elisi's humble abode

What I didn't have on my bingo card for 2026 was AI LEGO videos from Iran... (Probably the only use of AI slop that I would defend.) I hope they have educated many people on issues they might otherwise not know. (Yes they're propaganda, but when speaking about the rot in America they are not wrong.)

Now there are many, many videos, but this one's my favourite:


Same sun rising, but we're living in hell,
while the leaders are ringing the funeral bell.
Love for the people, but the system must cease,
from Tehran to DC, we're screaming for peace...

~

I don't feel like writing any essays on the situation, but I still vividly remember the Green Movement in 2009. (Just follow the tag to see my posts from back then.) It's where this icon is from. Remember watching the news with hope and terror, seeing the sea of people protesting and thinking that surely they would win?

And then they didn't.

I have re-uploaded a video from back then (8.81MB):

My Elementary Schoolmate.flv

My Elementary Schoolmate.mov

My Elementary Schoolmate.wmv

Content/trigger warning: The footage is exclusively from the 2009 protests. Very raw and powerful, and a lot of violence and injury.

The song is from 1979, and apparently they were singing again during the Green Revolution. (Lyrics here.)

So yeah. The Iranians know a lot about living under a repressive regime... A regime that America/the West is responsible for.


ETA: The sophistication of the LEGO videos is what gets me. America (and Israel, let's not forget) is trying to bomb a people into submission or rebellion. (Bombing a school is... not the way to achieve this.)

Whereas Iranian creators are doing something much cleverer: They are not only exposing the elites and the crimes, but highlighting all the flaws in the system, the bloodstained history of the colonisers: You are a victim too. ('We share the same pain...')

More videos, but I am putting them under the cut:

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Hope everyone is okay in all the snowstorms across the pond. Not to mention the ICE... :(

Life is a Sacred Text: Actions to take as ICE intensifies
Ways to support MN and your own community

Penelope Trunk: Why you should send money to Minneapolis right now
(includes links)

Josh Johnson's latest set. These are difficult times, but we are blessed with some incredible people who are able to meet the moment. Josh is one of those.

If you're overwhelmed by the news this morning, please watch this:


This one's silly, but we need a bit of silliness:



And a couple of articles that I want to be able to find again:

BBC: John Simpson: 'I've reported on 40 wars but I've never seen a year like 2025'

The Guardian: 'Of course he abused pupils’: ex-Dulwich teacher speaks out about Farage racism claims

And Cuomo was a gracious loser, congratulating Mamdani and telling people off who were booing! I had forgotten what that looked like.

And then youtube suggested this, and it's wonderful:

Josh Johnson Gives Impromptu Speech About AI and Algorithms during set in Rochester, NY


ETA: Oh and Josh Johnson also has a whole bit about this election:



:)

Can't remember where I came across this, but thought I'd share:

Who Goes MAGA?


And this popped up in my suggested on youtube:



Also, this is fascinating:

Trump’s mass deportation is backfiring
Money quote:
And all told, Trump’s second term has actually led to the most sympathy for migrants on record in the 21st century, per Gallup. Fully 79% of Americans now say immigration is a “good thing,” compared with 64% last year.

The Economist:
President Trump’s mindless tariffs will cause economic havoc
But the rest of the world can limit the damage

The Bulwark:
The American Age Is Over
Emergency Triad: The United States commits imperial suicide.

The quote that really stood out to me:

Europeans are moving ahead with their own security plans because they realize, as a French minister put it, “We cannot leave the security of Europe in the hands of voters in Wisconsin every four years.” He was right.

BBC:
Trump tariffs: How island of penguins and seals ended up on list

38 degrees petition:

Don't sell off our NHS for a trade deal with Trump

Parliament Petitions:

Do not stop transgender people from receiving care in mainstream hospital wards

Regulate the brightness and type of vehicle headlights allowed

A collection of... things I have been meaning to share.

One thing outside the cut, in case there are people who haven't seen it:

French politician Claude Malhuret critiqued the United States' shifting stance on Ukraine and targeted President Donald Trump in his remarks during a general session of the French Senate on Tuesday 4 March 2025.
Watch the whole thing.




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In positive news, the weather is gorgeous and spring-like.

Via shadowkat.

Les Misérables Epilogue Scene Performed at the White House Governors Ball by the US Army Chorus


Singing Truth to Power <3

So, there are SO MANY downsides to living In Interesting Times. But sometimes. Sometimes it's worth it.



Slava Ukraini! 👏👏👏 This man is a legend.

And it's crazy to think that this is the same man - this music video is from back when he was an actor.

Антитіла (Antytila) - Lego / Official Video


The band (Antytila) all joined up and are paramedics in the army.