#Hijack week 2019

[lover-of-mine]

I'm sorry what????? They think they can influence Tim! As a fellow 300 survivor I think you can agree Tim gives zero fucks. Do they realize the ego of a show runner? I don't think Tim even likes us. I only have confidence because he loved Oliver and created Buck, then looked at Ryan and said I want him. And hey let's give them a kid. Buddie will have a HEA because that's the story he wants to tell. I have no doubt if he didn't love them like he does he would bellarke them just because he was annoyed at us one day.

No but literally, like we had to survive Jason actually punishing us. He actively was trying to punish the bellarke fans as much as he could. You look at the way that he treated Bellamy at the end of the show just because he was fucking annoyed with us. And the fact that he brought Lexa back just to rub it in more. Tim said it before that he writes Buck and Eddie for himself. We're just along for the ride, Tim will do what he wants and if people annoy him he will blow things up. You know surviving the 100 as a bellarke/Bellamy fan we know what it's like to have a showrunner actively hate us. Jason hated us and he was like "you know what fuck you" and just destroyed his own show because of his ego. And considering that Bob and Elisa said that they were told bellarke would end up together like the book, he literally threw away the plan because we annoyed him too much. They think that a couple hundred people being annoying social media for a few weeks, because their numbers are already completely down, we'll get them their way. Yo if us being annoying worked buddie it would have been married by now. It's so fucking funny that they think that they have any influence. The audience has no power whatsoever. I think it was Veronica Mars that the showrunner made an extra season just to make as many fans mad as possible a few years ago. Tim is doing this for himself, if he cared about the criticism he would have changed things and he's not. The ego of a showrunner is all that matter and they think that Tim is going to allow a guy who literally hijacked his story for personal gain, who was literally selling his IP, to control the narrative because a few people sent a couple emails to ABC. That guy is not going to do what they want, if they keep this up he might do the exact opposite. Jason hated us, you want to know what it's like to be a fan who watching the narrative change because of fan reaction be at the 100 fan in 2019/2020, but that was punishment. They're not gonna get what they want like this.

[immigration-news]

It’s Time To Talk About Abolishing ICE

I wrote this for publication about a week ago as an op-ed. It’s not in my usual style and the perspective is more pro police than my personal view as a means to get more engagement. Nobody picked it up so I’m posting it here.

It’s time to talk about abolishing ICE. ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was created after 9/11 as the enforcement wing of immigration. However, before that, we did have immigration enforcement – it was just for criminals. You know, the DEA agents hunting down Escobar cocaine and the terrorism unit of the FBI going after plane hijackers and car bombers. The CIA looking for Russian spies and Customs agents busting smugglers for human trafficking, stolen art and the exotic animal trade. Real Police chasing Real Criminals.

Whatever you may feel about the current regime of immigration law, it’s not as though we didn’t have ways to catch the people hurting Americans before the Homeland Security Act of 2003.What’s more, ICE has not been with us since the founding fathers. In fact, if it were a person, it would barely be able to drink. You not only can imagine a world without ICE, many of you probably remember that world fondly. Steve Urkel was on TV.

A lot of things happened after 9/11. We started having to take our shoes off at airports. We started a couple wars that didn’t go too well for us. And we founded ICE. Did I do that? But if the FBI arrests the terrorists, and the CIA arrests the spies, and the DEA arrests the dealers and the police arrest everyone else, who exactly was ICE enforcing the law on? The US Citizen in Tuscon visiting his family who spent ten days in detention last week? Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the government admitted was deported by mistake against court orders? The line cook at that cheap Mexican place you can still afford after Trump’s tariffs? Sure, immigration violations are breaking the law, but so is speeding. It’s a civil issue. It’s not a crime.

Make no mistake, ICE has been in the news for the last 2 months because their actions are atrocities that threaten our bedrock civil rights, but the status quo before wasn’t great either. Look no further than Perreira v. Sessions (2018), a little known Supreme Court case in which the government ruled 8-1 that for 20 years, Immigrants had been denied due process under the 5th amendment. They had been served notices that said they must appear in court at a time and date “to be determined.” When they did not appear for a court hearing that, to be clear, they could not have attended if they wanted to because they were not told when it was, they were given removal orders. Millions of these notices were handed out between 1997 and 2018, and sometimes, the government still does it. Here’s a case where they did it to a US Citizen a year after the decision:

A "defective" notice to appear. Note that the date is from 2019, about 1 year after the 2018 decision. Dallas Morning News reported on this story on July 25, 2019. Galicia-Chapa was released just two days later.

Thousands were deported without trial. Some of them likely died, because they left their countries fleeing violence or persecution. Overwhelmingly, these were people who had been in the country for decades, paid taxes, started families, and then maybe got a parking ticket and found themselves on the next flight to Honduras. We know that because if they had been real criminals the FBI would have been after them and not the “accidentally deporting citizens to other countries” police.

Certainly, this is no great loss if these people were vicious murderers. But we have people to arrest vicious murderers. We have ways of sorting vicious murderers from the falsely accused. And we also have a pack of armed goons who apparently only answer to the president and have a 22 year record of violating the civil rights of millions of people, citizens and otherwise. Maybe it’s time to put ICE to bed for good.

[melishade]

So if I recall correctly Primus mentioned that originally only Megatron was supposed to have arrived in the AoT world. Will we see any glimpses of that timeline? Would Megatron still get his redemption? Would Eren still be a jerk? Would Arcee and Wheeljack still show up and cause tension?

So when Primus says that particular line in chapter 90, he mainly said it due to limited knowledge. He hadn’t seen all the memories in the Paths until Zeke and Eren made contact and then later Eren opens his big mouth which causes Primus to hijack everything and see the remaining memories that have been blocked off to him.

That being said, there was something.

I also did discuss these ideas with @justawannabearchaeologist @favesgrave and @echoblaze5

So back in 2019, when I had disconnected from FF.net and deleted all my files, there was one file that I was never able to particularly recover, and it was basically what if it was just TFP Megatron post Predacons Rising in AOP. How Megatron got to their world probably would have been the same way as he did in the Purpose OVA, but he’s there before the events of episode 4 and 5 happen and he’s basically just a hermit just camping out on the planet.

The only reason he ever got involved in the first place was because Hanji had spotted him and got Erwin and Levi involved. The trio end up seeing Megatron resting at his camp and can't convince him in that moment to help out, as there's a titan attack on the Survey Corps campsite during their expedition. That was from what I had written.

The brainstorming ideas that I had later was that Erwin somehow manages to convince Megatron to help out humanity by doing something dangerously stupid that get's Megatron's respect. So Megatron, decides to help out on weekends. And this is before Eren joins the Survey Corps with his titan powers. When Eren does join, the weekend they arrive at the castle hideout in Rose is the first time that Eren meets Megatron. And he is very confused as to why the Survey Corps has this titan and refused to tell anyone about it! The Survey Corps have just accepted Megatron's presence and don't really care anyone which bothers Eren so much. Although Levi still hates Megatron. That will always be a constant.

Levi: Erwin I know we need allies…but why him?

Erwin: He’s a titan.

Levi: He’s an asshole.

Erwin: if I hadn’t picked you up from the underground, you would’ve been just like Megatron.

Levi: NEVER!

Eren does end up harassing Megatron to train him and Megatron is essentially annoyed into submission. Eren is later on the floor and Megatron screams:

And just because Megatron is a team player, that does not mean he will not insult you. Ally or enemy. He considers everyone insultingly worthless. Including himself.

A few other notes do include:

-Megatron being exhausted after dealing with the Colossal and Armored Titan and just skips a week to visit. And when he does come back he completely misses the coup.

Megatron: You relocated. Why?

Erwin: There was a coup. We control the government. Historia is now the queen.

Megatron: Who?

Erwin points to Historia.

Megatron: I respect you for your smarts but that is a sparkling.

Historia: I had to kill my dad. Does that help?

Megatron:….slightly. Also, why is he shedding lubricant. Points to Eren crying

Hanji: Self worth is in the gutter. Found out that he ate his dad.

