flaminm

messi doesn't need to prove anything anymore at this point in his career.

unlike ronaldo, who became hugely popular through his hairstyle, facial expressions, flashy lifestyle, and iconic goal celebrations, messi just scores when he can, creates assists when he can't, plays his game, and moves on.

even as a ronaldo fan, it's pretty easy to see that the scales have started to tip in messi's favor.

years ago i witnessed a man cheating on his wife, and what's more, he was telling everyone about it shamelessly, without an ounce of embarrassment, laughing his head off. i couldn't sleep for nights, ate myself up over it thinking this is just too much, and if i'd seen his wife i'd have told her purely because of this brazenness. about a year later or so i heard that this idiot of ours got caught by his wife with someone else. by the way, they're still married...

when the internet first came about there was a more qualified user base, if we think about the bbs era, there were even networks you could reach by dialing a number. you'd pick the source directly and move forward. right now people who don't even know how to read and write properly are using the internet, and technology has actually evolved to a level that people at that level can understand and be steered toward purchases, and everything falls apart from here. everything gets tried in order to draw engagement with garbage content.

i definitely miss the old news server days, it was like small neighborhoods of a few thousand people. right now if i said "xor," there are plenty of people from my generation on ekşi sözlük who'd get it and crack a smile.

i think there could be a solution and a way out of this. in my opinion what's needed is an indexing website, but one that'll imitate instagram and be text-based. people will create blog pages with their own domains, and everyone will publish their content on their own website, and the indexing website will present the daily published posts to followers with an interface similar to instagram reels. on the index, users will be able to follow relevant blogs, and they'll also be able to follow tags and discover different sites. a site like this might not gain acceptance among general users, but it'll be popular among qualified researchers or people who love to read.

this entry is about banshee, the action series that aired for four seasons between 2013 and 2016.

you find yourself wondering what could possibly happen in this small (and fictional) town called banshee in pennsylvania, but right from the very first episodes the show proves there's no limit to it. the people living in this town where almost everyone knows everyone else should count themselves lucky if they can make it home at the end of the day without getting their faces smashed in. this production, where crimes you couldn't dream up in your wildest imagination come to life, pulls you in like a magnet no matter how hard you try to keep your distance; before you know it, four seasons have flown by like water.

this production, which pushes and even crosses the limits of violence, sex, bloodshed, and cliches, is the kind of show that brings out the dexter inside you and polishes it up. the interesting thing is that while you're criticizing the show's cliches, at a certain point you yourself fall for the charm of those very cliches.

when i started watching the first season, the scenes that hit like a slap and the cliche lines that stuck out here and there had pushed me away from the show, but as i started to bond with the characters, my enjoyment of the production grew too. as a matter of fact, when you evaluate the show independently of its plot and screenplay, you notice it's quite a high-quality piece of work from a cinematic standpoint, but the story is so dominant and attention-grabbing that its visual and technical success often stays in the background. maybe what really keeps you watching is precisely this technical quality.

on the writing side, the fact that jonathan tropper and david schickler come from novelist backgrounds adds serious depth to the story. and we shouldn't forget the contribution of alan ball in the producer's chair.

despite all the criticisms, the logical flaws, and the at-times over-the-top storytelling, thanks to its strong performances, high tension, and gripping story it's turned out to be one of those productions that deserves to be watched.

what follows counts as a spoiler...

--spoiler--
the show's plot begins with an unnamed diamond thief, fresh out after serving 15 years in prison, taking on the identity of the newly killed sheriff and becoming the sheriff of the town of banshee in pennsylvania. this man, who comes to town to find his ex-girlfriend and partner in crime anastasia, is forced to confront his past all over again. anastasia, meanwhile, is living a quiet family life under a new identity, but the ghosts of the past, the dangerous mob boss mr. rabbit in particular, won't stop chasing them.

another important figure in town is kai proctor, the powerful crime boss who left the amish community. in the story you also witness the crimes of various groups, like a biker gang, a native american group, and a nazi community. the fake sheriff lucas hood tries to enforce the law by his own methods on one hand, while carrying the burden of his crime-filled past on the other.

in this show, which gives me the feeling i'm watching a modern lucky luke story, i think the character i empathized with most was lucas hood; justice sometimes isn't served through laws, and hood is a character who proves this nicely. i think the side characters are handled with a lot of care too. in fact, after a while you become knowledgeable enough about each of them to do a long, drawn-out character analysis. watch out; at a certain point you might start to feel like one of the natives of this small, bloody town yourself.
--spoiler--

"condoms led to negative evolution.

intelligent people used birth control and reproduced less, while stupid people multiplied uncontrollably..." nagsimo sakara

there’s a word in german: sehnsucht.

i don’t think there’s a perfect translation for it in english. maybe there is, but i don’t know one.

it’s that feeling when you deeply long for something you’ve never had, never experienced, or never even truly known.

it begins with the cutting of the umbilical cord.

right now, what’s happening in new york city is honestly absurd. rent has gone completely out of control. even studio apartments are going for four to five thousand dollars a month. so mamdani says, “i’m going to freeze rent increases, and the city will build affordable housing.” can he actually do that? i have no idea, because it’s a complicated issue. the mayor can’t just snap his fingers and freeze rent. the state government has to approve. we’ll see how that plays out. at the very least, i think he’ll try.

