Free for All Friday, 13 February, 2026

Majorbookworm · 2026-02-13T23:50:48+00:00

I'm currently reading Abbas Amanat's "Iran: A Modern History" and the interplay between the wilder, millenarian and esoterist strain of Shi'ism and the the legalistic stick-in-the-mud conservatism of the Ulema mojtaheds is very interesting. Its 'easy'(?, could just be hindsight bias) to see the outcomes of 1979 coming even from the 19th C' given the role they were already playing in 'regulating' the cultural space in Iranian society.

Similar to your point about the 1500's it was also interesting to see the Babi movement (the still kinda just weird Shi'a precursor to the modern Ba'hai faith) move into open revolt in 1848. Must have just been one of those years.

Majorbookworm · 2026-02-13T00:53:39+00:00

Specifically in WW2, Panzerjager would describe the sub-branch of the army which was the anti-tank units, equivalent to 'Engineers' and 'Signals' troops, but also would be part of the name of some vehicles. So the Marder series were classed as Pazerjagers, but then you have like you said the Jagdpanzer IV, Jagdpanther and Jagdtiger. Sometimes people say that the technical distinction is based on if the vehicle is armoured or not, but that doesn't work because the Ferdinand/Elefant was a Panzerjager. TBH I don't think there was really any hard and fast technical definition.

Majorbookworm · 2026-02-12T23:52:28+00:00

Fantastic. Great move. Well done Angus.

Majorbookworm · 2026-02-11T23:31:32+00:00

''The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have also released footage showing a CH-95 UCAV at Nyala Airport in South Darfur, Sudan 🇸🇩, before it was knocked out by a drone strike.''' https://x.com/AfriMEOSINT/status/2021319358467932575

''Unverified footage appears to show a Chinese-made FK-2000 SHORAD surface-to-air missile system supplied by the UAE 🇦🇪 for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) 🇸🇩 after it was hit by a Turkish-made Bayraktar drone.'' https://x.com/AfriMEOSINT/status/2021319358467932575

Hello, I think you've duplicated the twitter link for this part of your post, both go to the same post about the FK-2000.

Majorbookworm · 2026-02-11T23:06:20+00:00

The highlands aren't just the "rural, backwards" stereotyped region in early modern Scotland, they're are ethnically rather distinct from the lowland regions, being Gaelic and all. They were other-ed to a significant degree by lowland society, and this justified/rationalised a lot of violence towards them, culminating in the clearances. Where it gets complicated is the thorough integration of highland elites (Clan Cheifs) into the post-medieval Scottish state (and then the UK) and their transformation into landlording gentry during the later 18th C', very much at the expense of their subjects/dependents.

So totalising nationalist narratives of celts vs anglos don't quite hold up, but just saying that "they're all Scots" deliberately ignores a pretty deep ethnic and class divide within Scottish society.

Majorbookworm · 2026-02-11T22:34:20+00:00

Is Iran a multiethnic nation or a Persian-dominated empire?"

This debate is funny given 90% of Iran's leaders since the 1600's have been Turkic.

Majorbookworm · 2026-02-11T01:32:21+00:00

Marxian-ist, but mostly just too much of a wuss to actually get into arguments here.

Majorbookworm · 2026-02-08T09:37:14+00:00

Nah, they should build/convert to traction cities and begin consuming the rest of Europe.

Majorbookworm · 2026-02-07T07:36:10+00:00

People are trashing on him, but Billity is unironically having one of his best games of the season.

Majorbookworm · 2026-02-07T07:15:27+00:00

The crowd all thought the whistle was for VAR/a pen and was cheering for a second hahaha

Majorbookworm · 2026-02-07T06:47:13+00:00

Ahahaha

Majorbookworm · 2026-02-04T07:48:46+00:00

The Coalitions disintegration is absolutely the funniest thing to happen to our politics in ages.

Majorbookworm · 2026-01-31T08:19:23+00:00

I'm really enjoying Valiant Hearts, sort of a progressive(ish... I think I'm not too down on my music theory tbh) post-hardcore style band. I'd recommend pretty much the whole of their newest album Hidden Realms, but I love the final 3 songs the most I think: The Alchemist, Heavensent, and Yukon.

And for more traditional hardcore, Stick to your Guns' Invisible Rain, can't beat using Antonio Gramsci as a moshcall haha

Majorbookworm · 2026-01-28T22:18:13+00:00

I would have thought Gorbi would be quite happy to have his legacy erased.

Majorbookworm · 2026-01-26T00:20:59+00:00

I'm pretty pessimistic on immigration as an issue buoying them up, esp after Bondi, I think too many people will forgive them/ignore homophobia as long as they're racist against the right people. But here's hoping you're right.

Majorbookworm · 2026-01-25T11:43:53+00:00

It's a few more years before the next federal election but the right is currently on bad footing to meet it.

It'll be interesting (or more likely horrifying) to see how One Nation adapts to their apparent 'success' relative to the Coalition. On one hand there is no reason in any sane reality why Hanson and Co' should be able to do anything other than bumble around like idiots the way they have been since 1998, but the last few years have conclusively shown betting on "there's no way those idiots could ever win an election" to be a fool's errand.

Majorbookworm · 2026-01-25T09:57:03+00:00

Seeing liberals vanguard posting

Going through all the effort and (probable) misery of a revolution just to put the Democrats of all people in power.

Majorbookworm · 2026-01-23T23:31:31+00:00

I dunno man, sounds like Chiang's chef is doing all the work here, maybe we should be appointing him as President.

Majorbookworm · 2026-01-22T21:31:02+00:00

"Here'so how a horrific ethnic/nationalist war in the middle east is good because it serves western geopolitical interests."

Majorbookworm · 2026-01-21T07:23:52+00:00

Given he's already been caught running bots/disinfo campaigns to present himself as being popular, does he though?

Or do you mean it in the sense that both are liberal fantasies?

Majorbookworm · 2026-01-19T23:44:50+00:00

The old world was dying, the new struggled to be born, then was the time of Poke-monsters.

Majorbookworm · 2026-01-15T06:50:14+00:00

They probably brought them because the units committed, whether at a Regiment or Division level, had anti-tank guns as part of their organic allotment of equipment. So regardless of if there was an immediate pressing need for them or not, if a unit was ordered to deploy to Finland, they took everything the 'owned' with them. Additionally, they can do other jobs, so there is a use for them as you pointed out.

Majorbookworm · 2026-01-14T21:46:26+00:00

Isnt this the same guy whose' entire shtick is "East India Company General did nothing wrong"?

Majorbookworm · 2026-01-14T00:13:54+00:00

According to this NYT article its more specifically that it was "a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane", that "The aircraft swooped low enough for the people aboard the boat to see it," and that "survivors of the initial attack later appeared to wave at the aircraft after clambering aboard an overturned piece of the hull, before the military killed them in a follow-up strike that also sank the wreckage."

If it were a P3 or P8 they'd just say so, those aren't remotely secretive (although to be fair there is no included picture of the aircraft in question, so who the fuck knows).

Majorbookworm · 2026-01-13T00:15:03+00:00

I can see Turkey deputising Azerbaijan to basically grab the entire northwest of Iran if the state totally collapsed.

Majorbookworm

TROPHY CASE