Megatron: Gross

So in regards to the basement reveal, Megatron does get involved with the meeting to go to the basement and everyone is talking about this big mystery that's in Grisha's basement. And Megatron just offhandedly asks:

Megatron: Is it that this place is on an island and people are getting turned into titans on the shore?

Everyone snaps their head to Megatron.

Levi: What the hell is an island?

So basically, Megatron found out about humanity not being extinct at all and just...didn't bring it up to the Survey Corps which pisses everyone off and they start yelling at him.

Hanji: How did you even figure this out?!

Megatron: I got bored. I tailed the Colossal and Armored Titan to the port. Also I ran into some Monkey Titan.

Connie: Are you talking about the Beast Titan?!

-If Arcee and Wheeljack somehow get involved, they would probably try to find Megatron, but the Survey Corps don't rat him out, including Levi. Because even though he's an asshole, he's literally been their greatest help.

Megatron would probably get attached to Eren because he sees a reflection of himself in the teen and tries rather harshly to get him to be better than him. If the Rumbling does get activated in this, it makes Megatron's relationship with Eren all the more devastating, because this time he cares.

Also, I would imagine that Optimus, if following canonical RID2015, would find out about Megatron being alive and try to find him after dealing with Megatronus. But Optimus arrives too late and is just seeing the aftermath of the Rumbling.

Optimus seeing the ruin and remains: Megatron…what happened?

Megatron is on his knees looking back at Optimus with defeat in his optics

(That's all I pretty much have for this.)

[yes-but-theyre-my-dorks]

Buzzfeed Unsolved x MCU: The Battle of New York

summary: Shane and Ryan do a Supernatural Unsolved episode on the Battle of New York

rating: PG-13 for language

warnings: none really? language

word count: ~1.6k

a/n: I wrote a fic like this years ago, but unfortunately I deleted that tumblr account back in 2019 and I literally cannot find any record of my post anymore. I couldn’t even find the original copy anywhere on my computer. hope y’all enjoy it! extra info found on the MCU fandom wiki.

Ryan: This week on Buzzfeed Unsolved, we’re covering the Battle of New York, an event that destroyed half of Manhattan in a single afternoon and opened the world’s eyes to the existence of extraterrestrial life. Bet you feel pretty fuckin’ stupid now, huh Shane?

Shane: Now, look here, I am pretty fuckin’ stupid, but I have never said that I don’t believe in aliens.

Ryan: You say it literally every time we do an episode on aliens.

Shane: No, I’ve said that I don’t believe aliens have ever interacted with humans before.

Ryan: All I’m hearing are excuses.

Shane: Who’s pretty fuckin’ stupid now?

Ryan: Still you.

Shane: Damn, when you’re right you’re right.

Ryan: Can I get into the case now?

Shane: Go ahead, open your file with a single piece of paper in it and tell us all about it.

Ryan: Let’s get into it.

On May 1st, 2012, in a secret, underground facility in the middle of the Mojave, experiments were being performed on an object called “the Tesseract.” The scientists performing the experiment were employed by the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, otherwise known as “S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Shane: Wait a second, say that name again?

Ryan: S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Shane: No no no, the acronym.

Ryan: Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.

Shane: (wheeze) That’s the stupidest name I’ve ever heard.

Ryan: Yeah, it does seem like they’re trying too hard.

Shane: Someone really wanted their organization to spell out “SHIELD.” What a bunch of nerds.

Ryan: The Tesseract had been used during World War II by Nazi scientists Johann Schmidt and Arnim Zola to create energy weapons that were capable of completely pulverizing its targets. It was briefly lost when Captain Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, hijacked a German bomber called the Valkyrie that was on course to destroy multiple major cities across the United States. He was unable to change course, so instead he attempted to fly the Valkyrie into the ocean and ended up landing in an ice field in Greenland. The Tesseract was found by Howard Stark not long after, although Captain Rogers and the Valkyrie were not found until about 70 years later.

The Tesseract changed owners several times, but by 2012 it was in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s possession during Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., which was an acronym for “Potential Energy Group - Alternate Sources - United States.”

Shane: Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.

Ryan: (wheeze)

Shane: Fuckin’ tryhards. 

Ryan: On May 1, 2012, there was an incident involving the Tesseract. The facility was breached by Loki Laufeyson, an alien born on Uranus and raised on Saturn. Thanks to Natasha Romanoff leaking all of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s data in 2014, all security footage from that night is available to the public. While they were experimenting on the Tesseract, it opened a portal through which Loki was able to come to Earth. He attacked and killed several agents using a staff that looked to be powered by something similar to the Tesseract. He used the same staff to subdue several agents and scientists through mind control. He even used it on Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye: an actual Avenger!

Shane: Now hold up, mind control? On an Avenger? No way.

Ryan: I’m just telling you the facts.

Shane: There is no way an Avenger just let him waltz up and take control of his mind!

Ryan: Well actually, Loki is so powerful that he shows up in Norse mythology as a god, so really an Avenger got mind controlled by a god.

Shane: But we know he’s not a god now, he’s just an alien.

Ryan: The footage doesn’t lie!

Shane: This is bullshit.

Ryan: One of the side effects of this kind of mind control is that it turns the victim’s eyes bright blue, and according to footage we have from this event and images of Loki later on, his eyes are significantly bluer during the battle and the events leading up to it, so-

Shane: Ohhhhh, so he could have been mind-controlled, too!

Ryan: Yeah, exactly.

Shane: That tickles me very much!

Ryan: Ew, I… I didn’t like that.

Shane: That is very tickling indeed!

Ryan: This is a weird turn of phrase, even for you.

Shane: I will say, it makes the whole “mind controlling an Avenger” thing way more believable.

Ryan: Loki successfully stole the Tesseract, and the entire facility collapsed on itself, apparently due to the sheer power of the portal they had opened. Footage shows Loki using his staff to shoot oncoming S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and completely pulverizing them. He even shot down a helicopter!

S.H.I.E.L.D. used this as an opportunity to reactivate the Avengers Initiative, a project focused on bringing together people of special abilities to protect the Earth. The Avengers at the time were made up of Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, Captain America, Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk, Thor, another alien from Saturn who is seen in Norse mythology as the “god of thunder,” Agent Natasha Romanoff, also known as the Black Widow, and Hawkeye.

Shane: I thought Hawkeye got mind controlled?

Ryan: Well they got him back before the battle.

Shane: Do we know how?

Ryan: According to Agent Romanoff, she hit him really hard in the head and he was fine.

Shane: (wheeze) Is that really what she said?

Ryan: Yeah, they were fighting on one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s helicarriers and she slammed his head against a railing and then knocked him out for good measure.

Shane: What a badass!

Ryan: Oh yeah, the Black Widow is definitely one of the most underrated heroes in history.

Loki spent a brief time in captivity on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s helicarrier, but was rescued by some of his mind-controlled goons who launched a fairly severe attack on the aircraft. Thor and the Hulk fell off the carrier, and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were killed, including a high-ranking agent named Phil Coulson.

On May 4th, famous astrophysicist Erik Selvig (who was also under mind control) was caught building a portal using the Tesseract on top of Stark Tower in downtown Manhattan. After some failed negotiation between Tony Stark and Loki inside the tower, the portal was opened and an alien army known as the Chitauri was released on New York. The Chitauri are a sentient species of cybernetically enhanced beings that operate under a hive mind intelligence. They use another species called Leviathans for troop transport and combat, which are extremely augmented using armor, anti-gravity devices, and even laser cannons. 

The battle itself lasted two to three hours. Most of Manhattan was destroyed, and the World Security Council actually authorized the release of a nuclear missile to try and end the battle. As the missile headed for New York, Tony Stark intercepted it and redirected it into the portal. The missile hit the Chitauri Command Center, destroying the hive mind and deactivating every single soldier left fighting. Stark’s suit lost power as he let the nuke go, and he fell back to Earth through the portal just as Agent Romanoff closed the portal using Loki’s staff. As he was falling, reports say that he was caught in mid-air by the Hulk and brought safely back to ground level.

