall in love. what does that mean? that means that he saw in this woman someone who he felt could provide him with all of his physical and emotional needs, and she felt in this man somebody she feels that she can write, that was love, but each one is looking out for their own needs. it's not love for the other. the other person becomes a vehicle for my gratification.

"too much of what is called love is fish love. an external love is not on what i'm going to get but i'm going to give. we had an ethicist rabbi dessler, who said, 'people make a serious mistake in thinking that you give to those whom you love, and the real answer is you love those to whom you give.'

his point is if i give something to you, i've invested myself in you. since self-love is a given, everybody loves themselves, now that part of me has become in you, there's part of me in you that i love. true love is a love of giving, not a love of receiving.'

here are a few famous quotes on love from some of history's most notable philosophers:

— "love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." - aristotle
— "love is not consolation. it is light." - simone weil
— "love is the expression of the one who loves, not of the one who is loved." - soren kierkegaard
— "love is the affinity which links and draws together the elements of the world... love, in fact, is the agent of universal synthesis." - pierre teilhard de chardin
— "love is an endless act of forgiveness. forgiveness is me giving up the right to hurt you for hurting me." - beyonce giselle knowles-carter
— "love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit." - peter ustinov
— "to love another person is to see the face of god." - victor hugo
— "love is an untamed force. when we try to control it, it destroys us. when we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. when we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused." - paulo coelho

propaganda is a type of communication that aims to influence people's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors towards a particular agenda or cause. it can take many forms, such as advertising, political campaigns, and media messages. essentially, propaganda seeks to persuade people to support a particular point of view or action, often through the use of emotional appeals, misinformation, or selective presentation of information.

the history of propaganda is a long and complex one, with examples dating back to ancient times when rulers used various means to control their subjects. however, the modern form of propaganda emerged during the world war i era, when governments and political groups began using mass media to shape public opinion and gain support for their war efforts. the term "propaganda" itself was first coined by the catholic church in the 17th century to describe its efforts to spread the faith.

throughout the 20th century, propaganda played a significant role in the rise of totalitarian regimes, such as nazi germany and the soviet union, who used it to control and manipulate their populations. propaganda was also used during the cold war by both the united states and the soviet union to influence public opinion and gain support for their respective ideologies.

while propaganda and public relations (pr) both involve communication aimed at influencing public opinion, there are some key differences between the two. public relations aims to build and maintain a positive image of an organization or individual through truthful and transparent communication strategies. it is often used for commercial or corporate purposes, such as promoting a product or service. propaganda, on the other hand, often involves the use of misleading or false information to manipulate people's beliefs and actions towards a particular agenda. it is typically associated with political or ideological agendas, rather than commercial or corporate ones.

the 2023 israel-hamas war, also referred to as "operation iron swords" by israel, and as the "battle of seif al-quds" by hamas, marked a significant and deadly escalation in the long-standing israeli-palestinian conflict. this conflict has deep historical roots, primarily revolving around territorial, national, and religious disputes between israelis and palestinians.

the immediate events leading to the war began on october 7, 2023, when hamas launched a large-scale attack on southern israel from the gaza strip. this attack involved gunmen entering israeli territory, resulting in significant casualties and hostages being taken back to gaza. in response, israel launched extensive military airstrikes and a ground invasion aimed at neutralizing hamas' military capabilities and recovering hostages.

historically, the gaza strip has been a focal point of conflict. hamas, which governs gaza, is designated as a terrorist organization by israel, the united states, and the european union, among others. it took control of gaza in 2007, following its victory in the 2006 palestinian legislative elections and subsequent conflicts with the fatah party. the israeli government has since imposed blockades on gaza, citing the need to limit hamas' ability to arm itself. these blockades, coupled with repeated cycles of conflict, have led to significant humanitarian issues in gaza.

the broader historical context includes the establishment of israel in 1948, subsequent arab-israeli wars, and ongoing disputes over territories and the rights of palestinians and israelis. various peace efforts over the decades, including the oslo accords in the 1990s, have attempted to address these issues but have largely failed to achieve a lasting resolution.

the 2023 conflict has been marked by extensive military operations, significant casualties on both sides, and widespread international concern over the humanitarian impact, particularly in gaza. efforts by other countries and international organizations to mediate have continued, but the situation remains highly volatile and deeply complex.

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i once considered buying a tesla until the u.s. elections made it painfully clear what kind of person elon musk really is. after seeing his behavior and the values he promotes, i couldn't justify supporting him. and i'm not alone. people around the world have been backing away from tesla, with some even going as far as setting their teslas on fire.

in germany alone, tesla sales have dropped by 75%. the company's stock has lost billions of dollars in value. and have you noticed that when you post something critical about tesla on twitter, the engagement seems to disappear? that's not a coincidence.

if you're thinking about buying a tesla, think twice. there are better alternatives out there from companies that don't come with this baggage.

the new deal was the u.s. government's huge "oh shit" response to the great depression in the 1930s. when the stock market crashed in 1929, unemployment hit nearly 25%, banks were collapsing left and right, and people were literally lining up for bread. fdr (franklin d. roosevelt), who became president in 1933, rolled out the new deal as an emergency playbook to save the economy and calm the chaos.