Iran Has Pivoted to Video. The classic US stereotype of attempted Iranian ideological indoctrination via chants of “Death to America” and such has been old hat for quite some time.

As noted by the New York Times on Saturday, in the past few years Iranian pro- government propaganda efforts have increasingly taken the form of rap videos glorifying the country’s military, spread on sites like local You. Tube equivalent Apparat and apps like Telegram. The Times rounded up some of the most high- profile attempts to appeal to the nation’s youth by pairing Iranian rappers with sweeping shots of military personnel and CGI- infused battle scenes, some of which are pretty over- the- top. They’re fascinating to watch, especially at a time when the current presidential administration has gone full hawk on Iran. They’re also more than a little uncomfortable, both because they show an oppressive government’s approach to a digitized era of propaganda and, if we’re being honest, they do kind of resemble pro- military media produced in places like the US. One video highlighted by the paper features Amir Tataloo, a musician with a “hard- partying, gangster- style reputation,” who extolled “our absolute right / to have an armed Persian gulf” while singing alongside naval personnel on the frigate Damavand.

The Simpsons fans may notice a strong “Yvan Eht Nioj” vibe.)Another video from last year, titled “We Will Resist,” cost $2. US fighter jets bombing a mosque by a sunny beach, flanked by newly constructed oil refineries. A battalion of Iranian youth carrying flags retaliate by charging towards the water, conjuring up a gigantic tidal wave which sinks the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet. Another released in 2. Seraj Cyberspace Organization, which is affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Basij volunteer militia, shows Iranian- backed fighters in Syria taking the fight to ISIS insurgents flying the terror group’s infamous black flag. Hd Quality Ice Age Watch. The video features Hamid Zamani, who the Times noted was the mastermind behind the anti- imperialist song “USA.”“By Zaynab, we are the defenders of Damascus!” the singer croons as a sniper takes out an ISIS fighter in slow- motion.

Husayn’s sister calls us to the Golden Shrine / How can the flames of death possibly set it ablaze?”Another Iranian propaganda effort highlighted by the Times was the 9. CGI action film Battle of the Persian Gulf II, which stars an animated version of Quds Force commander Gen. Qassem Suleimani annihilating US troops and naval forces.“The Americans threaten us, we want to say, ‘If you attack us, if you dare to do so, a rain of hot melted lead will be poured on you,” co- creator Farhad Azimi told the paper. The American aircraft carriers, vessels and warships will be sunk and converted into beautiful aquariums in the bed of the Persian Gulf.”So yeah, all this is unsettling. But again, lest Americans get too high on their horses about this, the US military- industrial complex, its marketing partners and Hollywood filmmakers have basically been doing higher- budget versions of the same thing for decades. One of the more obvious examples is the NFL, where flashy flyovers with high- tech military jets, troops marching with flags and even camouflage jersey sales have been a fixture for years, and the military has pumped tens of millions of dollars into patriotic displays at sports games. Others include the close relationship between the military and the video game industry, or its tight collaboration with the movie industry.

1. One video highlighted by the paper features Amir Tataloo, a musician with a “hard-partying, gangster-style reputation,” who extolled “our absolute right / to.
2. GameTrailers is your destination to see official trailers first. Powered by IGN, you can expect to see world-first exclusive gameplay and the hottest new tra.
3. A devastating heat wave surging through southern Europe has earned the unofficial moniker of “Lucifer,” according to several news reports this weekend. Things.

Indications are strong President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking ways to back out of the US- Iran nuclear deal, per CNBC, which would set the stage for tensions to escalate rapidly—though with stakes a good bit realer than CGI tsunamis and bullet time. [New York Times].

Surely Nothing but Satan Himself Could Explain This European Heat Wave Named 'Lucifer'A devastating heat wave surging through southern Europe has earned the unofficial moniker of “Lucifer,” according to several news reports this weekend. Things over there do seem pretty bad, real bad, bad enough there that the only logical conclusion is Satan danced down there himself, possibly with a fiddle, and played a song which cursed the very winds themselves with the tunes of brimstone and ruin after somebody lost a bet. At least two people died over the course of the heat wave, which caused temperatures to spike as high as 4.

Tabtight professional, free when you need it, VPN service. We have told you not to stare at the Sun today. We have told you to use safety glasses. We have tried so very hard, and we are so very tired.

Celsius (1. 11 Fahrenheit) in southern Spain and 4. Celsius (1. 04 Fahrenheit) in the French Riviera, per the New York Times. Temperatures were forecast as high as slightly over 4. Celsius (1. 08 Fahrenheit) in mainland Greece. According to Agence France- Presse, local conditions in Italy’s Campania region caused temperatures to feel much higher, around 5. Celsius (1. 31 Farenheit). Surging electrical demand in Poland caused the government to warn of “possible infrastructure failures” and disperse staff early.

Train tracks in southern Serbia warped, the Romanian government urged Bucharest residents to stay indoors and an Italian drought which has already cost over $1 billion dragged on. Per Reuters, the Italian grape harvest started weeks early, with Slow Food movement leader Carlo Petrini telling La Stampa he had never heard of it ever starting before August 1. Reuters also reported 3. Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Croatia. While the Times reported two deaths, AFP reported as many as five, with hospital admissions in Italy running 1. It’s almost enough to make one wonder if this heat wave could be correlated with all those other heat waves across the world, or the inexplicable trend of the planet breaking global heat records on a regular basis. Maybe there’s some kind of thing that we, humans, are pumping into the atmosphere that causes it to retain more heat, perhaps making said events more likely.

Hmm. But since no such theory, perhaps of so- called global climate “change,” has been devised or vetted by the vast majority of climate scientists, we’re just going to have to hand it to the devil on this one and guess the thing we are pumping into the atmosphere is sin. Curse you, Lucifer![New York Times].