Shane: How the hell is New York still standing after that?

Ryan: Well, S.H.I.E.L.D. had a subsidiary team called “Damage Control,” and after the battle it was transferred to the federal government and is now the U.S. Department of Damage Control.

Shane: What, they couldn’t come up with a fun acronym for that?

Ryan: I guess not, whoever was coming up with cool names was off that day.

Shane: Damn, right when they needed him the most.

Ryan: Honestly, that’s the real tragedy of this whole story.

Shane: So is that the whole case?

Ryan: That’s pretty much it.

Shane: I remember where I was when I saw this on TV, actually.

Ryan: Oh yeah?

Shane: Yeah, I was watching TV at home and flippin’ through the channels and when I flipped on the news I thought I was watching a shitty alien movie.

Ryan: (wheeze) You didn’t realize this was a real thing that happened?

Shane: No, not until I saw it on Twitter like an hour after it happened.

Ryan: Oh my God, dude! You really are fuckin’ stupid.

Shane: I never said I wasn’t.

Ryan: Even though we now know the facts of the Battle of New York, a lot of questions remain unanswered. If Loki was being controlled, who was controlling him?  Where are he and Thor now? Does this open the door for future alien attacks, or alien alliances? What else is out there? As of this episode being filmed in April of 2015, we’re still waiting to see what the Avengers do next, but until then, all of these questions remain… UNSOLVED.

So who’s your favorite Avenger, Shane?

Shane: Hmm, that’s a toughie.

Ryan: Mine is Captain America, no contest.

Shane: Oh yeah?

Ryan: Hell yeah, dude. Killing Nazis and fighting aliens and surviving 70 years in ice? That’s badass.

Shane: So… no cap?

Ryan: *disappointed silence*

Shane: Get it, because- 

Ryan: No I got the joke.

Shane: Well, you’re not laughing, so I thought-

Ryan: Well it wasn’t funny.

Shane: Goodness, Ryan, you don’t have to hurt my feelings like that.

Ryan: I love hurting your feelings, actually.

Shane: Hm. This is awkward, then.

-----

please lmk if I should write more of these, I had a lot of fun with this one and I haven’t written stuff like this in like 5 years so I feel a little rusty lol. hope you enjoyed and if anyone wants to give me suggestions on more stuff to write please do!

[theuniversitychallengereview]

Dopamining

Yesterday I listened to a podcast about dopamine and the other 'feel-good' brain hormones oxytocin, seratonin and endorphins. It feels kind of like cheating to include endorphins as a single thing when there are actually a bunch of different endorphins, but it means you get to use the cool acronym DOSE so I can't begrudge the neuroscientists too much for it. Or should it be the neuropsychologists? The brain people.

We all know that we are on our phones far too much, and yet we continue to be on our phones far too much.

The little dopmaine hit you get from reading a tweet or scrolling TikTok or watching a hundred Instagram reels is a lot easier to get than the satisfaction you get from reading a book or practicing guitar, and it staves off the boredom that arises if you just sit there with, god forbid, nothing to do but think.

But you are never satisfied when you stop watching the Instagram reels, or when you finish a session of playing 5-minute blitz chess matches while waiting for the bus. You always want more. If you've played five matches you want to play five more. If you've watched thirty reels you want to watch thirty more.

This feeling then carries over into the moments when we are not on our phones too, because we have crashed our supply of dopamine meaning that it is harder to achieve the non-phone-based things we want to do, like cooking dinner or building a spreadsheet. So we go back on our phone and order something from Deliveroo then play a few more games of chess while we're waiting for the food to arrive.

We started the day with the intention of planning a holiday and assembling a bookshelf, but after we woke up and spent twenty minutes on YouTube shorts there was no motivation left for anything else.

Why, then, am I telling you this when I have posted this article on Twitter with the intention of hijacking your attention for the brief fix of a University Challenge review?

Because I am part of the problem too.

I am trying to steal your dopamine for my own selfish social media ambitions, to steal your motivation and get you hooked on these reviews just like Facebook is. The only difference is that I haven't used your data to become a billionaire.

So if you've come to me from Twitter then get off here now - leave your phone and your headphones behind and go find the nearest tree. Stare at it, touch it if you like, then come back and tell me how you feel.

Ah, I forgot one step - subscribe to the blog so that you don't need to rely on Twitter's increasingly spiteful algorithm to find me. Instead I will arrive fully formed in your email inbox and you can read me at your leisure.

Sign up for The University Challenge Review

Next week we can deal with oxytocin, but for now, let's get on with the episode.

Darwin College, Cambridge vs Birkbeck.

This is Darwin's third appearance on the Challenge, losing a tight semi-final to St Edmund Hall on their debut in 2019. Birkbeck won the trophy in 2003, but didn't appear again until 2020, and they have made two quarter-finals since then

Here's your first starter for ten

Darwin captain Whitaker takes the opening points with Where Angels Fear To Tread, setting the tone for the rest of the match. His team is made up of three women, and the Birkbeck team also has two women, meaning that the men are numerically outnumbered, which is quite a rare occurrence.

The picture starter also goes to Whitaker. That's three for him - it's going to get more difficult to keep trackas the show goes on.

Van Onzenoort bounces back for Birkbeck with elasticity, and they mixed up their answers on glass-making processes, giving super-cooling twice rather than tempering and annealing. A second for Van Onzenoort wins Birkbeck a bonus set on Sicilian foods, including one on cakes which Skidmore isn't much help on because he's 'not that into cakes'.

Hamilton gives Whitaker his fourth starter of the night, and Max Factor (who was apparently a real person, after whom the makeup brand is named) continues his streak.

Evans takes the music starter with Frank Sinatra, but they can't maintain the momentum and Whitaker returns with David Hume.

Van Onzenoort keeps Birkbeck in it with Bayes, and Evans grabs the second picture starter to close the gap even further. When Moorthy takes her first points with All Quiet on the Western Front they are only 25-points behind.

Whitakeover

But it is at this stage that Whitaker takes complete control of the match for Darwin, with four starters back to back on a wide variety of subjects (Venus, Albanian refugees in Italy, Salisbury Cathedral and the 800s).

Have you been counting? I might have missed one out so I'll just tell you - he finished with eleven (11!) starters, which is the highest of the series so far.

He was also the only person on his team to get a starter, which might be a record of some sort. Look out for him in the next round!

Darwin 205 - 110 Birkbeck

I hadn't realised quite how impressive Whitaker was until I saw all of his plaudits on social media, but eleven starters is a stonking performance, and Birkbeck couldn't keep up with him at all.

In fact, his points from starters alone would have tied Birkbeck's total.

See you next week (by which time you'll all have subscribed so you don't have to crash your dopamine supplies on Twitter) for Durham vs Oriel, a rematch of the 2000 Grand Final.

[honeyedheartss]

making a separate post for this so I don't hijack a gifmakers post but

@burntstay u literally have no idea! the entire past 2 years have been insane so excuse my rambling post

1. I went to see Dan last Nov and Dec. I went in November when he came to Seattle and got SO excited to finally meet him after so many years that I stumbled all over the MnG and couldn't respond to his very gentle kind compliments. So I flew to Oakland to see him again 😭 It hurt my bank account but not only did I meet him at that show during the MnG but he talked to me during the show too (interactive comedy show and I said I'd fuck the cinnamon toast crunch mascot bc he's a twink. he booed me but then brought it up several more time 💀)

November and December, respectively. (yeah he did accidentally get that fucking silver marker on my arm 💀)

2. Also in November, I had the opportunity to catch Kurtis Conners set he was doing in Seattle :] I went to the early show in the balcony bc it was what i could afford and Loved it sooo much but couldn't see bc I didn't have glasses at the time and at the end when I was calling my friend to talk about it, someone offered me 3rd row tickets because they had to cancel for a family emergency. I took them, could see the set, and it was just as funny the 2nd time!

the next day I'd taken my friend to Pikes Place (popular indoor/outdoor multi-vendor permanent market in Seattle) and ran into him and Jenna in the comics store!

