flies

I did a review of The Dissident, the 2020 documentary that provides an insider’s look at the targeting and death of Jamal Khoshoggi. The review is titled “MBS: Lord of the Flies,” because, according to director Brian Fogle, that is what MBS sets up — a dark room full of dishdashed men spend all their hours attacking a target online, unleashing insults and promising death. Khashoggi, who had crossed the line from being a columnist at WaPo, to a dissident (illegal in the Kingdom, according to Saudi sources in the film), was targeted by these so-called Flies, who swarmed him before he was “taken” at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul. Check it out.

-- John Kendall Hawkins

lord of the flies

1.6 miles

Lets go Map Crazy! What would a 1.6 mile walk, or there near-abouts, look like in Amsterdam? What would it look like in your town?

Click the appropriate link to compare your location to Amsterdam!

AMSTERDAM CENTRUM
https://indd.adobe.com/view/7c5030e5-6718-4bd5-8217-1b9ee608aa7d 

STARKVILLE
https://indd.adobe.com/view/efebf203-b104-4a6b-86ec-566395993a06 

BATAVIA 
https://indd.adobe.com/view/8bec2a71-e495-47cc-97df-994c1e5d2632

No to Followers

eurogeezer, the blog that does nothing and asks nothing

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perfect

our theme

5 Guys

A prominent demographic in Amsterdam is Five Guys. If one undertook a comprehensive survey of the central city, patterns of this unique group would begin to emerge.

Five Guys are, obviously, 5 individual guys, but for the purposes of this critical analysis they will primarily be considered in the collective while individual traits and character will be secondary. Initial observations from random encounters with Five Guys reveal the following:

• They are typically young EU white guys (Note: groups of 3, or 4 guys can sometimes be mistaken for Five Guys if one is observing in fast moving crowds). There are also other types of groups with 5 members (such as the 5 guys on rental bikes, below) but these are easily distinguishable from Five Guys 

• Five Guys are most often observed on busy streets (such as Haarlemmerstraat, or in the Red Light district)  
• They steadfastly remain a cohesive unit in crowded, chaotic conditions.
• They are focused and seemingly on a mission. They can be observed vectoring in on a red lit storefront window, or abruptly changing direction when upwind in the vicinity of a coffeeshop such as Barney's Farm on Haarlemmerstraat.

 

• It is difficult to determine their mission, but once obtained, the unit breaks down. It is unclear if Five Guys re-constitutes itself for another mission.