public transit is a whole separate disaster. the subway system is falling apart. half the stations don’t even have elevators. they replaced the old metrocard with this new omny system, but it barely works. you used to be able to buy unlimited weekly or monthly metrocards, but they removed those. now omny claims you ride 12 times in a week and then it becomes unlimited, but then you check and your balance is negative instead of unlimited. it’s a mess.

food prices are skyrocketing. i see it where i live. there’s a trader joe’s nearby, and everyone shops there because at least it’s a little more affordable and the quality is good. other grocery stores are empty because everyone flocks to trader joe’s. and it makes sense: if you’re paying thousands for a tiny studio, of course you’re waiting in line for cheaper groceries.

anyway, what i’m saying is: people here are hungry for food that is both good and affordable. so mamdani says, “the city should run its own grocery chain. not for profit. its mission will be to provide good, affordable food.” it’s like the public city cafeterias i̇mamoğlu started in istanbul, and i fully support that idea.

new york’s city budget is around $130 billion. so the money exists to do these things. but of course, it’s not that simple. for example, he says public transit should be free. but the transit system is run by the mta, which is a state organization, not a city one. so mamdani would need to negotiate with the state. either the city covers the revenue the mta would lose, or the city starts its own bus system in selected neighborhoods as a pilot.

he also talks about free healthcare clinics. that’s actually realistic because it already exists in some form. there is a program called nyc care. i was unemployed for a while and enrolled in it, and for a year i didn’t pay a single dollar for hospital visits. if he expands that, it’s already a win.

he also promises free childcare, a $30 minimum wage, and higher taxes on the wealthy. we’ll see how much of that he can actually deliver.

but here’s what i want to emphasize: this guy won as an openly socialist candidate in the capital city of capitalism. that means something. it means you cannot just buy new york. people are saying “enough.” new york is not only wealthy folks in the upper east side. we live here too. you can’t just pretend we don’t exist.

cuomo’s side poured millions into trying to defeat him. trump supporters and billionaires backed cuomo. and even with all that money behind his opponent, mamdani still won.

have you ever heard of the region-beta paradox?

imagine someone starting a new job. they tell themselves, “if my office is less than a mile away, i’ll walk. but if it’s farther, i’ll bike.” walking is clearly their first choice because it means the job is close and easy. but it turns out the office is two miles away, so they have to bike.

here’s where the paradox comes in. if the office were only a mile away, walking would take ten or fifteen minutes. but because it’s two miles and they bike, it only takes four or five minutes. the situation they thought was worse actually works out better. seen from a time-saving perspective, it makes perfect sense. strange, right?

psychologist dan gilbert from harvard university described this idea in 2006 and called it the region-beta paradox. he explained that people often get stuck in situations that are only mildly uncomfortable. they’re not bad enough to fix, but not good enough to truly enjoy. because these situations don’t cross the brain’s “alarm threshold,” we don’t change them. we just adapt.

the region-beta paradox reminds us that sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better. it’s the space where seemingly negative outcomes can lead to surprisingly positive ones.

think about it: your relationship isn’t amazing, but it’s not terrible either. you tell yourself, “we’re fine.” years pass. your job is okay. the pay’s decent, your boss isn’t bad, but you wake up every morning feeling drained. you think, “it’s fine for now.” five years go by. you have a small ache that’s not serious enough for a doctor, but not minor enough to ignore. months later, it’s still there.

that “it’s fine” zone is where life quietly stagnates. if things were worse, you’d take action. if they were better, you’d enjoy them. but in the middle, you stay stuck.

maybe if that relationship ended, you’d meet someone who truly fits you. maybe if you left that dull job, you’d find one that excites you. maybe if you stopped tolerating that ache, you’d catch a health issue early.

sometimes a setback forces you forward, because that’s when you finally get on the bike. when discomfort increases, instinct takes over. when it’s mild, you just adapt.

the region-beta paradox is a hidden trap — the comfort of “not bad.” it’s not the disasters that ruin us. it’s the “it’s fine” moments that quietly do.

so remember: don’t forget to get on your bike.

the wampanoag are a native american community from the northeast who have lived for thousands of years in what is now massachusetts and rhode island. they are known for their farming, fishing, and strong traditions, and they played an important role in early american history when europeans first arrived.

a spiritual shepherd in sneakers. exiled monk, global peace icon, and master of dropping wisdom bombs with a smile. proof that compassion can go viral.

a russian oligarch who played chess with power in the '90s - kingmaker, exile, and enigma. rose with the empire, fell out with the czar, and died wrapped in conspiracy.

the guy who looked at the world and said, "it's all one big rigged game." architect of world-systems theory. saw capitalism not as a phase, but as the global plot twist we're still stuck in.

a reality-bending force of fame who turned selfies, scandals, and shapewear into a billion-dollar empire. proof that in the age of algorithms, influence > inheritance.

synonyms: mogul, muse, meme generator

tesla gets the sun confused with traffic lights video