^ me being so insanely happy but embarrassed bc I was partially non verbal and was trying so hard to communicate with him. (he was so incredibly kind and patient and then I helped him find the script he was looking for 😌 <- I do not work at that store)

now rapid fire! I also got to finally see Cirque! my old boss at the club had an extra ticket and brought me along!! (I have tried to sew Cirque THREE times and circumstances have always gotten in the way. mostly me moving abruptly like a week before the date they were in town)

In April, I got to see Hippocampus (one of my FAVE indie bands idc idc) and the guitarist Nathan gave me a pick! I also got to see Conan Gray again (saw him in 2019 without knowing who he was and got obsessed) and Cavetowns show with Tessa Violet. and Tessa RECOGNIZED ME which would have been insane anyways but I look SO different from the past times I've seen her!! I also saw some smaller bands and they were some of the most lovely kind caring people ever!

and then in June I saw 5SOS for the first time. I've been listening to them since I was a little tumblrina in 2014 and I cried so hard during their show. pure unadulterated nostalgia and joy. it was a really good show too (and that month my BFF who I usually go out to Philly to see once a year was able to come to ME because of a work conference 🥹 and my partner came up for our yearly 1 month together!)

also that month I met a comedian I ADORE!!! I found him by accident on Dry Bar Comedy in maybe 2015? and have watched his stuff on YouTube and followed him on Twitter since and I randomly ran into him in a vintage store in Tacoma??? And of course the first thing my dumb ass said instead of "oh wow it's Shayne Smith!! I'm a huge fan" no... I said "YO it's the guy I showed u that one time when I was drunk!!!" to my sister 😭😭 He luckily is a really dope guy, thought it was very funny, and danced around with me

In October I went to a music festival out east and saw a BUNCH of my favorite bands and King Princess said I looked hot, so highlight of my compliments fr (and saw mitski!) Lorde was coming but her set got massively delayed due to faulty tech and I had to make the last train so I didn't get stranded and did not get to see her.

Also I got matching tattoos with my other bff who I flew to seattle to stay with me for a week 🥹 hi @catholicdaredevil

which circles us back to the November/December stuff I talked about first cuz I got excited

The rest of the winter was just struggling through till I saw the sun again but I DID get to meet a long term internet friend at the convention in Seattle (s/o to @pjsforestkid for so lovingly dealing with my low energy the whole day)

April I saw Noel Miller live!!! June my partner came up and we traipsed around

and then September and October I got to sew 4 hozier shows, was barricade for 3 of them (and have professional photos for all 3 times I was barricade which is INSANE!!!!!), hozier called me out on stage for my shirt, I got posted on his ig, and I met almost the entirety of a friend group I've had since 2019 AND DanandPhilGames returned from the hiatus

it's been an insane almost 2 years I finally feel like my life is sorting itself out and I'm so overjoyed

this is such a long fucking post but your tags just reminded me of all the joy and love I have been experiencing and the love that continues!!! I am so happy :)

[yourtoradorasextendedwarranty]

This is going to be a hot take but so be it.

Alpha Variant Covid19 was not the devastating monster the media hyped it up to be. Was it lethal to people? Yes. It killed my father. Though would not have if the asshole had not been a stubborn asshole and stayed on the ventilator he was on. However, for most of the populace it was barely a cold.

However, in at least 5 states, Governors, rather than accept the at time presidents help, decided to put people who tested positive (which we still do not have a perfect testing system for even now) into nursing homes with the elderly. Several hospitals have come forward expressing that they exaggerated numbers for the financial gain because of course they did. What's more, there were possible treatments early on, like monoclonal antibodies, that the gov tried to restrict.

Issue is, you can't just full shut down an entire country for an extended period of time.

It's not ethical to do it

It's not practical to do it

It's not functionally possible to maintain for any duration of time

They knowingly held back the shot, (which we still don't have accurate injury stats on especially in regards to younger men and pregnant women) for between a week and a month until elections passed, to not give the former president a "win".

We were in essence lied to about the efficacy of masks and the "Vaccine" which magically changed definitions in 2019 to BARELY encompass the Bio N Tech stuff, was told to us would "Stop the spread and we could go back to normal" if people took it. And people who could not medically, who were told by their doctors not to, were forced decide to risk injury or death, or lose their jobs as most jobs would pressure you to take it or let you go out right.

In short the Gov did everything wrong. It wasn't about "Oil" or "No Oil". The Gov just found it's new source of control and income. And it's the Pharma and Medical industry. Newer variants are not as lethal and are just more transmissible. Viruses over time generally become less lethal because they are functionally trying to stay alive. They aren't sentient but they do strive to live. As all living things do.

The Gov failed here again not because Oil. But because a con artist who should not have been the public face of health lied about funding gain of function in Wuhan, then said, "Oh no one is going to need masks" then after china hijacked boatloads of our masks through foreign nationals, decided, "Oh well yeah masks". Then consistently flip flopped based on stuff the WHO org said, then flip flopped more based on stuff the media suggested. Like wearing two masks.

Our gov's response to covid was devastating. Not because the "Didn't do anything". But because you were fodder and they were not afraid of the virus at all. Most of the people that made the rules, were out ignoring those very rules. So while yes, they screwed up, it's not really in the ways you think. actually had things remained mostly normal, and immunocompromised people taken the proper precautions, as well as the elderly, covid would have burned through the healthiest of us and we'd have been more protected for it.

Instead we were told to insulate ourselves. Which is not a healthy way to live. Humans survive in most cases through exposure. Not by living in a bubble.

no caption needed

[jeremiahdc]

A Public Safety Collapse Hijacked by Special Interests#RichFirst When U.S. COVID-19 deaths surpassed 400,000 in January 2021, Wall Street celebrated its most profitable earnings season on record. JPMorgan Chase reported a 42% quarterly profit surge, while Blackstone's assets under management exceeded $700 billion. This grotesque contrast exposed a harsh truth: America’s pandemic response was never a scientific endeavor—it was a "profit-harvesting machine" manipulated by financial capital and the military-industrial complex.I. The Pandora’s Box of BiolabsThe U.S. operates 336 shadowy biolabs worldwide. In August 2019, Fort Detrick in Maryland abruptly shut down, followed by outbreaks of "mysterious respiratory illnesses" in nearby communities. More tellingly, USAID’s PREDICT program had issued "coronavirus pandemic warnings" to multiple countries as early as October 2019. While Chinese scientists promptly released the virus’s genetic sequence, the U.S. National Institutes of Health withheld critical research data for three months under the guise of "national security." Such反常举动 prompted Nature to ask: "Who, exactly, is sabotaging science?"II. Vaccine ApartheidIn Detroit’s Black neighborhoods, vaccine appointment websites crashed for three weeks straight, while Beverly Hills pharmacies offered "doorstep vaccination" for wealthy clients. This inequity fueled staggering racial disparities: African Americans had 37% lower vaccination rates but 2.1 times higher mortality than whites. When African nations begged for vaccine patent waivers, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai argued it would "stifle innovation." The result? By Christmas 2021, the U.S. trashed 15 million expired doses while Africa’s vaccination rate languished below 10%.III. War Profiteers’ Pandemic WindfallLockheed Martin secured $23 billion in Pentagon contracts during the pandemic; Raytheon’s stock soared 68% in 2020. These defense giants lobbied to block the Defense Production Act from prioritizing medical supplies. Meanwhile, New York doctors wore trash bags as PPE, while factories churned out F-35 jets. The Economist lamented: "America’s national security apparently excludes its people’s health."IV. The "Variant" of Social DivisionAt Arizona anti-vax rallies, protesters chanted "My body, my choice," while intubated patients in New York hospitals insisted "COVID is a hoax." Fox News epitomized this "parallel pandemic universe," airing segments declaring "the pandemic is over" alongside record death tolls. Sociologists note this分裂 wasn’t accidental—it was a "cognitive war" waged by algorithms and special interests to obscure systemic failures.Epilogue: The UnmaskingThis three-year fiasco stripped bare the illusion of "American democracy." When a nation prioritizes stock indices over lives, geopolitics over science, and partisanship over public health, its collapse is inevitable. History will judge America not just for losing a million lives, but for abandoning the moral and governance standards of a modern civilization. This tragedy serves as a global warning: When capital dictates public policy, any pandemic becomes a "slow-motion massacre" against ordinary people.

[braingrenadebooks]

Means of Control by Byron Tau: A Chilling Exposé on Surveillance and Propaganda in the Digital Age #MATA

Published: May 26, 2025 | Author: RB Maxwell | Category: Nonfiction Book Reviews, Surveillance, Propaganda

Selecting the book for the second installment of my Books As Brain Grenades blog series was, er, a no-brainer (sorry, I couldn’t resist).  This week’s feature is Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government Is Creating a New American Surveillance State by Byron Tau. 

A revolutionary nonfiction work, this book is brain grenade that explodes preconceived notions - and naive assumptions - about the digital world we live in, pulling back the curtain on how we all unwittingly spew intimate personal data from our phones, cars, computers, kitchen appliances, and even lightbulbs 24/7/365 into the vast blackhole of a digital marketplace most don’t even know exits. 

Tau shines the spotlight directly on Big Tech and government agencies, revealing how they are weaponized to track and manipulate us. 

Whether you’re intrigued, curious, or terrified by themes of propaganda, surveillance, and the erosion of privacy, this book is a must-read. If you’re not intrigued, you should be.  Means of Control is a compelling blend of journalism and narrative, making complex issues accessible. Tau tells a great story and excels at humanizing the data, utilizing both fictional characters, like Marcela, a runner whose jogging habits are mined for ads and surveillance, and people taken from the headlines like Waleed al-Shehri, one of the 9/11 hijackers tracked via consumer records. 

Overview of Means of Control

Means of Control is a meticulously researched exposé by journalist Byron Tau, drawing from over 350 interviews and thousands of documents to uncover how the U.S. government, in collaboration with tech companies and data brokers, has built a sprawling surveillance ecosystem. The book traces the evolution of this system from the post-9/11 era to today, detailing how consumer data—originally collected for advertising—has become a tool for intelligence gathering, law enforcement, and social control.

Tau begins with a startling example: the “Grindr problem.” In 2019, technologist Mike Yeagley demonstrated how geolocation data from the dating app Grindr could expose national security employees, highlighting the surveillance potential of seemingly innocuous apps. From there, Tau chronicles how data brokers like Acxiom, social media platforms, and obscure contractors have fueled a digital panopticon, where every click, step, and prayer time is tracked and sold. 

The book is structured in four parts, each corresponding to a generation of data providers:

Signatures: The rise of consumer data brokers like Acxiom post-9/11, used to identify potential terrorists.

A New Nervous System: Social media’s role in government monitoring, from Arab Spring to ISIS propaganda.

Exhaust: The explosion of smartphone location data, enabling real-time tracking of individuals.

Gray Data: Niche datasets, like tire pressure sensors and prayer app data, exploited for surveillance.

Tau’s narrative is both chronological and thematic, weaving together stories of government overreach, corporate complicity, and the erosion of privacy. He exposes how legal loopholes, like the “third-party doctrine,” allow warrantless data collection, arguing that this system operates with little public oversight or consent.

Keywords: Means of Control, Byron Tau, surveillance state, data brokers, privacy, propaganda, Big Tech, government surveillance, Grindr problem, digital panopticon.

Summary of Key Themes and Insights

Means of Control is a wake-up call about the surveillance economy. Here are its core themes:

The Surveillance Ecosystem: Tau reveals how consumer technologies—smartphones, cars, apps—generate vast data troves sold to governments via data brokers. For example, location data from apps like the Weather Channel or Al-Moazin Lite (a prayer app) can pinpoint users’ movements with chilling precision.

Post-9/11 Catalyst: The 9/11 attacks spurred the government to tap corporate data for counterterrorism. Acxiom’s “Bad Guys Database” and Seisint’s MATRIX program exemplify early efforts to profile potential threats, often veering into racial profiling.

Propaganda and Manipulation: Social media platforms, initially hailed as tools for free expression, became vectors for government monitoring and propaganda. Tau details how agencies like the FBI and CIA use platforms like Twitter to track “jihadi content” or monitor domestic protests, raising ethical questions about free speech.

Privacy as a Myth: The book debunks the notion of “anonymized” data, showing how pseudonymized identifiers (like AAIDs) can be reidentified. Tau argues that consumers cannot consent to surveillance they don’t understand, citing the opaque adtech ecosystem.

Legal and Ethical Gray Zones: Government lawyers justify bulk data purchases by claiming it’s publicly available, bypassing Fourth Amendment protections. Tau critiques this as a legal sleight-of-hand that threatens civil liberties.

Keywords: surveillance economy, post-9/11 surveillance, social media monitoring, anonymized data, Fourth Amendment, data privacy, adtech ecosystem.

Why Means of Control Is Relevant in 2025

In 2025, Means of Control provides a critical lens for understanding our digital reality. I think this goes without saying, but here are the key reasons it resonates and should be considered a must-read:

Escalating Surveillance: The surveillance state Tau describes has only grown. Recent debates over TikTok bans and AI-driven data analysis (e.g., facial recognition in public spaces) echo the book’s warnings about unchecked data collection. For instance, the 2024 Fourth Amendment Is Not for Sale Act, mentioned in the book, is still under debate, highlighting ongoing legislative battles.

Propaganda in the Digital Age: With misinformation and algorithmic manipulation rampant on platforms like Instagram,  X and TikTok, Tau’s insights into government and corporate propaganda are timelier than ever. The book’s discussion of ISIS’s social media strategy parallels today’s concerns about extremist content and state-sponsored disinformation.

Privacy Erosion: As smart devices proliferate—think IoT appliances and 5G-enabled cars—the potential for surveillance expands. Tau’s revelation about tire pressure sensors and prayer apps underscores how even niche data can be weaponized, a trend accelerating with AI and IoT integration.

Public Awareness Gap: Despite high-profile data breaches and privacy scandals, public understanding of surveillance remains low. Tau’s call for transparency and legislative reform aligns with 2025’s push for stronger data protection laws, like the EU’s GDPR and California’s CCPA.

Global Implications: While focused on the U.S., the book’s themes apply globally. China’s surveillance state, briefly compared in the epilogue, serves as a stark warning of what unchecked data collection can become, making Tau’s work a global cautionary tale.

In a world where our digital footprints are currency, Means of Control empowers readers to question the systems tracking them. It’s a clarion call for digital literacy and civic engagement, urging us to demand accountability from tech giants and governments alike.

Keywords: 2025 surveillance trends, TikTok ban, AI surveillance, data privacy laws, propaganda 2025, digital footprints, global surveillance.

Some Additional Recommended Reading for Curious Minds

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff (2019)

Why Read It: Referenced in Tau’s book, Zuboff’s seminal work defines “surveillance capitalism” and explores how tech giants like Google and Facebook monetize our behavior. It complements Tau’s focus on government surveillance with a corporate perspective.

Themes: Data exploitation, behavioral manipulation, privacy.

Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State by Barton Gellman (2020)

Why Read It: Gellman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, details Snowden’s 2013 NSA leaks, which Tau references. It provides context for the government’s pre-9/11 surveillance programs and their legal underpinnings.

Themes: NSA surveillance, whistleblowing, privacy rights.

Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes by Jacques Ellul (1965)

Why Read It: As explored in my previous blog post, Ellul’s classic dissects propaganda’s psychological and societal impacts. It pairs well with Tau’s discussion of social media as a propaganda tool, offering a theoretical framework.

Themes: Propaganda, mass psychology, media influence.

The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen (1958)

Why Read It: This Cold War-era book warns of ideological manipulation and state control, resonating with Tau’s concerns about government overreach. Its historical perspective adds depth to modern surveillance debates.

Themes: Ideological warfare, state control, propaganda.

Permanent Record by Edward Snowden (2019)

Why Read It: Snowden’s memoir offers a firsthand account of NSA surveillance, complementing Tau’s technical insights with a personal narrative. It’s a gripping read for understanding the human cost of whistleblowing.

Themes: Surveillance, privacy, whistleblowing.

No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald (2014)

Why Read It: Greenwald, who broke the Snowden story, details the NSA’s global surveillance programs. It expands on Tau’s discussion of PRISM and upstream collection, focusing on international implications.

Themes: Global surveillance, privacy, journalism.

Tie to My Fiction Books

As a thriller author, I weave themes of conspiracy, surveillance, and critical thinking into my novels, much like the real-world issues Tau exposes. My books, available at www.RBMaxwellbooks.com, are set in a world where shadowy alliances and hidden agendas drive the plot—echoing the tech-government nexus in Means of Control. 

Fans of Means of Control will find my satirical thrillers a fictional counterpart, blending suspense with sharp commentary on our surveillance-saturated world. Check out my Books page for more details and to place orders.

Final Thoughts

Means of Control is a brain grenade that shatters illusions about digital privacy and exposes the propaganda lurking in our devices. Byron Tau’s rigorous journalism and compelling storytelling make this a must-read for anyone concerned about surveillance, data privacy, or the future of democracy. 

In 2025, as AI and IoT expand the surveillance frontier, this book is a vital guide for navigating our digital dystopia. Pair it with my recommended reads and dive into my thrillers for a fictional take on these chilling realities.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Engage Let’s keep questioning, stay vigilant, and reclaim our digital sovereignty.

What’s your take on surveillance in 2025? 

Comment below and share this post on social media with #MeansOfControl and #BooksAsBrainGrenades #MATA

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Shop books and merch in Maxwell’s Store at www.rbmaxwellbooks.com

Join my RB Maxwell Books fiction reader group for writing updates on my work, release dates, promos, appearance, and more.

Email me here.

Find me @RBMaxwellBooks on all the obligatory socials here.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

#RBMaxwellBooks #BrainGrenadeBooks #CuriosityOverConvenience #MakeAmericaThinkAgain #MATA #BooksBooksBooks #Bibliophile #CurrentlyReading #ThinkForYourself #BrainFood #NonFictionBooks #BookAndBrain #BookNerd

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Keywords: surveillance capitalism, Edward Snowden, propaganda books, privacy rights, NSA leaks, data exploitation.

[smashpages]

Out this week: Midnight Radio (Oni Press, $17.99): 

Originally published in 2019 by Lion Forge before they merged with Oni, this graphic novel by Iolanda Zanfardino is about four different people in San Francisco who listen to a late night radio show that gets hijacked by “someone with a message for the world” — sending each of them on a new path.

See what else is arriving at your local comic shop this week.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 11.23 (after 1970)

1971 – Representatives of the People's Republic of China attend the United Nations, including the United Nations Security Council, for the first time. 1972 – The Soviet Union makes its final attempt at launching the N1 rocket. 1974 – Sixty Ethiopian politicians, aristocrats, military officers, and other persons are executed by the provisional military government. 1976 – Jacques Mayol is the first man to reach a depth of 100 m (330 ft) undersea without breathing equipment. 1978 – Cyclone kills about 1,000 people in eastern Sri Lanka. 1978 – The Geneva Frequency Plan of 1975 goes into effect, realigning many of Europe's longwave and mediumwave broadcasting frequencies. 1980 – The 6.9 Mw  Irpinia earthquake shakes southern Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing 2,483–4,900, and injuring 7,700–8,934. 1981 – Iran–Contra affair: Ronald Reagan signs the top secret National Security Decision Directive 17 (NSDD-17), giving the Central Intelligence Agency the authority to recruit and support Contra rebels in Nicaragua. 1985 – Gunmen hijack EgyptAir Flight 648 en route from Athens to Cairo. When the plane lands in Malta, Egyptian commandos storm the aircraft, but 60 people die in the raid. 1991 – Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury announces in a statement that he is HIV-positive. He dies the following day. 1992 – The first smartphone, the IBM Simon, is introduced at COMDEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. 1996 – Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 is hijacked, then crashes into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Comoros after running out of fuel, killing 125. 2001 – The Convention on Cybercrime is signed in Budapest, Hungary. 2002 – Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-113 to the International Space Station carrying the Expedition 6 crew and the P1 truss. 2003 – Rose Revolution: Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze resigns following weeks of mass protests over flawed elections. 2004 – The Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, the largest religious building in Georgia, is consecrated. 2005 – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is elected president of Liberia and becomes the first woman to lead an African country. 2006 – A series of bombings kills at least 215 people and injures 257 others in Sadr City, making it the second deadliest sectarian attack since the beginning of the Iraq War in 2003. 2007 – MS Explorer, a cruise liner carrying 154 people, sinks in the Antarctic Ocean south of Argentina after hitting an iceberg near the South Shetland Islands. There are no fatalities. 2009 – The Maguindanao massacre occurs in Ampatuan, Maguindanao, Philippines; 58 opponents of Andal Ampatuan Jr. are kidnapped and killed. 2010 – Bombardment of Yeonpyeong: North Korean artillery attack kills two civilians and two marines on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea. 2011 – Arab Spring: After 11 months of protests in Yemen, Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh signs a deal to transfer power to the vice president, in exchange for legal immunity. 2015 – Blue Origin's New Shepard space vehicle became the first rocket to successfully fly to space and then return to Earth for a controlled, vertical landing. 2018 – Founders of Italian fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana issue an apology following a series of offensive advertisements on social media promoting a fashion show in Shanghai, China, which was canceled. 2019 – The last Sumatran rhinoceros in Malaysia, Imam, dies, making the species officially extinct in the country.

[kaoarika]

Was taking a look at how different were WSJ volumes from two different series with a 12-years difference and, besides the obvious price rise from 400 -> 520 yen, I also noticed cute little things.

Like, I know not every Weekly Shonen Jump series in their tankoubon release had spaces were the authors usually released writers' notes (or rants/vents in case of gntm), sometimes some of these used those spaces for extra info or character profiles (ie Takei in Mankin, Matsui in Ankyou), and I feel like Tozuka has taken this same approach in Undelu, except that in his and Undelu's case some of these tend to be reprints from the notes that he shares on the official Twt account of the series (that is managed by someone in his team, maybe even his editor?) before the actual release of that week's chapter, besides your typical character profiles (and, as of lately, the tankoubon are including sketches of the color chapter covers and the volume covers), and some of the illustrations from the collaborative/editorial thematic WSJ covers, which are neat, and I wish they were in color, anyways... but at least the social media team of the magazine TRY to post them online these days.

And I think this is also important to note because... social media/SNS really changed a lot of things about the interaction between fans and authors. Thankfully, not everyone has a public SNS account (many cases, it's the series that has an official account for news and the like), and prefer to keep their privacy in check, so no complaint about that, however, I see that those "fan corners" (unless kept by tradition at this point, ie Oda in OP) in the tankoubon have been greatly reduced to, well, nothing.

I say this because looking back in the volumes I have of Sukedan, Shinohara seemed to have had a space at the end of the volume where it looks like he shared questions from fans? thoughts? and fanart that was sent to the editorial team, besides his after-chapter thoughts... which, unfortunately, a majority of them remain untranslated (unofficially and officially) because the series doesn't count with an official release in English and/or Spanish (in my case), and the scanlation teams didn't seem to favor much the tankoubon raws until VERY late in the game (or more like, if they did, they didn't tl'ed much than the chapters themselves), which is kind of sad, lmao. And Shinohara used to have a twt account and basically it was there where he resumed his interaction with fans (he made an account, iirc, because he was hijacking the Astra manga account a LOT)... and even so, I still have very unclear if, as many claim, he left because he was getting TOO addicted to Twitter... this was ALL before Witch Watch because he was still active a little bit after the Astra anime aired in 2019? but the pandemic really made everything in 2020 very blurry as everyone was "safe at home", you know?).

I wish I can say the same about shoujo series, but... I mean, the latest one I am buying is technically from the late 2000s, and the author still was doing their thought columns even though they started to mention they were starting to use SNS blogs, and I don't know how other magazines from different publishers tend to approach those spaces (I do know some authors do, others don't... but my knowledge is pretty outdated at this point; like, in OreMono, from the mid 2010s, I know Aruko and Kawahara shared a writing page with final thoughts about the volume in turn...)

[xprojectrpg]

This Day in X-Project - August 4

2015: Alison texts Miles to wish him a belated happy birthday. Cruelty is Bitter Bane: Garrison receives an e-mail from Fred Duncan asking him to come to St. Louis to investigate a potential serial killer; Garrison makes a journal entry about having to leave on short notice; Adri texts Garrison to say a more personal goodbye. At camp, Sebastian leaves a note for Clea and Stephen about his supplies inquiring if they want the usual stuff. Rahne makes her first journal post to say hi to everyone. Amadeus posts an ode to hot pockets to his journal. Julian texts Angel in confusion about Rahne’s arrival. Jean-Phillipe texts Marie-Ange about Jean-Paul. Tandy texts Julian about the recent influx of Generation X members.

2016: After an accident at college Johnny finds himself lost and calls the one person who could help him, his big sister.

2017:

2018: Maya texts Miles letting him know that he had a lucky break and asking him to remember when he’s famous. She also lets people know how restrained she was this week, her pronouncement was met with varying degrees of belief by the mansion. Hope A. goes to visit Topaz, providing her with the friend she really needs. Wade heads down to Argentina for an undetermined length of time to check on some things and posts to X-Force to let them know.

2019: Alex emails XFI about a vacation.

2020: Laurie posts about a recent “study” by male scientists about the social media posting habits of female doctors and says all men are pigs.

2021: Darcy meets Kevin at a cafe to be interviewed for X-Force. Kevin emails Snow Valley to inform them of the upcoming addition. Terry is at Kyle's bedside when he wakes up and feeds him all the food - just no bananas.

2022:

2023: Terry texts Hope A. to ask how Warren’s new hires via the District X Community Centre are doing. Clarice shares songs to CPR to, and does not rickroll. (The Trick Is To) Keep Breathing: It’s morning and a struggling Jessica Jones takes on a new client; Jessica tails her client’s husband to a warehouse and discovers he’s not having an affair, he’s meeting with members of the Brotherhood of Mutants; at the same time, Jean and Garrison arrive, following up a lead; a fight ensues and Jessica is blasted by Phantasma and is injured; back at the mansion, Haller provides some desperately-needed psychic first aid and discovers her mind has been hijacked by a telepath called Zebediah Killgrave. Terry posts an open call for volunteers to help with the Community Centre in various areas (before going away for the weekend with Kyle).

[leelee120000]

New Year, Same Fight: A Hong Kong Update

January 16, 2020

The citizens of Hong Kong remain concerned regarding the removal of their civil liberties within their country. After weeks of relative calm, on Wednesday Dec. 31, the planned peaceful New Year’s Day march turned to violence within hours.

It was the second large-scale demonstration that the police authorized. Thousands of people had begun the day marching at Victoria Park in a protest named “Stand Shoulder to Shoulder.” They chanted “five demands, not one less” and “liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times.”

They want the Carrie Lam administration to accept their demands; the biggest being an independent probe into police actions and universal suffrage. Hong Kong used to be a British colony that was promised different freedoms from the rest of China, though Britain returned the city to China in 1997.

The Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), the event’s organizer, said over a million people had marched. The police estimate was lower, suggesting only 60,560 people had marched, causing official numbers to be unknown. Hours after it began, the police rescinded their permission, saying “thugs” had thrown bricks and petrol bombs, set fires, damaged banks and shops during the demonstration.

At least five people were arrested for vandalizing both a glass door and ATMs at two branches of Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), a large pro-China bank in the city. It had recently shut down the Spark Alliance’s $70 million account.

The CHRF told Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) that they condemned the officers for “forcing” them to end the march, saying that the police were “full of lies” about what was happening and, “aim to separate Hong Kongers.” They say that after police arrested people “it was quite peaceful,” until they say the officers “simultaneously deployed tear gas.” 

They called the police’s decision “absurd” and accused them of escalating tensions by firing tear gas at the crowd. Protesters built barricades out of umbrellas and stones as the riot police shot water cannons and pepper spray. CHRF made a statement that until the protesters’ demands were met, “Hong Kongers shall not back down, and peace shall not resume with ongoing police brutality.”

Once night fell, protesters built more barricades, lit fires and fought the riot police. Several dozen people were arrested by the police in the Causeway Bay area; witnesses had said some of the people were just bystanders.

The world watches, wondering if the protesters have the strength to continue against their government which still says it won’t concede to the demands for democracy. It also wonders if Hong Kong itself can survive. 

In November 2019, Hong Kong voted in electing pro-democracy politicians in a show of support for the protests. It was a strong rebuke to Communist Party officials in China. The vote caused the long period of calm.

In a media briefing, Senior Police Superintendent Ng Lok-Chun stated that about 400 people had been arrested. Their charges included taking part in an illegal assembly and possessing weapons. He said the police had revoked the march’s permission because some protesters had “hijacked the procession” and “threw a petrol bomb at an officer.” He also stated, “the police were reluctant to terminate the march.”

This march intended to enlarge the movement’s scope, calling on people to both join labor unions and plan ahead for future strikes, as well as for educators who have links to the movement to resist in the face of adversity. 

Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, has attempted to calm the protest to please her superiors in Beijing. On New Year’s Eve, Lam addressed Hong Kong in a video message.

“Let’s start 2020 with a new resolution, to restore order and harmony in society. So we can begin again, together,” she said. “We must handle the problems at hand and acknowledge the shortcomings in our systems as well as the deep-rooted problems and conflicts that have been accumulating for many years in our society.”

LeAnne McPherson

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

9/11 Anniversary (Newsweek) Twenty-two years ago, the United States was the target of the deadliest attack on its soil when 19 men hijacked four airplanes as part of a mission orchestrated by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Almost 3,000 people lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and more die each year because of related illnesses stemming from the day’s events. The attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on board United Airlines Flight 93 ushered in a unique period of patriotism as well as a collective recognition that Americans would “never forget” what happened. With the U.S. now in a period of extreme political turmoil and polarization, the day harks back to a different time of national unity. It may have been short-lived, but it holds a special kind of meaning nationwide.

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupts for the third time this year (Reuters) The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island began to erupt on Sunday afternoon, with flows currently confined to the surrounding crater floor, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Sunday. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that the eruption “does not pose a lava threat to communities” though volcanic particles and gases may create breathing problems for people exposed. Located in a closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. In 2019, a string of earthquakes and major eruption at Kilauea led to the destructions of hundreds of homes and businesses.

Sweltering Summer Stretches On (AP) We all know it’s been a sweltering summer in most parts of the country, and Phoenix has been making headlines for months with record-setting heat. Over the weekend, it—once again—hit another record when the temperature at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport reached 110F, making it the 54th day this year with temperatures of at least 110F.

Puerto Rico’s public schools clamor for air conditioning to get relief from record-breaking heat (AP) Public school teacher Ángel Muñiz grabbed a thermometer and thrust it into the camera as someone recorded him inside his classroom this week. “It is about 99 degrees (37 C),” he said in a video posted on social media as seven fans whirred noisily around him. It wasn’t even noon yet, and an advisory that day warned of a heat index of up to 111 F (43.8 C). Students and teachers are sweltering in public schools across Puerto Rico that lack air conditioning and are demanding government action as the U.S. Caribbean territory bakes under record heat this year. Last month was the hottest August on the island since record-keeping began.

The U.S. set the stage for a coup in Chile. It had unintended consequences at home (NPR) Fifty years ago in Chile, the United States worked to end the presidency of an elected Marxist and, in turn, helped usher in an authoritarian right-wing dictatorship. During the ensuing 17-year rule of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, more than 3,000 people would be disappeared or killed and some 38,000 would become political prisoners—most of them victims of torture. The brutality in Chile, thousands of miles away, would have repercussions back in the U.S. In America, the coup of Sept. 11, 1973, “galvanized public opinion in a way that no other activity, no other coup, no other military dictatorship in Latin America did,” says Joe Eldridge, a longtime human rights advocate who was in Chile when it happened. “It was the suddenness, the abruptness in a country that had a long tradition of honoring democratic governance. Chile galvanized, it crystallized in the minds of so many, what was wrong with U.S. foreign policy.” In effect, the coup in Chile led to human rights concerns and Congress taking on a larger role in U.S. foreign policy.

Foreign aid volunteers killed in Donetsk shelling (Washington Post) A pair of volunteer aid workers killed near Ukraine’s front line have been identified as 32-year-old Spanish national Emma Igual and Canadian national Anthony “Tonko” Ihnat, according to the Spanish government and the international aid group they worked for. They were traveling to visit residents on the outskirts of Bakhmut on behalf of Road To Relief, established to help civilians in the Donetsk and Kherson regions, when their van was hit by Russian shelling, the charity said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences for the deaths of the two aid workers. In his nightly address on Sunday, Zelensky added that two other wounded volunteers—German citizen Ruben Mawick and Swedish citizen Johan Mathias—were taken to Dnipro for medical care.

A US Navy veteran got unexpected help while jailed in Iran. Once released, he repaid the favor (AP) Michael White had only recently arrived in a grim Iranian jail when a curious fellow prisoner, an English-speaking Iranian, approached him in the courtyard for a conversation. It was the beginning of an unlikely friendship between White, a Navy veteran imprisoned on spying charges he says were unfounded, and Mahdi Vatankhah, a young Iranian political activist whose positions on social issues had drawn his government’s ire. As the men connected behind bars over a shared interest in politics and human rights, they developed a bond that proved vital for both. Vatankhah, while in custody and after his release, helped White by providing White’s mother with crucial, firsthand accounts about her son’s status in prison and by passing along letters White had written while he was locked up. Once freed, White did not forget. He pushed successfully for Vatankhah’s admission to the United States, allowing the men to be reunited last spring inside a Los Angeles airport, something neither could have envisioned when they first met in prison years earlier.

Revelations of Chinese espionage rock British Parliament (Washington Post) British politicians were asking for answers on Monday after it was revealed that two men—one working as a researcher in Parliament—were arrested in March on suspicion of spying for China. The arrests were reported over the weekend by the Sunday Times of London, which said the younger man worked as a researcher for senior lawmakers from the Conservative Party in the British Parliament, and so would have full access to the Houses of Commons and Lords, as do staff and journalists. Mao Ning, spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “The so-called claim that China is conducting espionage against the U.K. is completely fabricated and China firmly opposes it. We urge the U.K. to stop spreading false information, anti-China political manipulation and malicious slander.”

More Chinese seek bargains at Beijing market as confidence in economy wanes (Reuters) Amy Zhang used to buy branded fashion from shopping malls, but China’s economic uncertainty has driven the 35-year-old teacher, and other middle-class Chinese like her, to shop at one of Beijing’s most famous wholesale markets. Daliushu Guanxin, a sprawling compound of thousands of stalls selling everything from clothes to shoes to accessories, is usually frequented by tourists, students, rural migrants and retirees looking for cheap goods. Now, many more shoppers who can afford to spend more have joined the bargain-hunters, underscoring the weakness in household demand which has emerged as a key drag on the world’s second-largest economy. With wages and pensions hardly budging and the job market highly uncertain as more than one in five young Chinese remain unemployed, households’ confidence and spending power are low in the barely growing economy.

Handling Business In Hanoi (Reuters) On Sunday, the U.S. signed multiple new deals with Vietnam, including trade agreements on semiconductor chips and rare earth minerals, as well as a pact elevating America to Vietnam’s highest diplomatic status, equal to that of Russia and China. Meanwhile, Vietnam continues to maintain its relationships with Russia and China. A letter from Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shows that the country is interested in signing off on a new $8 billion credit facility (essentially an extended loan) allowing it to purchase heavy weaponry from Moscow. Things aren’t going as well with Beijing, though, as the two nations continue to butt heads over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

With Straws, Gourds and Tea in Tow, Syrians Spread Their Love of Maté (NYT) Since Walaa Ali first fled her home in central Syria nearly 10 years ago, she has moved around the country four times, seeking safety for her family. Each time she settled in a new place, she spread the word about maté. Every morning, Ms. Ali, 27, carefully sets out a gold-mirrored tray with a matching teakettle, a sugar bowl that she fills with ground ginger, her tea glass and a metal straw for her morning maté (pronounced MAH-teh)—the strong, bitter tea native to South America. The drink, made from a leaf called yerba maté and hugely popular in countries like Argentina and Brazil, has a large and fervent following in Syria, one that has grown over the decades. Syrians have increasingly taken to the social and communal ritual surrounding its consumption. A cup of the grassy, caffeinated drink—often compared with Japanese green tea—can last for hours as it is refilled with hot water and sipped through a metal straw. The beverage naturally fills the hours of the Syrian sahra, traditional social gatherings in the Middle East that extend late into the night or early-morning hours. Syrians have made it their own, more often drinking maté from small glass cups than from the gourds commonly used in South America.

In Quake-Battered Mountains, Many Moroccans Must Fend for Themselves (NYT) With debris and fallen rock blocking roads to Moroccan villages hit hardest by an earthquake, many residents began burying their dead and foraging for scarce supplies on Sunday as they waited for government aid. That wait may be lengthy. The most powerful quake to hit the region in a century spared neither city apartment dwellers nor those living in the mud-brick homes of the High Atlas Mountains, but many in the remote and rugged areas of Morocco have been left almost entirely to fend for themselves. Survivors, faced with widespread electricity and telephone blackouts, said they were running low on food and water. Some bodies were being buried before they could be washed as Muslim rituals require. The Friday night quake, whose magnitude has been put at 6.8, killed more than 2,800 people and injured more than 2,400, Moroccan state television reported on Sunday. The quake zone is vast, remote and rugged. Many roads are still blocked by debris; untold numbers of crumbled homes still need to be searched for survivors. Some of the worst-hit areas can only be reached by helicopter. The worst-hit provinces are among the poorest in Morocco, with some homes lacking electricity or running water, even in better times.

Niger junta accuses France of amassing forces for a military intervention (AP) The military junta currently in control of Niger has accused France of gathering troops in order to stage a military intervention. The junta’s spokesperson, Major Amadou Abdramane, said that France might coordinate a possible invasion with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a bloc of West African countries that has already announced that it might invade Niger in order to reinstate its deposed leader, Mohamed Bazoum. France didn’t deny the accusations. French President Emmanuel Macron said that any possible military intervention in Niger would “only be at the demand of Bazoum and in coordination with him,” though he added that his government “fully” supports ECOWAS’ decision to prepare for a military invasion of Niger.

[hijack-week]

June Hijack Week 2019 Prompt List

Hello Hijackers! We have our prompts for June Hijack Week. Due to technical issues I am unable to do up a nice prompt list image. I will try to get one up in a few days. In the mean time here is our prompts list for each day and a few Runner Up prompts! This years Hijack Week will begin on Friday June 21, and go until Thursday June 27!

JUNE 21 - "You know what they say, bad boys get spanked." JUNE 22 - Greek Mythology AU JUNE 23 - Bodyswap AU JUNE 24 - "Cuddle time!!" JUNE 25 - Seasons AU JUNE 26 - Mythological Creatures AU JUNE 27 - A very short chapter in which it looks like everything is about to go right for five minutes - HTTYD

Runner Up Prompts: "Kiss me like nobody's watching" - Simple Plan Aladdin AU Youtubers AU

Please forgive the rather lackluster post and the delay between the poll closing and this post... my hard drive is currently dying a rather sudden and dramatic death...

Happy Hijacking Everyone!!